[Atria]A SHELF AWARENESS BEST BOOK OF 2025 A LOS ANGELES TIMES MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2025 AN ELLE BEST BOOK OF FALL 2025 Convincing and illuminating. The Atlantic A compelling, intelligent, and timely exploration of the horror genre from one of Columbia Universitys most popular professors, shedding light on how classic horror films demonstrate larger cultural attitudes about womens rights, bodily autonomy, and more.In May of 2022, Columbia Universitys Dr. Eleanor Johnson watched along with her students as the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade. At the same time, her class was studying the 1968 horror film Rosemarys Baby and Johnson had a sudden epiphany: horror cinema engages directly with the combustive politics of womens rights and offer a light through the darkness and an outlet to scream. With a voice as persuasive as it is insightful, Johnson reveals how classics like Rosemarys Baby, The Exorcist, and The Shining expose and critique issues of