Routledge Studies in Religion and Film: Divine Film Comedies: Biblical Narratives Film Sub-Genres and the Comic Spirit (Hardcover)

First study of disaster movies through reception theory and queer theory. Dying for a Laugh looks at the evolution of the contemporary disaster film from the 1970s to the present. Ken Feil argues that contemporary camp culture has influenced and reformed the conventions of the 1970s disaster film in both its production and reception. The book chronicles how the genre rose to prominence sank into critical and popular disrepute and became unintentionally campy. Through close readings of films including The Poseidon Adventure The Swarm Ghostbusters Independence Day and Mars Attacks! along with film reviews entertainment reports and publicity materials as evidence Feil shows that the renewal of the disaster genre in the 1990s hinged on self-parody ironic self-consciousness and state-of-the-art effects. Feil also looks at the impact of 9/11 on the genre s campy sadistic pleasures through movies such as The Sum of All Fears The Core and The Day After Tomorrow. This analysis of high concept camp draws from diverse methodologies and theories such as historical reception textual analysis neoformalism political economy genre analysis feminism and queer theory.