A new, first-of-its-kind Horror Studies Center has just been launched at the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. Adam Lowenstein, a professor in the Department of English and the Film and Media Studies Program, leads the project, with collaborators across the university and the world in support. The center consists of five pillars:
- Horror Studies Collection in the University Library System’s (ULS) Department of Archives and Special Collections
- “Horror Genre as Social Force” Scholar Community in the David C. Frederick Honors College (FHC), which focuses on horror’s relation to social issues
- Global Horror Studies Archival and Research Network (GHSARN), which includes partnerships with institutions worldwide, along with close ties to the University Center for International Studies (UCIS) and Pitt Global
- Horror Studies Working Group (HSWG), a collaborative team of faculty, students, staff, and community members that has helped launch horror studies at Pitt
- The George A. Romero Foundation (GARF), a non-profit organization dedicated to building on the artistic legacy of famed Pittsburgh horror filmmaker Romero
“When I first arrived at the University of Pittsburgh more than 25 years ago, I had the privilege of meeting George A. Romero. I spoke with him about my scholarship built around his films and the horror genre. He then graciously invited me to drop by his house in Shadyside anytime, so we could talk more about what he called ‘the stuff.’ I see the establishment of the Horror Studies Center at Pitt as a way to continue that wonderful conversation, and to invite our university, city, and global horror communities to join together as we make ‘the stuff’ of horror matter in new ways,” says Adam Lowenstein.
Pitt has a rich history with horror, and through Lowenstein and Jeff Whitehead (UCIS Interim Executive Director of Pitt Global and George A. Romero Foundation volunteer), has worked closely with the George A. Romero Foundation. The foundation helped launch the Horror Studies Collection at ULS with the ULS's acquisition of Romero’s Archival Collection. Since acquiring Romero’s collection in 2019, the University Library System has expanded the Horror Studies Archive with treasures including early Wes Craven scripts, original Richard Bachman novels (Stephen King’s pseudonym), and The Blair Witch Project Collection.
The Frederick Honors College houses the “Horror Genre as Social Force” Scholar Community, which aims to use horror as a lens for understanding society and social issues. The community has collaborated with organizations such as the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics and the Community Engagement Center, located in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.
The Global Horror Studies Archival and Research Network (GHSARN) enables the Horror Studies Center to reach a worldwide audience. The network aims to regionalize and globalize the horror studies initiatives at Pitt. Their partnerships include institutions in Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK, and elsewhere.
“When most people think of horror, they only consider film,” says Adam Leibovich, Bettye J. and Ralph E. Bailey Dean of Pitt’s Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. “While film is certainly part of it, horror studies is a much more expansive field of study that also includes psychology, sociology, anthropology, literature—it’s incredibly interdisciplinary. That’s what makes the Dietrich School the perfect home for the new Horror Studies Center. As Pitt’s liberal arts core, we encourage innovation and collaboration between and among our disciplines. Visionary scholars like Adam Lowenstein are taking that encouragement and running with it, and we couldn’t be prouder.”
Upcoming Related Events:
- October 23: Camera As Passport: The Ship of Photographers, a photography exhibition co-sponsored by the Horror Studies Center with a special reception featuring curators Deborah Dash Moore (University of Michigan) and Louis Kaplan (University of Toronto)
- October 24: Louis Kaplan (University of Toronto), Horror Studies Center Talk - Amityville After Auschwitz: The Ghost Hunter, The Psychic Photographer, and the Holocaust
- October 24 -26: Living Dead Weekend convention at the Monroeville Mall featuring a film screening of Tina Romero’s debut film, Queens of the Dead
To learn more about the Horror Studies Center, visit the website.
The Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences is the liberal arts core of the University of Pittsburgh. The school comprises three academic divisions — humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences — and is home to more than 40 departments, programs, and centers. With nearly 12,000 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students, we strive to prioritize respect, inclusion, innovation, communication, integrity, and collaboration.