Eric Schaefer, Ph.D., (born 1959) is a professor and film historian. He is an associate professor at Emerson College and interim chair of the visual and media arts department.
He has a B.A. from Webster University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas, Austin.
He is best known for his book on exploitation filmmaking, Bold! Daring! Shocking! True: A History of Exploitation Films, 1919-1959, published by Duke University Press in 1999. He has been described as "the go-to academic source on the genre of exploitation films."
He is a member of the Northeast Historic Film board of advisors and a member of the editorial board of the journal The Moving Image.