"Another recent volume of the Gothic Fantasy series is Haunted House Short Stories, which offers another selection of excellent fiction." - Kirkus Following the great success of our Gothic Fantasy deluxe edition short story compilations, Supernatural Horror, Murder Mayhem, Lost Souls and many others, this latest title takes housebound trapped spirits and creepy gothic mansions as its chilling subject. Contains a potent mix of classic and brand new writing, with authors from the US, Canada, and the UK. Oh, what is that sound within the walls? The creaking floorboards, the children hiding in the mirror, the spirits that rake across the flesh of the mind - all find a home in this anthology of spine-tingling tales. Classic authors include: E.F. Benson, Ambrose Bierce, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Rhoda Broughton, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Bernard Capes, Ralph Adams Cram, B.M. Croker, Joseph Sheridan le Fanu, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Elizabeth Gaskell, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, O. Henry, William Hope Hodgson, W.W. Jacobs, M.R. James, Rudyard Kipling, H.P. Lovecraft, Guy de Maupassant, Edith Nesbit, Vincent O'Sullivan, Margaret Oliphant, Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, Charlotte Riddell, Mark Twain, Hugh Walpole, Edith Wharton.

In this collection, contributors analyze the depiction of scientists in a wide range of films and television programs that span across genres, including horror, science fiction, crime drama, comedy, and children's media. Scientists in popular culture, they argue, often embody the hopes and fears associated with real-life science, which continue to be prevalent in both fictional and non-fiction media. By becoming the "human face" of scientific insight and innovation, the scientist in popular culture plays a key role in encouraging public engagement with scientific ideas. Scholars of media studies, popular culture, and health communication will find this book particularly useful.

Looming onto the television horror landscape in October 2011, a new drama known simply as American Horror Story gave its eager viewers a lurid and graphic weekly dose of psychological unease and gruesome violence. Embracing recognized horror conventions of spooky settings, unnerving events and terrifying monsters, series co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk employ shocking visual effects and a distinctive anthology format to ensure their show continues to provide a contemporary TV take on the horror genre. As the first book-length study of American Horror Story, this collection examines the contribution that this franchise has made to small screen horror. In a range of scholarly essays, contributors offer insights pertaining to three main areas - the entertainment industry, issues of representation and the horror genre - pinpointing ways in which the show speaks to social concerns, taps into classic horror tropes and offers up a twenty-first-century version of the tale of terror.

The haunted house of American fiction is an iconic union of setting and theme with an enduring presence in popular culture that traces its lineage to the early English Gothic novels. Blurring the boundaries between past and present, the living and the dead, the haunted house - synonymous with the dark side of domesticity - challenges accepted notions of reality and wields a special power over the reader's imagination. Focusing on the work of H. P. Lovecraft, Richard Matheson and Stephen King, this critical work offers a fresh perspective on one of the most popular motifs in American fiction. Case studies demonstrate how these authors have kept the past alive while highlighting the complexities of modern society, using their ghostly tales to celebrate and challenge 20th century American history and culture.