[Commlist] CFP: Nigel Kneale and Horror

/Nigel Kneale and Horror: Critical Essays/

Edited by Derek Johnston

Scriptwriter Nigel Kneale had a career that stretched from the monopoly 
years of BBC television to the spread of multichannel television in the 
UK in the 1990s. Kneale is probably best remembered for his creation of 
the character of Professor Bernard Quatermass. While often associated 
with science fiction, these productions also have clearly horrific 
elements, and the Hammer film adaptations tended to emphasise the horror 
aspect over the science fiction. Kneale was also responsible for other 
horror scripts, including/The Stone Tape/(1972), the 
series/Beasts/(1976) and the television adaptation of/The Woman in 
Black/(1989), as well as/Halloween III: Season of the Witch/(1982). 
Through plays such as/Against the Crowd/“Murrain” (1975) 
and/Beasts/“Baby” (1976) as well as the Quatermass serials and 
Hammer’s/The Witches/(1966) Kneale has been seen as a contributor to the 
folk horror genre. Yet much of this discourse takes place in 
non-academic areas, and the majority of academic work on Kneale has 
focused on Quatermass as science fiction.

As part of an attempt to rebalance the appreciation and understanding of 
Kneale and his work, proposals are sought for chapters for an edited 
collection on Nigel Kneale and Horror. The collection will be proposed 
for the new Hidden Horror Histories: Creativity in the Horror Genre 
series from Liverpool University Press. Proposed chapters should focus 
on Kneale as a creator in relation to the genre of horror, preferably 
examining texts with little or no previous academic analysis. More 
specific potential areas of examination could include, but are not 
limited to:

Kneale and genre, including his blending of genres and his attitudes to 
horror;

Kneale and Hammer, including ideas of adaptation and authorship as well 
as genre;

Kneale and gender, such as the representation of women as psychically 
“sensitive” in/Quatermass and the Pit/,/The Stone 
Tape/and/Beasts/“Special Offer”;

Kneale and class, such as his use of the view of “ordinary people” as 
commentary on events and / or sources of knowledge in 
the/Quatermass/serials,/The Stone Tape/,/Beasts/and/The Woman in Black/;

Kneale and race, such as the background of racial tension in/Quatermass 
and the Pit/, or the treatment of African magic in/The Witches/;

Kneale and time, whether that is the future haunting of “The Road” or 
the deep-time of/Quatermass/or/The Stone Tape/;

Kneale and humanity, considering how he presents often cynical views of 
humanity as a whole, alongside sympathetic views of individuals;

Kneale and adaptation, both his adaptations of others and adaptations of 
his work;

Kneale and medium, such as his understanding of the potential of early 
television for storytelling, and his adaptation to different media.

The collection is envisaged as consisting of an introduction, ten 
chapters of about 7000 words each and a conclusion.

*Proposals of 300 words*plus an author biography of 60 words to be sent 
(toderek.johnston /at/ qub.ac.uk) <mailto:(derek.johnston /at/ qub.ac.uk)>by*Monday 29 
November 2021*. Please address any queries to the same email.**

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