Toxic Cultures

Simon Bacon is an award-winning writer and film critic based in Poznań, Poland. He is the Series Editor for Genre Fiction and Film Companions with Peter Lang, to which he has also contributed The Gothic (2018), Horror (2019), Monsters (2020), Transmedia Cultures (2021) and The Undead in the 21st Century (2022). He is also the editor of Transmedia Vampires (2021), Nosferatu in the 21st Century (2022) and The Anthropocene and the Undead (2022). He has published a series of monographs on vampires in popular culture: Becoming Vampire: Difference and the Vampire in Popular Culture (2016), Dracula as Absolute Other (2019), Eco-Vampires (2020), Vampires From Another World (2021) and 1000 Vampires on Screen (forthcoming).

Contents: Patricia MacCormack: Prologue: From Toxic Humanity to Ahumanity – Foundations – Carl Wilson: Bioshock, 2K Games (2007) – Toxicity and Contagion – Louis Bayman: Chernobyl, Craig Mazin (2019) – Toxic History – Kyle Moody: Succession, Jesse Armstrong (2018– present) – Toxic Ideology – Natalie Wilson: Get Out, Jordan Peele (2017) – Toxic Whiteness – Franziska E. Kohlt: The Coronavirus Act (2020), UK Government Communication (March 2020–present) – Toxic Language – Daniel Sheppard: Halloween, David Gordon Green (2018) – Toxic Nostalgia – Sexuality and Gender – Cynthia Jones: Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh (2015) – Toxic Fairy Tales – Erin Giannini: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon (1997– 2003) – Toxic Masculinity – Paula Ashe: Pussyhat Movement (2017– Present) – Toxic Feminism – Callie Graham: Crazy Ex- Girlfriend, Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna (2015– 2019) – Toxic Relationships – Ildikó Limpár: Wayward Children Series, Seanan McGuire (2016– Present) – Toxic Parenting – Popular Culture – Pembe Gözde Erdogan: Gelin Evi [Bride’s House], Cem Semercioglu (2015– 2019) – Toxic Television – Mateusz Sìwietlicki: «Toxic», Britney Spears (2003) – Toxic Music – Cathleen Allyn Conway: Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, Paul Feig (2016) – Toxic Franchises and Misogyny – Debaditya Mukhopadhyay: Kabir Singh, Sandeep Reddy Vanga (2019) – Toxic Criticism – Bethan Jones: Star Wars Episodes VII– IX, Various (2015– 2019) – Toxic Fandom and Racism – Society – Melody Blackmore: Paradise Hills, Alice Waddington (2019) – Toxic Positivity – Ken Monteith: «Sadfishing» (2019– Present) – Toxic Social Media – Jay Daniel Thompson: Troll Hunting, Ginger Gorman (2019) – Toxicity and Trolling – Madeline Muntersbjorn: «The Denialist Playbook», Sean Carroll (2020) – Toxic Denialism – Deborah G. Christie: «Title X Gag Rule» (2019– Present) – Toxic Censorship – Humanity – Martyn Colebrook: The City & the City, China Miéville (2009) – Toxic Cities – Phil Fitzsimmons and Edie Lanphar: Brimstone, Martin Koolhoven (2016) – Toxic Education – Blake I. Collier: Martyrs, Pascal Laugier (2008) – Toxic Fundamentalism – Tom Ue and Alexander Wills: Parasite, Bong Joon Ho (2019) – Toxic Economies – Rebecca Booth: The Last Winter, Larry Fessenden (2006) – Toxic Ecologies – Elana Gomel: Bird Box, Josh Malerman (2014) – Toxic Futures – Helen Gavin: Epilogue: Toxicity and Positivity.