Sociology reveals the invisible in our world. Sociologists explore the parts of our society that remain “in the dark,” and this has a lot in common with the horror genre. Both sociologists and horror fans find value in delving into the qualities and behaviors of people that others would rather not address. Both focus on things we don’t want to confront. More than many other genres, horror films are rife with sociological implications.
We are sociologists who host the Collective Nightmares podcast. Our podcast examines horror films from a sociological perspective. We focus on issues such as the representation of individuals of different genders, sexualities, and racial/ethnic backgrounds as well as the ideological messages of the film narratives.
Horror movies are a great teaching tool for undergraduate classes. For example, two recent films, Summer of ’84 and The First Purge, are a good fit for sociology courses focusing on gender, sexuality, deviance, and social problems. We’ve used discussion of horror films in our classes with great success – and what better time than Halloween to inspire students to think sociologically about horror?!
Summer of ’84 (2018)
Summer of ’84 models itself on popular media of the 1980s in look, tone, and story (The Goonies (1985), Explorers (1985), Stand By Me (1986), etc.). Our lead protagonist, an upper-middle class, white, heterosexual, boy, Davey, played by Graham Verchere, suspects his neighbor of being a serial killer. He convinces his friends to help him spy and investigate. Hijinks and horror ensue.

In our discussion of Summer of ‘84, we examine the representation of young women in adolescent boy-centric summer adventure movies. We also discuss the ubiquity of troublesome, but “oh so palatable” tropes. These include the representation of women, people of color, and political ideology that, when couched in a nostalgic 1980’s setting (which we both grew up smack in the middle of) can feel homey. The cultural climate of our youth seems to have clouded our ability to see the way Summer of ’84 depicted first and foremost women, but also racial inequity and the political climate of the 1980’s.
To address these ideas in your classroom, consider a discussion centered on the following argument, which we make in the podcast: Summer of ‘84 presented women largely as sexual currency for young men’s bonding.

Horror is a genre that relies on stigmatized topics and transgressing boundaries, and it therefore has unique potential to challenge or reinforce common conceptions of normalcy. One of the ways the core group of boys are cast as normal, good, and moral, in contrast to the suspicious neighbor, is via their hegemonic heterosexuality. This is largely done by showing them discussing women as potential sexual trophies, engaging the male gaze toward adult magazines, and taking advantage of Davey’s vantage point to watch his neighbor Nikki, played by Tiera Skovbye, undressing.
Nikki is relegated to the role of “love interest” as a willing participant in these exchanges. She takes pride in her ability to give the boys status through her flirtations, exalting them as her only true friends. She finds their covert attempts to see her naked as flattering, rather than a stark invasion of privacy. For a deeper discussion, we take this argument a step further and ask ourselves why we, both trained sociologists (one of whom specializes in gender) found the film enjoyable in spite of these deeply problematic behaviors. What does that say about the pervasiveness of these gender ideologies in our society?
The First Purge (2018)


The concept of The Purge (2013) film and now TV series is that once a year in the U.S. for 12 hours, all crime, including murder, is legal. The most recent film in the series, The First Purge, arrived in theaters this summer. In the film, the right-wing New Founding Fathers of America political party conducts an experiment on Staten Island, a borough of primarily poor people of color. This experiment is a trial run of the Purge concept that is rolled out nationally in the other films.
This premise offers director Gerard McMurray an allegory to explore a host of sociological issues relevant to current U.S. society. The film works as a basis for a discussion of class inequality, racial injustices, gendered violence, and social control. In our discussion of the film, we address deviance, racial stereotypes, anomie, solidarity, and the social psychological influences on behavior, especially the internalization of norms.
Though the horror genre is notorious for being particularly white-dominated, The First Purge is directed by a Black man (Gerard McMurray) and the primary stars of the film are people of color (Y’lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade). While critical and thought-provoking in many ways, the film is also disappointing when it comes to portrayals of gender and sexuality. Questions for class discussion could include how social structure influences individual agency within the film’s narrative. How does the film perpetuate and challenge race, gender, and racial stereotypes? What is the role of intersectionality in these stereotypes?
In preparation for Halloween, we will soon have a follow-up post detailing which of our prior podcasts are relevant to different sociology courses. We will also have an example assignment to share that instructors can adapt to their own needs/classes to help you discuss horror films with your students.
Marshall Smith earned his PhD in sociology from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2011 focusing on gender, sexuality, youth, and media. He currently teaches sociology classes at CU Boulder for the Farrand Residential Academic Program.
Laura Patterson earned her PhD from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2011, focusing on environmental issues and the impacts of HIV/AIDS in rural South Africa. She’s currently a research consultant with a Colorado-based pregnancy prevention program and other federally-funded evaluation efforts, in addition to teaching at CU Boulder and Adams State University.
Comments 10
Nick — February 22, 2019
Yeah, horror movies are our fears. Because when viewing they cause strong emotions and the person remembers them. This is directly related to memory, I read about it in a scientific article. There was a lot written about the possibilities of the human brain. I don't watch those movies anymore.
Kreb — August 12, 2019
Horror films is my favorite genre. Watch latest movies and shows on your PC using a movie android app. Install the android apps on pc using Nox Android emulator
kik login pc — July 28, 2020
kik login pc
dolly — May 17, 2021
Ich habe große Angst vor Horrorfilmen. Ich schaue nie alleine einen Horrorfilm und wenn ich sehe, schlafe ich zwei Tage lang nicht. Ok Lass los, Leute, die Horrorfilme mögen, können es genießen. Und wenn jemand ein Augenproblem hat, können Sie hier nachsehen
suka — August 25, 2021
It's great to be here with everyone, I have a lot of knowledge from what you share, to say thanks, the information and knowledge here helps me a lot. fireboy and watergirl
Install CokernutX — October 19, 2021
Go to Settings > General > Profiles and Device Management and under Downloaded Profiles, kindly tap CokernutX profile and hit the InstallMonitor the establishment progress from your iOS gadget's home screen.
personalised website design — October 20, 2021
Nice article to read during lockdown
Joseph M. Phipps — January 19, 2022
It was incredible to peruse your post! The humanistic creative mind appears to have made another issue for sociologists. Human science of instruction centers around educating and learning. The construction of instructing and learning includes the physical, passionate, and scholarly parts, among others, and understudies can get custom exploration paper composing by visiting https://www.360wichita.com/blog/Education/Best-Paper-Writing-Service-2022.html site to deal with their undertakings. Much obliged to you!
aska — June 15, 2022
I never imagine that floors will be so https://www.bbntimes.com/society/best-research-paper-writing-services cheap with such quality because when I see the quality in sample I’m totally amazed. “Yorkville Condos” comes with a great opportunity to avail because no one can get flooring in such rates. So I really like the post and also I appreciate the person behind this blog.
Courtney T. Pegram — August 24, 2022
Most of us have parts of our lives we may like to change. This may bring about negative feelings at times, but it’s normal. It’s part of our process of creating happy and healthy lives for ourselves and also visit https://my-assignment.help/ site for quality work. You may want to become better at managing money, or you may aspire to take real steps to improve your overall health and wellness.