[Commlist] CFP: Monster Media Conference 2026

CFP: Monster Media Conference 2026

Please see information below for our upcoming Monster Media Conference 
18-19 June 2026 (abstracts due 15 March 2026)

As long as humans have been making media, we have been making media 
about monsters. From neolithic paintings of monsters in the Cave of 
Beasts and the myriad monsters of Homer’s Odyssey, to the now-classic 
monsters of 19th-century Gothic literature and the creature features of 
20th-century cinema, to zombie video games and Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball 
tour, our fascination with monsters has spanned across nearly every 
medium. While monstrosity is complex and its manifestations manifold, 
Jeffrey Jerome Cohen has theorized that the monster will defy easy 
categorization, that it is an embodiment of a specific cultural moment, 
and that it will evolve and shift to ensure its survival through the 
ages (“Monster Culture (Seven Theses)”). While it has often been 
accepted that media can be a cipher for a specific cultural moment, new 
directions in media studies, particularly theories of intermediality, 
find even more similarities between media and the monster: 
intermediality posits that media categories are not actually as solid as 
we may like to believe (Lúcia Nagib and Anne Jerslev, Impure Cinema: 
Intermedial and Intercultural Approaches to Film), and that media forms 
evolve and shift over time while maintaining traces of their 
predecessors in their new forms (Jay Bolter and David Gruisin, 
Remediation: Understanding New Media). This conference aims to explore 
the relationship between monsters and the media in which they are 
portrayed, and the way monsters and monster theory can help us better 
understand media itself. We are interested in papers on the following 
topics (or any others that deal with the intersection of monsters and 
media):
– Media about monsters – Vampire movies, zombie video games, ghost 
novels, etc.
– Media that is itself monstrous – Remix/mashup, adaptation, hybrid 
media forms, etc.
– Relationships between monster narratives and their mediums
– How medial affordances affect constructions of monstrosity
– Media as part of the telling of monster narratives/part of the 
construction of monstrosity
– Adaptations, transmediations, and retellings of monster narratives
– Media forms that, like the monster, defy boundaries
– Monstrosity in non-narrative media forms – Fashion, music, painting, 
photography, sculpture
– Monsterizing effects of mediation
– Using monster theory to better understand medial phenomena/using 
medial theory to better understand monstrosity

In addition to academic papers, we are interested in showcasing 
practical and artistic works that use monstrous medial approaches. These 
could take many forms, including a film screening, a visual art piece, a 
musical performance, a literature reading – or whatever else your 
monstrous mind can dream up!
We will also feature keynote talks, presentations, and interactive 
workshops from special guests – check our website for updates.
Monstrous media that inspired the organizers:
– Monograph: Gothic Remixed: Monster Mashups and Frankenfictions in 
21st-Century Culture, Megen de Bruin-Molé
– Article: “Vampire Adaptation”, Thomas Leitch
– Film: Ringu, Hideo Nakata
– Novel: Jane Bites Back, Michael Thomas Ford
– Video Game: Layers of Fear: Legacy, Bloober Team

The conference will take place 18-19 June 2025 at the University of 
Edinburgh. Remote participants are welcome and will present their works 
virtually.
Please submit a title and 250-word abstract to: 
(monstermediaconference /at/ gmail.com) by 15 March 2026. In your email, please 
include your name, what type of submission you are proposing (paper or 
practical work), and if you expect to be presenting in-person or remotely.

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