Paranoia, the Bomb, and 1950s Science Fiction Films

By Cynthia Hendershot

Cyndy Hendershot argues that 1950s science fiction films open a window on the cultural paranoia that characterized 1950s America, a phenomenon largely triggered by use of nuclear weapons during World War II. This study uses psychoanalytic theory to examine the various monsters that inhabit 1950s sci-fi movies giant insects, prehistoric creatures, mutants, uncanny doubles, to name a few which serve as metaphorical embodiments of a varied and complex cultural paranoia. Postwar paranoia may have stemmed from the bomb, but it came to correlate with a wider range of issues such as anti-communism, internal totalitarianism, scientific progress, domestic problems, gender roles, and sexuality."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0879728000
• ISBN13: 9780879728007
• Release Date: July 2013
• Publisher: Popular Press
• Length: 174 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.5" x 5.8"