Suburban Gothic

Suburban Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction, film and television, focused on anxieties associated with the creation of suburban communities, particularly in the United States, from the 1950s and 1960s onwards. It often, but not exclusively, relies on the supernatural or elements of science fiction that have been in wider Gothic literature, but manifested in a suburban setting.

Suburban Gothic is defined by Bernice M. Murphy as "a subgenre of the wider American Gothic tradition which dramatises anxieties arising from the mass urbanisation of the United States and usually features suburban settings, preoccupations and protagonists". She argues that a common trope of the suburban Gothic is the danger within a family or neighbourhood, rather than an external threat. Teenagers and children are often major protagonists or sources of threat and characteristic conflicts often focus on issues of individuality and conformity.

Important early works identified with the subgenre include Richard Matheson's I Am Legend (1954) and Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House (1959). Works that incorporate environmental concerns include Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives (1972), Anne Rivers Siddons's The House Next Door (1978) and the Todd Haynes film Safe (1995). Important films include versions of these written works and Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist (1982). Several works by David Lynch, notably the television series Twin Peaks and the film Blue Velvet have been identified as part of the suburban gothic subgenre. Films with threats from a female protagonist, including Fatal Attraction (1987) and Disclosure (1994) have also been identified as part of the genre. In addition, films that feature a more character-driven or dramatic standpoint also inform the genre notably Todd Solondz's Happiness, Sam Mendes's American Beauty, and Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko. TV series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, and Desperate Housewives have also been seen as dealing with concerns about hidden Gothic worlds behind the suburban façade. The 2011 Australian film Snowtown also concerns suburban gothic themes. Other films described as within the suburban gothic genre include Carrie (1976), Halloween (1978), The Amityville Horror (1979),Fright Night (1985), The Stepfather (1987),The 'Burbs (1988),Parents (1989),Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands (1990),The People Under the Stairs (1991),Serial Mom (1994),Little Children (2006),The Girl Next Door (2007), The Sisterhood of Night (2014), and The Invitation (2015).

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