Baylor University, a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, provides a vibrant campus community for more than 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship.

Baylor University 

New Row

Contact expert @[Full Name](fullname), @[Job Title](job_title) at @[Organization](organization) for media, speaking, professional opportunities and more.

@[Full Name](fullname) at @[Organization](organization) | Contact Form

Expert Inquiry

Open Sans

Society for Cinema and Media Studies

University Film and Video Association

Online Film Critics Society

Disturbing New Pathways: Psycho and the Priming of the Audience

Oxford Bibliography on Action Cinema

A Companion to the Action Film

While there has been a significant outpouring of scholarship on Steven Spielberg over the past decade, his films are still frequently discussed as being paternalistic, escapist, and reliant on uncomplicated emotions and complicated special effects. Even those who view his work favorably often see it as essentially optimistic, reassuring, and conservative. James Kendrick takes an alternate view of Spielberg's cinema and proposes that his films―even the most popular ones that seem to trade in easy answers and comforting, reassuring notions of cohesion and narrative resolution―are significantly darker and more emotionally and ideologically complex than they are routinely given credit for. Darkness in the Bliss-Out demonstrates, through close analysis of a wide range of Spielberg's films, that they are only reassuring on the surface, and that their depths embody a complex and sometimes contradictory view of the human condition.

Darkness in the Bliss-Out: A Reconsideration of the Films of Steven Spielberg

A concise and accessible introduction to the role of violence from the silent era to the present, this volume illustrates the breadth and depth of screen bloodshed in historical, cultural, and industrial contexts. After considering problems of definition, the book offers a systematic history of film violence and examines three of the most popular violent genres: western, horror, and action. It concludes with a case study on the centrality of film violence to the directors of the New American Cinema, such as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg, offering a strong example of how violence, history, ideology, and genre are deeply intertwined. 

Film Violence: History, Ideology, Genre (Short Cuts (Wallflower))

In Hollywood Bloodshed, James Kendrick presents a fascinating look into the political and ideological instabilities of the 1980s as studied through the lens of cinema violence.Kendrick uses in-depth case studies to reveal how dramatic changes in the film industry and its treatment of cinematic bloodshed during the Reagan era reflected shifting social tides as Hollywood struggled to find a balance between the lucrative necessity of screen violence and the rising surge of conservatism.As public opinion shifted toward the right and increasing emphasis was placed on issues such as higher military spending, family values, and money culture,” film executives were faced with an epic dilemma: the violent aspects of cinema that had been the studios’ bread and butter were now almost universally rejected by mainstream audiences. Far from eliminating screen bloodshed altogether, studios found new ways of packaging violence that would allow them to continue to attract audiences without risking public outcry, ushering in a period of major transition in the film industry. Studios began to shy away from the revolutionary directors of the 1970smany of whom had risen to fame through ideologically challenging films characterized by a more disturbing brand of violencewhile simultaneously clearing the way for a new era in film. The 1980s would see the ascent of entertainment conglomerates and powerful producers and the meteoric rise of the blockbustera film with no less violence than its earlier counterparts, but with action-oriented thrills rather than more troubling images of brutality.Kendrick analyzes these and other radical cinematic changes born of the conservative social climate of the 1980s, including the disavowal of horror films in the effort to present a more acceptable public image; the creation of the PG-13 rating to designate the gray area of movie violence between PG and R ratings; and the complexity of marketing the violence of war movies for audience pleasure. The result is a riveting study of an often overlooked, yet nevertheless fascinating time in cinema history. While many volumes have focused on the violent films of the New American Cinema directors of the 1970s or the rise of icons such as Woo, Tarantino, and Rodriguez in the 1990s, Kendrick’s Hollywood Bloodshed bridges a major gap in film studies. This comprehensive volume offers much-needed perspective on a decade that altered the history of Hollywoodand American cultureforever.  

Hollywood Bloodshed: Violence in 1980s American Cinema

James Kendrick is a professor and undergraduate program director in the Department of Film & Digital Media at Baylor University, where he teaches about film theory/aesthetics, the history of motion pictures, media and society, the films of Steven Spielberg, violence in the media, and horror film.

His primary research interests are post-Classical Hollywood film history, violence in the media, cult and horror films, media censorship and regulation, the films of Steven Spielberg, action films, and cinema and new technologies.

He is the author of three books: "Darkness in the Bliss-Out: A Reconsideration of the Films of Steven Spielberg" (Bloomsbury Academic, 2014), "Hollywood Bloodshed: Violence in 1980s American Cinema" (Southern Illinois University Press, 2009), and "Film Violence: History, Ideology, Genre" (Wallflower Press, 2009). He edited the 24-chapter anthology "A Companion to the Action Film" (2019) for Wiley-Blackwell’s Companion series and is currently working on an book for the British Film Institute’s Film Classics series on" Midnight Cowboy." 

In addition, he has published more than two dozen book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles in Film Criticism, The Velvet Light Trap, the Journal of Film and Video, and the Journal of Popular Film and Television, as well as presented papers at numerous conferences. In addition to his academic work, he is  the film critic for the website Qnetwork.com, where he has written more than 3,000 feature-length reviews.

Violence in films

Cinema and new technologies

Media censorship and regulation

Faculty Profile

Homepage

The QNetwork

It's the return of the B-movie - this time with A-list directors

Texas is terrifying. Hollywood has noticed.

10 Low-Budget Horror Movies Like Skinamarink That Have Terrified Audiences

How Creepy Dolls Like M3GAN Became a Horror Phenomenon

35 of the best serial killer movies to watch for a fright

Taking a Stab at Understanding the “Stupid Teens” Horror Trope

Why Bly Manor creator Mike Flanagan thinks cellphones are 'kryptonite' for horror

Horror Films Have Always Tapped Into Pop Culture's Most Urgent Fears. COVID-19 Will Be Their Next Inspiration

Mr. romero created the modern zombie genre with his 1968 cult film, “night of the living dead.”

George romero, father of the zombie movie, dies at 77

James Kendrick, Ph.D., associate professor in Baylor's Film and Digital Media department, is a nationally known expert on horror films. 

He is available to speak to media about the contributions and legacy of legendary director George A. Romero, who died on Sunday. 

Kendrick said: 

"Although he will forever be remembered as the chief architect the modern zombie film with his groundbreaking, low-budget black-and-white thriller 'Night of the Living Dead,' George A. Romero’s impact on both the horror genre and filmmaking in general reached much farther than the lumbering undead. He was an artist with a genuine social conscience, dark sense of humor, and clear understanding of how the current zeitgeist can make horror both more unsettling and socially relevant, which was key to the genre’s reinvention in the late 1960s and early ’70s. He was also a pioneer of American independent cinema, creating some of his most important films—including 'Night of the Living Dead,' the offbeat vampire film 'Martin,' and the shopping-mall-set 'Dawn of the Dead' — largely on his own terms outside the Hollywood studio system."

Kendrick teaches classes on film theory/aesthetics, the history of motion pictures, media and society, the films of Steven Spielberg, violence in the media, and horror film. His primary research interests are post-Classical Hollywood film history, violence in the media, cult and horror films, media censorship and regulation, the films of Steven Spielberg, action films, and cinema and new technologies.

Baylor Horror Film Expert Comments on Passing of "Night of the Living Dead" Director George A. Romero

Waco, texas (oct. 13, 2016) — james kendrick, ph.d., associate professor of film and digital media in baylor university’s college of arts & sciences, is a hollywood film historian and an expert on cult and horror films. while horror is not everyone’s favorite genre, kendrick says, horror films are known to have a universal appeal.

Baylor horror film expert lists 10 movies ‘everyone should see’

October brings pumpkin spice, changing leaves, cooler temperatures and Halloween. And Halloween, of course, brings horror films.

James Kendrick, Ph.D., associate professor of film and digital media in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, is a Hollywood film historian and an expert on cult and horror films. While horror is not everyone’s favorite genre, Kendrick says, horror films are known to have a universal appeal.

“We all know what it means to be frightened, to feel dread, to want to look away,” Kendrick said. “On some level we all fear death and are aware of our human mortality, and the best horror films engage that fear in complex and challenging ways.”

In honor of Halloween, Kendrick has developed a list of 10 horror classics he says “everyone should see.”

1. Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, 1922) 
2. The Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale, 1935)
3. Cat People (Jacques Tourneur, 1942)
4. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) 
5. Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968)
6. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
7. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)
9. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
10. The Babadook (Jennifer Kent, 2014) 

James Kendrick, Ph.D., serves as associate professor of film and digital media in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences. Kendrick’s primary research interests are post-Classical Hollywood film history, violence in the media, cult and horror films, media censorship and regulation and cinema and new technologies. He has authored three books: Darkness in the Bliss-Out: A Reconsideration of the Films of Steven Spielberg, Hollywood Bloodshed: Violence in the 1980s American Cinema and Film Violence: History, Ideology, Genre. In addition to this, he is also the film and video critic for the website Qnetwork.com. Kendrick is a member of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, the University Film and Video Association and the Online Film Critics Society.

Baylor Horror Film Expert Lists 10 Movies 'Everyone Should See'

Waco, texas (oct. 18, 2017) – the best scary movies adapt to society’s current fears and turn current cultural, social and political preoccupations into elements of horror, says a baylor university film historian and an expert on the horror film genre.

What makes horror movies scary? “we do,” says baylor film expert

The best scary movies adapt to society’s current fears and turn current cultural, social and political preoccupations into elements of horror, says a Baylor University film historian and an expert on the horror film genre.

“We are the monster,” said James Kendrick, Ph.D., associate professor of film and digital media in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences. Kendrick has authored three books: Darkness in the Bliss-Out: A Reconsideration of the Films of Steven Spielberg; Hollywood Bloodshed: Violence in the 1980s American Cinema; and Film Violence: History, Ideology, Genre.

The themes of horror films have changed and developed over the years to capture the zeitgeist and adapt to societal fears, Kendrick said. However, as elements of fear transform with society, the elements of horror films remain.

“Character and story, atmosphere and the monster,” Kendrick said. “That’s all you really need. Interesting, engaging characters in an effective setting pitted against some kind of monstrosity. That is the core of the genre, and anything and everything else grows from and functions to support those three elements.”

The audience must be able to relate to characters and feel a sense of empathy for them, he said. The atmosphere must engage the audience and provide an effective platform for fear.

What Makes Horror Movies Scary? “We do,” Says Baylor Film Expert

James Kendrick, Ph.D., film and digital media

christmas-magic-on-screen-a-curated-list-of-mustwatch-holiday-classics

From timeless tales to unexpected favorites, Baylor film expert highlights the season’s top treasures

Professor, Film & Digital Media, Undergraduate Program Director

  Christmas movies and TV specials hold a special place in the hearts of many, offering a blend of nostalgia, joy and fun that captures the magic of the holiday season, creating a sense of togetherness, drawing families and friends around the glow of the television. 

 James Kendrick, Ph.D., a film historian and professor of film and digital media at Baylor University, has curated a list of his Top 5 Christmas movies and specials, sharing the history of how they became holiday classics sure to fill you with holiday cheer. View his profile 1. It’s a Wonderful Life Frank Capra’s classic is the perennial Christmas movie, which is only fitting given that it began with writer Philip Van Doren Stern penning a short story called “The Greatest Gift” and printing it on 200 holiday cards that he sent to friends and family.

Although initially a box office dud, it later fell into the public domain and was used by PBS stations during the 1970s as December counterprogramming, turning it into the holiday classic it always deserved to be. Along with stockings hung by the fireplace, decorated trees and blinking lights on the house, the viewing of “It’s a Wonderful Life” has become indelibly interwoven into contemporary Christmas tradition. 

Capra weaves a rich tapestry of American life filling the screen, including memorable details and wonderful performances from James Stewart in his first role after returning from duty in World War II, and Donna Reed, then a largely unknown contract player. It is a truly classic, timeless film, one of the few that quite simply never grows old.

2. Die Hard It is a long-settled matter that Die Hard is not just a Christmas movie, but one of the very best.  Christmas movies, after all, know no genre, so there is no reason why a violent action film can’t fit the bill for the holidays.

The decision to set John McTiernan’s wry action extravaganza against a Christmas-season backdrop only adds to the film’s myriad pleasures, as it makes Bruce Willis’s one-man mission to eradicate a crack team of terrorist-robbers all the more imperative after they take a Los Angeles high-rise hostage along with a party of business executives that include his estranged wife. 

“The fact that the soundtrack includes as many jingle bells as gunshots (well, maybe not quite as many, but still more than a few) only adds to the seasonal feels,” Kendrick said.  3. A Christmas Story Somewhere inside we are all young, round-faced Ralphie, pining away for our own “official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot Range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time.” 

The film’s stroke of brilliance in how it ladles halcyon American nostalgia – so many images from the film could have been painted by Norman Rockwell – with a biting sense of cold, but often hilarious, reality. 

Humorist Jean Shepherd, parts of whose 1966 semi-autobiographical short story collection, In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, provided the film’s source material, narrates the film with a mix of humor and irony, making each scene work as both an evocation of a specific time and place in American history and a blank slate onto which we can project our own Christmas memories and dreams. 

The fact that the genuine, child wonderment of waking up on Christmas morning co-exists so easily with sneering bullies, creatively cursing fathers, draconian teachers, tongues frozen to light poles, inappropriate major awards and the always braying Bumpass hounds is testament to the film’s breadth and depth.

4. A Charlie Brown Christmas The first and best of the Peanuts TV specials (sorry, Great Pumpkin), A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered in 1965 and has been in our hearts ever since. While technically not a feature film, it captures in its brisk 22 minutes both the truth of the Christmas spirit and the attendant interpersonal difficulties of the holiday season. 

The fact that it does so with such good humor and poignancy means that no Christmas viewing list is complete without it. Charlie Brown’s oft-frustrated attempts to fit in and find meaning in the season amid all the crass commercialism is one of pop culture’s greatest evocations of existential struggle, but all the low points are balanced perfectly with Linus’s simple, illuminating recitation of the annunciation to the shepherds from the Gospel of Luke, which remains remarkably powerful in its unadorned directness. From the mouth of babes, indeed.

5. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation This is the movie for everyone who has ever tried their absolute hardest to live up to the hype of the Christmas season, only to end in abject failure. Maybe we haven’t all crashed and burned as badly as poor Clark Griswold does here, but we can all relate to how the idea of a “good ol’ fashioned family Christmas” doesn’t always comport with the realities of family, especially when your family includes the inveterate Cousin Eddie, who thinks nothing of emptying his rusting hulk of an RV’s chemical toilet into a storm drain first thing in the morning while wearing a shorty robe and smoking a cigar. 

John Hughes’s screenplay is a veritable compendium of modern America’s expectations for the season and how they can all go terribly, horribly wrong, which is enough to make anyone feel better about their own Christmas turkey coming out too dry or inability to find which lightbulb is causing the whole strand to go dark.


Christmas Magic on Screen: A Curated List of Must-Watch Holiday Classics

nosferatu-why-do-audiences-keep-coming-back-for-an-updated-classic

Let Baylor's expert on film and horror movies help if you're covering

  It's the latest take on an old classic.

Nosferatu took the Christmas box office by storm and might be the first time a vampire movie dominated the traditional holiday cinema season that's usually family friendly and purposely 'PG'.

Even the critics agree that this new take on an old classic was worth the 'bite'.


An adaptation of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent nightmare (which itself was based on Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula and remade once before, in 1979, by Werner Herzog), Nosferatu recounts the tale of a most devious Count: Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), who strives to reach Europe’s shores by purchasing an aged manor house by way of a deal solidified with real estate agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult). Yet Orlok isn’t interested in seeing Germany’s tourist sights—his true goal is reuniting with Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), Thomas’ bride, who called out to him as a girl and, in doing so, created a wicked bond that strengthens by the day. As imagined by Eggers and Skarsgård, the vampiric fiend is a towering figure of corruption and carnality who both resembles his predecessors and is a unique monster in his own right, and his reign of terror plays out via a series of lush, hypnotic set pieces that resound with unnerving malice and profane perversity. January - The Daily Beast   Horror movies have always had a certain allure for audiences, but there a re a few questions to ask:

What does this story have that makes it possible to be remade over and over and still stay entertaining? What is it about vampires in particular that are linked to romance? As well, why do we pay money to be scared and why is this genre so popular and lasting?  If you're covering this particular film or movies in general - then let us help with your questions and stories.

James Kendrick is a professor and undergraduate program director in the Department of Film & Digital Media at Baylor University, where he teaches about film theory/aesthetics, the history of motion pictures, media and society, the films of Steven Spielberg, violence in the media, and horror film.

James Kendrick is available to speak with media. In fact, Nosferatu is James' favorite movie, so simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview time today.



Nosferatu - Why Do Audiences Keep Coming Back for an Updated Classic?

the-mustwatch-scary-movies-for-every-fear-factor

Baylor film historian lists the perfect films for thrill seekers and scaredy cats

Spooky season has arrived, and there's no better way to get into the spirit than by enjoying some classic horror films. Whether you thrive on the thrill of a good scare or you’re more of a “hide your eyes” type, James Kendrick, Ph.D., a film historian and professor of film and digital media at Baylor University, has got you covered. From spine-tingling classics to not-so-scary flicks, Kendrick is here to help you navigate the perfect lineup of Halloween movies – no matter your fear tolerance.

What makes horror movies scary? According to Kendrick, great horror films resonate with audiences by reflecting societal fears.
"We are the monster," Kendrick said. Whether it's current social anxieties, cultural challenges or deep psychological fears, horror films have evolved to capture the essence of what we fear most, he said.

The genre's core remains rooted in three essential elements: character and story, atmosphere and the monster. Without these, Kendrick said, the fear factor simply doesn’t work.

Top 10 Horror Films Everyone Should See For those seeking true horror classics, Kendrick has developed a list of 10 must-watch films that exemplify the genre at its best. From early black-and-white masterpieces to modern independent hits, here are his recommendations:

1.	Nosferatu (1922)
2.	The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
3.	Cat People (1942)
4.	Psycho (1960)
5.	Night of the Living Dead (1968)
6.	The Exorcist (1973)
7.	Suspiria (1977)
8.	Halloween (1978)
9.	The Shining (1980)
10.	The Babadook (2014)
These films not only shaped the horror genre but also continue to be influential today, delving into psychological terror, societal anxieties and primal fears, Kendrick said.

For the Faint of Heart: Scary Movies Without the Gore For those who want to enjoy the Halloween season without being overwhelmed by gore and violence, Kendrick offers his top 10 list of "terror" films that rely more on atmosphere and suspense than graphic horror.

According to Kendrick, these terror films engage the audience emotionally and psychologically, drawing them into the fear without overwhelming them. The Innocents (1961) and A Quiet Place (2018) create tension and fear through the effective use of atmosphere, silence and emotional depth, he said.

Kendrick’s top picks for lighter horror films include: 1.	Vampyr (1932)
2.	The Innocents (1961)
3.	Kwaidan (1964)
4.	Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
5.	The Vanishing (1988)
6.	The Blair Witch Project (1999)
7.	The Others (2001)
8.	Take Shelter (2011)
9.	Warm Bodies (2013)
10.	A Quiet Place (2018)
So, whether you’re a horror aficionado looking for spine-chilling classics, or just want to dip your toes into something a little spooky without the nightmares, Kendrick’s expert recommendations offer a Halloween movie night that’s perfect for everyone, thrill-seekers or scaredy-cats alike. Get your popcorn ready, turn off the lights (if you dare) and settle in for a frightfully good time this spooky season!

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu. 

ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY The College of Arts & Sciences is Baylor University’s largest academic division, consisting of 25 academic departments in the sciences, humanities, fine arts and social sciences, as well as 11 academic centers and institutes. The more than 5,000 courses taught in the College span topics from art and theatre to religion, philosophy, sociology and the natural sciences. The College’s undergraduate Unified Core Curriculum, which routinely receives top grades in national assessments, emphasizes a liberal education characterized by critical thinking, communication, civic engagement and Christian commitment. Arts & Sciences faculty conduct research around the world, and research on the undergraduate and graduate level is prevalent throughout all disciplines. Visit the College of Arts & Sciences website.




Select Inquiry Type