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Dr Erin Jean Harrington

Contact

Department: English

Email: erin.harrington@canterbury.ac.nz

Phone Number: +64 3 369 3999 ext. null

Office: Karl Popper 608

Language: English

About
Research / Creative works
Supervision
Networks
Projects

Fields of Research

  • Horror studies
  • Film, especially genre, cult, and feminist film studies
  • Gender, sexuality and embodiment
  • Theatre criticism and dramaturgy
  • Continental philosophy and film philosophy

Researcher Summary

My core research deals with post-1960s horror cinema. I am most interested in philosophical, aesthetic and theoretical approaches to horror, as well as feminist and queer philosophies of space, subjectivity and embodiment. I particularly welcome requests for postgraduate supervision in these areas. My book "Women, Monstrosity and Horror Film: Gynaehorror" was published by Routledge in 2018. I am currently working on a book on transnational genre, mockumentary form, and space / place in the What We Do in the Shadows universe for Auteur / Liverpool University Press. I am also working towards a long-term project exploring diverse ways of considering bodies / spaces / ecologies / temporality in horror and related areas.

I am broadly interested in wide range of approaches to culture, especially the 'everyday', including digital culture, spectatorship,  science and technology, issues of taste and consumption, camp and queerness, and so-called 'low' culture.

I am also active in the arts community. I am a prolific arts and cultural critic, I create and participate in performance work, and I appear regularly as a panellist, speaker and adjudicator. I am very happy to be contacted about school / outreach visits or speaking engagements. I am also proud to sit on the board of WORD Christchurch.

I currently teach into the following: ARTS401 Arts Research and Scholarship: Introduction to Theories and Methods; ENGL103 The Outsider; ENGL213/CINE224 Childrens' Classics: Popular Children's Texts and their Representation on Film; CINE225 The Cinema of Contagion; ENGL232 Cultural Politics/Cultural Activism; and ENGL332/CULT303 Sexualities in Culture. I have previously taught courses on sex and sexuality in cinema, independent media, drama and dramaturgy, and creative writing.

Subject Area: Disciplines

  • Cultural Studies: Cultural Studies; Popular Culture; Visual Culture
  • Sociology, Social Policy, Social Work, Criminology and Gender Studies: Feminist Studies; Gender & Sexuality
  • Theatre and Dance, Film and Television and Multimedia: Film; Television; Theatre and Dance
  • Cinema Studies: Cinema Studies

Research/Scholarly/Creative Works

Authored Books
  • Harrington E. (2017) Women, Monstrosity and Horror Film: Gynaehorror. Routledge. vii+287.
Chapters
  • Harrington E. (2021) Horror on Home D: gender, humour, and horror in Housebound. In Erwin E; Hofmann G (Ed.), Body Count 6 ½: Case Studies in Horror-ComedyLehigh University Press.
  • Harrington E. (2020) Slicing Up the Boys’ Club: The Female-led Horror Anthology Film. In Perise A (Ed.), Women Make Horror: Filmmaking, Feminism, GenreRutgers University Press.
  • Harrington EJ. (2019) Macduff vs. Army of Darkness. In Riekki R; Sartain J (Ed.), The Many Lives of the Evil Dead: Essays on the Cult Film Franchise: 182-187. Jefferson: McFarland and Company, Inc..
  • Harrington E. (2018) The Casketeers and prime-time tangihanga. In Johnson E (Ed.), Death and Dying In New Zealand: 119-127.Freerange Press.
  • Harrington E. (2018) The Casketeers. In Johnson E (Ed.), Death and Dying in Aotearoa: 119-127. Christchurch: Freerange Press.
Journal Articles
  • Harrington E. (2020) A network of networks of networks built by believers that runs on belief. Hamster (7): 4-9.
  • Harrington E. (2020) Peering through the trees, or, everything I've ever learned about American summer camp came from Friday the 13th Parts 1-4 and The Baby-Sitter's Club Super Special #2. Horror Homeroom (1): 163-171.
  • Harrington E. (2020) Policing through parody with Wellington Paranormal. Continuum 34(1): 88-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2019.1699025.
  • Harrington EJ. (2018) 10 Cloverfield Lane. Science Fiction Film and Television 11(1): 131-135. http://dx.doi.org/10.3828/sfftv.2018.11.
  • Bartneck C., Ser QM., Moltchanova E., Smithies J. and Harrington E. (2016) Have LEGO Products Become More Violent? PLoS ONE 11(5) e0155401: 27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0155401.
  • Harrington E. (2016) (In)decent Exposure. Bulletin (183): 36-41.
  • Harrington E. (2015) Casual wear meets cultural criticism. Takahe 84: 40-41.
  • Harrington E. (2015) Christchurch Round Up. Playmarket Annual (50): 54-55.
  • Harrington E. (2014) The Babadook. Monsters and the Monstrous 4(2): 103-105.
  • Harrington E. (2011) A Means to an End: Challenging the Notion of 'Torture Porn' in the French Film 'Martyrs'. OCULUS: Postgraduate Journal for Visual Arts Research (3): 9-16.
Conference Contributions - Published
  • Harrington E. (2015) Living deaths, wicked witches and 'hagsploitation': horror and/of the aging female body. In Peer Reviewed Proceedings of the 6th Annual Conference Popular Culture Association of Australia and New Zealand (PopCAANZ): 54-62. Japan Academy.
Conference Contributions - Other
  • Harrington E. (2022) What We Do in the Title Sequences. Sheffield Hallam University [online]: Fear 2000, 1-3 Jul 2022.
  • Harrington E. (2021) Ao-terror-oa, paratextual play, and the online (re)construction of New Zealand Horror. Society for Cinema and Media Studies Annual Conference, 17-21 Mar 2021.
  • Harrington E. (2021) Wellington Paranormal, hyperlocal horror, and transnational flows. Sheffield Hallam University [online]: Fear 2000, 10-12 Sep 2021.
  • Harrington E. (2019) A South Pacific horror hot take: pedagogy, media literacy and comparative horror analysis. Seattle, USA: Society for Cinema and Media Studies Annual Conference, 13 Mar 2019.
  • Harrington E. (2019) XX Marks the spot? Gender, aesthetics and representation in contemporary horror anthology films. Seattle, USA: Society for Cinema and Media Studies Annual Conference, 13 Mar 2019.
  • Harrington EJ. (2017) 'This is the girl': aesthetics and rituals of violence and consumption in 'Starry Eyes' and 'The Neon Demon'. Massey University, Wellington: Popular Culture Association of Australian and New Zealand Annual Conference, 10 Jul 2017.
  • Harrington E. (2016) Eating for two: mothers, meat and monstrous pregnancies. Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand: Food / Love / God: A Tri-thematic Symposium on Popular Culture hosted by the Popular Culture Research Centre, 4-4 Feb 2016.
  • Harrington EJ. (2016) Pro-Life, Pro-Choice, Pro-Horror: Representing Abortion in Horror Film. University of Otago: New Research on Horror, 16-18 Nov 2016.
  • Harrington E. (2014) I is for I Don't Think So: feminist theory meets fan praxis in 'The ABCs of Death'. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand: Space, Race, Bodies: Geocorpographies of the City, Nation and Empire, 8-8 Dec 2014.
  • Harrington E. (2012) Looking inside: foetal imagery, pregnant subjectivity and the horror film. Christchurch, New Zealand: OCULUS 2012: Postgraduate Visual Arts Conference, 28-30 Sep 2012.
  • Harrington E. (2012) Virgins, Vaginas and 'Teeth': Representations of female sexuality in horror film. Melbourne, Australia: Popular Culture Association of Australia and New Zealand 3rd Annual International Conference (POPCAANZ), 27-29 Jun 2012.
Oral Presentations
  • Harrington E. (2022) Screening Pandemics. Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu: 13 Apr 2022.
  • Harrington E. (2021) Bodily Exchanges: Blondes, Beasts and Body Swaps. City Gallery, Wellington: Tuatara Open Late: Marianna Simnett, 04 Mar 2021.
  • Harrington E. (2019) 'Always blow on the ghost pie': the curious case of the New Zealand Police's 'Wellington Paranormal' PSAs. University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand: Aotearoa New Zealand Studies Seminar Series, 14 May 2019.
  • Harrington E. (2018) Horror for the faint-hearted. University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand: UC Connect | Tauhere Public Lecture Series, 07 Mar 2018.
  • Harrington EJ. (2018) (Gynae)horror and film-philosophy. University of Canterbury: Canterbury School of Continental Philosophy Seminar Series, 06 Oct 2017.
  • Harrington EJ. (2018) An introduction to the monstrous-feminine. Avon Loop Community Cottage: Shared Snood: "Not Your Bae" - Witches, Bitches and Nasty Women, 21 Feb 2018.
  • McManus R., Elliot M., Mayell M. and Harrington E. (2018) Death and Dying at the Teece. Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities, # HEreford St, Christchurch, NZ: Death and Dying at the Teece, 11 Dec 2018.
  • Harrington EJ. (2017) Creepypasta: Old Horrors, New Media. Rangi Ruru Girls' School, Christchurch: National Association of Media Educators 2017 conference "In the Frame".
  • Harrington EJ. (2017) Representation and genre: the changing face of the 'final girl' (keynote). Rangi Ruru Girls' School, Christchurch: National Association of Media Educators 2017 conference: "In the Frame".
  • Harrington EJ. (2017) Stinky poo, stinky poo, knickers knickers knickers: a brief and incomplete account of witches in film and popular culture. City Gallery, Wellington: Tuatara Open Late: Purple Pilgrims, Häxan, Erin Harrington, 02 Nov 2017.
  • Harrington E. (2016) Old age and treachery: hagsploitation, psychobiddies and the aging woman in horror (Keynote). Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart, Australia: Mary Shelley Symposium, Stranger With My Face International Film Festival.
  • Harrington EJ. (2016) Horror on Home D: gender, humour, and horror in Housebound. University of Canterbury: New Zealand Studies seminar series, 07 Oct 2016.
  • Harrington E. (2015) How do you schizoanalyse film? University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand: Canterbury School of Continental Philosophy Seminar Series.
  • Harrington E. (2015) Pink versus blue: exploring taken-for-granted ideas about gender. New Zealand Broadcasting School, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Theses / Dissertations
  • Harrington E. (2014) Gynaehorror: Women, theory and horror film. PhD Thesis, Christchurch, New Zealand. University of Canterbury.
Performances
  • Harrington E. (2020) New Regent Street Pop Up Festival: Metamorphoses. Reader, convenor: Young's Jewellers, New Regent Street. [Spoken word - live readings].
  • Harrington E. (2019) WORD UP Cabaret - November 2019. Performer: Little Andromeda. [Theatre / cabaret].
  • Harrington E. (2018) Free Radicals. Co-producer, director, writer, performer: Arts Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand. [Live performance, spoken word, song, live music across multiple genres].
  • Harrington EJ. (2016) Eating the Wolf. Director, co-producer, performer: XCHC (Exchange Christchurch). [Performance of NZ author Sarah Delahunty's play "Eating the Wolf", with proceeds going to charity].
Dramatic and Literary Texts
  • Harrington E. (2017) Present Tense. Author: 48-48. [Print].
  • Harrington EJ. (2016) Two poems (crash; three day affair / laundromat). 61. [Print].
Other
  • Harrington E. (2022) Top Gun: Maverick is a film obsessed with its former self. The Conversation.
  • Harrington E. (2021) Creature Discomfort. Art News New Zealand(Autumn 2021): 86-89. [Magazine article / exhibition review].
  • Harrington E. (2021) Gory or glory? The Handmaid’s Tale season 4 walks a fine line between dystopia and torture porn. The Conversation [review].
  • Harrington E. (2021) Nine Perfect Strangers review: sharp dialogue and excellent performances can’t hide the hollowness of the story. The Conversation [Television review].
  • Harrington E. (2021) When a City Rises is a celebration of a fallen city and its people. The Spinoff [Film review essay].
  • Harrington E. (2020) Into the wild: A review of Carl Nixon’s astonishing novel, The Tally Stick. The Spinoff Review of Books New Zealand: [Book review].
  • Harrington E. (2019) A new horror: Thomas Harris’s Cari Mora, reviewed. The Spinoff Review of Books [Online].
  • Harrington E. (2019) Review: Imaginary Friend, a blood-soaked novel that recalls Stranger Things. The Spinoff Auckland, New Zealand.
  • Harrington EJ. (2018) Back to the Future: Spaceships, Tōtara, and the Christchurch Performing Arts Precinct. The Pantograph Punch [critical essay].
  • Harrington EJ. (2018) The It Factor: Why Horror Has Risen from the Grave. The Press / Stuff. [Editorial].
  • Harrington EJ. (2017) 15 Films to See at the 2017 New Zealand International Film Festival. The Pantograph Punch [Film review].
  • Harrington EJ. (2017) Perm and Set: A Review of Steel Magnolias. The Pantograph Punch [Theatre review].
  • Harrington EJ. (2017) Satire, Sincerity and Pastiche: A Review of The Love Witch. The Pantograph Punch [Film review essay].
  • Harrington EJ. (2017) Unmoored melancholy: a review of Uncle Vanya. The Pantograph Punch Auckland: [Review].
  • Harrington E. (2016) Waiora: Retains its raw power and its depth of emotion. Theatreview [Theatre review].
  • Harrington EJ. (2016) Hairspray: Frothy frivolity misses the message. Theatreview. [Theatre review].
Additional Publications
  • Harrington EJ. (2015) The Blue-Grey Wall: (Corpore)oceanographies. Author: The Physics Room. 21-28 Oct 2015. [Critical article / curatorial response].

Student Supervision

Displaying all items.
  • PhD - Hitchings I: Power, Control and Gate-Keeping: 'Making People' in Science Fiction Texts
  • Current
  • PhD - Doole S: Wander-ous Wombs: Thinking through the maternal body in contemporary poetry
  • PhD - Prentice Jr D: Beauty and aesthetics in horror
  • Masters - Jones S: From Fables to Fanfic: An Examination of Transformative Texts through Subversion, Sexuality, and Social Commentary
  • Completed
  • PhD - Cohen B: Updating the Bernstein Model: Engaging new audiences with through classical music
  • PhD - Jones J: Gendered Jargon: How Speakers Indicate Nonbinary Gender Identity via Linguistic and Audiovisual (in)Congruence
  • PhD - Kennedy K: Challenging the Norm: Gender in Frank Herbert’s Dune series (2019)
  • PhD - Williamson R: Maternal aesthetics: Subjectivity, experience and genre in literature and popular culture texts on motherhood
  • Masters - Fletcher L: Hearing is believing: authenticity, authority and audionarratology in the post-Serial investigative podcast genre (2020)
  • Masters - Lydiard S: A Day in the Sun [playscript]
  • Honours - Hey J: Ecocriticism, Anxiety, and Children’s Picture Books (2021)
  • Honours - Hills M: Night of the Living Pets: Zombie and Ghost Companion Animals in Horror Literature for Children
  • Honours - Hinchliff J: Casting Shadows: Byronic Irony as transformation in J M Coetzee’s Disgrace. (2019)
  • Honours - Lydiard S: Profiles: A Play (a collection of verbatim monologues) (2019)
  • Honours - Nathan D: "We're all infected": humanity and community in The Walking Dead (2016)
  • Honours - Soper C: “Crown me or kiss my ass”: Exploring Neoliberal (Post)Feminism in American Horror Story: Coven (2017)
  • Honours - Williams S-R: I Mustn't Think Of It Now: Gone with the Wind and Why Difficult Books Are Vital in Secondary Schools (2019)
  • Honours - Williamson H: Space Invaders: Contesting and Constructing Heterotopia in Sarah Kane’s Blasted

Editorial Work

Displaying all items.
  • Editorial and governance position (Takahe) Editorial Board Member ( 2014 - 2017)

Affiliations

  • Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) (Professional Organisation): Member
  • Screen Studies Association of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (Professional Organisation): Member
  • Women in Film and Television New Zealand (WIFT) (Professional Organisation): Member
  • Canterbury Film Society (Community Organisation/NGO): Member
  • Popular Culture Association of Australia and New Zealand (POPCAANZ) (Professional Organisation): Member

Future Research

  • Ecologies, embodiment, gender, aesthetics, and time / duration in horror media
  • Horror media in Aotearoa New Zealand
  • An ongoing online project developing arts and cultural criticism capacity in Christchurch
  • Ongoing development of boutique performance events
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