Our Fears Made Manifest

Book excerpt: The beginning of the 21st century was a time of unprecedented events in American society: Y2K, 9/11 and the wars that followed, partisan changes in government and the rapid advancements of the Internet and mass consumerism. In the two decades since, popular culture--particularly film--has manifested the underlying anxieties of the American psyche. This collection of new essays examines dozens of movies released 1998-2020 and how they drew upon and spoke to mass cultural fears. Contributors analyze examples across a range of genres--horror, teen rom-coms, military flicks, slow-burns, and animated children's films--covering topics including gender and sexuality, environmental politics, technophobia, xenophobia, and class and racial inequality.