Atomic Horror

This edited collection considers the myriad representations of the potential dangers caused by nuclear power within the arts. While the fear of nuclear disaster has been addressed in some scholarly works on the Cold War, apocalyptic and ecocritical fictions, the specific threat of nuclear power within the Gothic and horror deserves further consideration. Indeed, as a concept highly concerned with cultural anxieties, the Gothic has proved fertile ground to express fears of nuclear power. Chapters in this collection engage with the full spectrum of terror and horror, investigating humanity and morality as well as bodily mutation and breakdown, using case studies drawn from literature, film, television, video games, and audio media. Taking a global approach, these studies demonstrate that atomic horror texts emerge from a number of national and historical contexts, tracing specific nuclear fears from the 20th century (such as the Second World War, Cold War and Chornobyl disaster) and connecting the lasting impact of such conflicts and disasters to the threat of nuclear war in the present day, making this collection a timely exploration of a still-pressing anxiety.