SOUTH AFRICAN HORROR CINEMA: From apartheid to "District 9" and beyond

278pp., illus., hardback, Bloomsbury Academic, New York, 2025

ISBN:‎ 9781501385063

The first study to explore South African horror cinema, how it has emerged from periods of social and economic change, and how these changes might have inspired the characters and themes explored.

Films discussed include Jannie Totsiens (Jans Rautenbach, 1970), The Demon (Percival Rubens, 1979), District 9 (Neill Blomkamp, 2009), The Tokoloshe (Jerome Pikwane, 2018) and Fried Barry (Ryan Kruger, 2020).

"Waddell locates the study of South African horror film within the international canon. His analytical terrain questions exceptionalism and identifies socially indicative meta intertexts. The nuanced study embraces the local in terms of the apartheid and Cold War eras when monsters and demons lurked everywhere. Via an internationalization of South African film studies, Waddell excavates films, directors and narratives often underplayed by contemporary scholars. This work is a game changer – it is a 'post horror' examination that draws South African film into the global mainstream." Keyan G Tomaselli, Distinguished Professor, University of Johannesburg, and recipient of the Simon “Mchunu” Sabela Heroes and Legends Award

"Waddell's work on South African horror cinema constitutes a significant contribution to the field of global horror studies, addressing a notable lacuna in existing scholarship. Beyond providing nuanced interpretations of the films themselves, Waddell meticulously contextualizes and critically examines this cinematic tradition within its intricate historical, political, and reception frameworks." Mikel J Koven, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, University of Worcester, UK

Calum Waddell is a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, UK. His books include The Style of Sleaze: The American Exploitation Film 1959-1977 (2018). He has also written about film for Dazed, Infinity, SFX and Total Film, amongst others. His documentary work includes the 2018 feature, Images of Apartheid: Filmmaking on the Fringe in the Old South Africa, which won the Best Film Award at the annual Derby Film Festival.