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 as part of their Film Philosophy on the Margins series. Some current works in progress include an exploration of the function of digital paratexts in Kiwi horror, and 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 panelist, 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 courses: ENGL103 The Outsider; ENGL132/CULT132 Reading Culture; 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.
