- Directed by: Andrew Graves
- Duration: 90min
- Certificate: UC
- Type: Create and Learn
Though the American Production Code was ushered in in 1930, for four years its strict set of rules were largely ignored by profit hungry studios who were bent on putting out salacious material in an effort to fight off the effects of the Great Depression. This saw the rise of the stateside scary movie and the release of some of the best, strangest and most subversive horror productions ever made. With offerings like Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), and The Invisible Man, Universal, made horror its stock-in trade in that era, but other studios like MGM, RKO and Paramount also sought to cash in on the craze, by unleashing a range of superlative creature features such as the sexually charged Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1932), monster classic King Kong (1933) and the infamous, still-controversial Freaks (1932).
This course will examine the pre-Code era, concentrating on its horror films, placing them within historical and political context, and exploring their terrifying and censor-defying delves into sex, psychology and perversion.
Tutor: Andrew Graves
Duration: 10 weeks
When: Tuesday evenings from Tue 5 May - 7 July, 7pm–8.30pm
Price: £80 full / £65 members / £70 concessions / £55 under 25s