Last Updated on January 2, 2025 by Angel Melanson
The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies returns for its 15th year in 2025, with a brand new Spring Semester of both online and in-person classes covering everything from the folklore of Scooby-Doo to the symbolism of vomiting women in the horror genre.
Founded by legendary film writer and programmer Kier-La Janisse in 2010, The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies is a largely volunteer-run endeavour through which established horror writers, directors, scholars and programmers/curators celebrate horror history and culture with a unique blend of enthusiasm and critical perspective.
Online classes start on January 7, with semester passes available here until January 6. The online schedule reads as follows:
7th Jan Why Horror Is Good for You
The Latest News from the Science of Recreational Fear
With Mathias Clasen
4th Feb Consuming Ghost Stories
The Spectre of Snuff Films Is Haunting Canadian Obscenity
With Meg Lonergan
18th Mar Make Me Over
Practical Effects as Bodily Writing
With Sarah Woodstock
15th Apr Wells, Wombs, and Tombs
Trauma and Gendered Imaginaries in South Asian Horror
With Meheli Sen
6th May Mourning in Horror
Grief in the 21st-Century Genre Films
With Tugce Kutlu
All talks start at the following local times:
- London @ 19:00:00
- Berlin @ 20:00:00
- New York @ 14:00 pm
- Los Angeles @ 11:00 am
Here's an official rundown from Miskatonic Online Director Claire Donner:
The new year’s courses will cover a wide range of topics from true crime to real science, and from gendered violence to the universal pain of grief. We’ll kick things off with Dr. Mathias Clasen, co-director of the Recreational Fear Lab, whose January class explains the mental health benefits of horror. February begins with law scholar Meg Lonergan’s a hauntological look at obscenity laws and the snuff rumors that fuel them, while our March class offers an analysis of the transformative power of practical FX by Sarah Woodstock. April’s talk by Professor Meheli Sen examines the iconography of the well in South Asian horror cinema concerning historical violence against women, and our May guest Tugce Kutlu takes an overdue look at the recent trend of genre films about grief and mourning.
This lineup truly has a little something for everyone, and we can’t wait to delve into these diverse topics with our students. Our continuing education program is guaranteed to make Miskatonians a little wiser and a little weirder with each semester — so grab your passes now, and we’ll see you in class!
In-person classes kick off on February 25 at London's Horse Hospital, with the schedule bringing the following academic treats:
25th Feb Do You Want to Tell Me Something?
Vomiting Women in Horror Cinema
With Sarah Cleaver of Zodiac Film Club
11th Mar I Still Get the Thrill of how Real I Thought it Was
Exploring Horror and Reality through Childhood Memories of Ghostwatch (1992)
With Dr. Kate Egan, Assistant Professor in Film and Media at Northumbria University
8th Apr God Has Left Me
Faith, Apostasy, and Lucio Fulci
With Matt Rogers author of the Vatican versus Horror Movies
13th May Zoinks!
The Spooky Folklore Behind Scooby-Doo
With Mark Norman of the Folklore Podcast
10th Jun If Looks Could Kill
The spectacle of murder in contemporary crime media
With Dr. Stella Marie Gaynor, Senior Lecturer in Media, Culture and Communication – Humanities and Social Science, Liverpool John Moores University
Here's what Josh Saco, Branch Director and Director of the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies has to say about the in-person schedule:
It’s nearly 2025—we’re officially living in the future! But here at the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, we continue to celebrate and explore the bizarre and wonderful! We’re thrilled to announce our Spring Semester at the Horse Hospital, albeit with a later than usual start date, due to some much needed refurbishment works at the hallowed pits of the equine asylum.
First up, in February, Sarah Cleaver of Zodiac Film Club dives into Vomiting Women in Genre Cinema, exploring how these tropes can silence the true voice. In March, the illustrious Kate Egan examines how Ghostwatch challenged the childhood understanding of reality and its continued impact of memory and spectatorship.
What’s that you say?! Finally Fulci! You know it! We take a look at Fulci’s religious and political influences and rejections in April, then we hop aboard the Mystery Machine in May and take a trip though the folkloric influences of everyone’s favourite Pesky Kids – and that damn dog too! with Zoinks! And to round out the semester, we turn our gaze to the obsession with true crime and serial killers and how these crime scenes are sensationalised ad nauseum across our modern media landscape.
It’s a diverse lineup of fascinating topics, blending the strange, the spooky, and the scholarly. We can’t wait to see you at the door!
In-person passes are available right here.Head over to the official Miskatonic site for more information!
