A Celebration of Slashers
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the release of John Carpenter's Halloween, DePaul Pop Culture Conference presented A Celebration of Slashers in 2018.
We raised over $850 for the ACLU and the Full Flood Endowment Fund--
Our Distinguished Contributions to Popular Culture Award Recipient was Rachel Talalay
Our Academic Keynote was Dr. Wickham Clayton.
Rachel Talalay
Rachel Talalay is a celebrated and successful writer, producer, and director who made her film directoral debut in 1991 with Nightmare on Elm Street 6: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare. In addition to directing films such as Tank Girl and Ghost in the Machine, Rachel has become a prolific television director as well, including becoming Doctor Who’s first female director in four years, helming multiple episodes. She teaches film studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Wickham Clayton
Dr. Wickham Clayton is a lecturer in Film History and Theory at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham, UK. He is editor of Style and Form in the Hollywood Slasher Film (2015, Palgrave Macmillan) and co-editor of Screening Twilight: Critical Approaches to a Cinematic Phenomenon (2014, I. B. Tauris). Wickham’s work focuses on film form and aesthetics, film genre (with some specialization in horror), cult, adaptation, and the Biblical Epic.
Schedule
Downloadable version
All panels will take place on the 8th floor and the Lower Level (basement) of the Daley building, 247 S. State St.
9:15-10:15
Wickham Clayton Keynote: “‘Looking Back on Anger: The Re-marketing and Continued Commercial Relevance of the 80s Slasher Film”(Lower Level 105)
Screening: Sleepaway Camp (90 min), introduced by Jef Burnham. Room 802.
Screening: Slasher: “An Eye for an Eye” (50 min), introduced by Gordon Dymowski. Lower Level 102.
10:30-11:30
Questioning the Slasher: Genre Considerations. Room 806.
“Supernatural as Slasher” – Lisa Macklem (Panel chair)
“Bad Boys and Final Girls: Fleshing Out Gender in Slasher and Horror Media." – Brandon Bosch
“From Hammer to ‘Monster of the Week’: How Gothic Horror ‘Died’” – Gordon Dymowski
“Inversions of Genre Tropes as the Source of Horror in Robert Eggers’ Film The Witch” – Mary Kay McBrayer
“Monsters on the Campus: The Freedom of Teaching Slashers in the Writing Class” – Rachele Salvini
Gods and Monster: Religion and Politics in the Slasher. Room 805.
“Demonizing Chicago: How the Lower Class and their Landscapes are Demonized in The Exorcist” – Karra Shimabukuro (Panel chair)
“The Next Big Thing: Torture” – Caitlin Nero
“Russian Slashers - A Subgenre's Development through Politics” – Franziska Altmann
“The Night He Came Home: A Discussion on Evangelical Hell Houses, Slashers, and the ‘Come to Jesus’ Message” – Peyton Brunet and Isabella Jorgensen
“The Tip of God’s Spear: Slasher Icons as Conservative Religious Champions” – Jess Peacock
Podcasting Horror Roundtable discussion. Room 804.
Jef Burnham (Panel chair), Al Burnham, Ashlee Blackwell, Linnie Sarah Helpern, Dawn Humphrey
Wickham Clayton Signing. Room 801.
Screening: Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (90 min), introduced by Lissa Graham-Schneider. Lower Level 102.
Screening: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (105 min), introduced by Kyle Morrell. Lower Level 105.
11:45-12:45
Feminism and the Final Girl. Room 805.
“It Follows: The Role of Female Sexuality in 21st Century Horror Films” – Kara Kvaran (chair)
“From Disposable Bodies to Forces of Nature: The Evolution of the Final Girl” – Linnie Sarah Helpern
“Black Christmas and the Sexual Politics of the Feminist Slasher Film” – Casey Kelly
“The New Final Girl?: A Significant Alteration in the Character Type” – Michelle Mastro
“Twisted Twins: Double the Blood, Double the Fun” – Michele Leigh
Under the Mask: Characters in Slashers. Room 806.
“Turning the Gaze Upon Ourselves: Philosophy of the Slasher” – Nathanael Bassett (chair)
“Who Are We Rooting For? Empathy in Slasher Films” – Tracy Gossage:
“Dark Heroes: Slashers as Heroes” – Lissa Graham-Schneider & Elizabeth Thomas
“Violent Re-enchantment: Notes on the Strange Attraction of the Slasher Film” – Ethan Stoneman
CadavarCast Podcast. Room 804.
Jef and Al Burnham
Screening: Candyman (100 min), introduced by Karra Shimabukuro. Room 802.
1:00-2:00
Rachel Talalay Keynote. Lower Level 105.
Screening: Black Christmas (100 min), introduced by LinneSarah Helpern. Lower Level 102.
2:15-3:15
Slashing Away at Values: The Ethics and Politics of the Slasher Film. Room 805.
“‘May I Come Inside for a Second?’: Liberalism, Communitarianism, and Immigration in The Eyes of My Mother” – H. Peter Steeves (chair)
“We Are What We (Do Not) Eat: The Vegetarian Message in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” – Jonathan D. Singer
“A Funny Game: Sexism in Slasher Films” – Danielle Meijer
He Came Home: Notes on Halloween. Room 806.
“I Seek the White Mask: The Intertextuality of Halloween and Moby-Dick” – Khara Lukancic (chair)
“Slasher Horror’s Mother-Daughter Divides: The Case of Jamie Lee Curtis, Danielle Harris, and Halloween” – Kyle Christensen
“John Carpenter: Pulp Auteur” – Gordon Dymowski
Horror Honeys Podcast. Room 804.
Linnie Sarah Helpern (host), Mary Kay McBrayer, Michelle Mastro, Ashlee Blackwell
Rachel Talalay signing. Room 802. Rachel will be signing objects that you bring in, or will have postcards available to sign. She will be accepting $10 donations for the ACLU and the Full Flood Endowment Fund for signatures!
3:30-4:30
Burn It to The Ground: 1980s Slashers and the Challenge of Intersectionality. Room 805.
Roundtable discussion
Alison Lang (chair), Monika Estrella Negra, Mariam Bastani, Ashlee Blackwell
Handicrafting Horror Workshop. Room 802.
Nistasha Perez (chair), Samantha Close, Lissa Graham-Schneider
Women in Caskets Podcast. Room 804.
Dawn Humphrey (host), Danielle Meijer, Karra Shimabukuro
Screening: Halloween (100 min), introduced by Jess Peacock. Room 806.
Screening: Friday the 13th Part III in 3D (100 min), introduced by Wickham Clayton. Lower Level 105.
Screening: Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (100 min), introduced by Alex Smith. Lower Level 102.
4:45-5:45
Marginalized Identities in Slashers. Room 805.
moderated by Dusty Goltz
“The Final Girl: An Agent for Social Change” – Angie Baggett
“Endurance, Survival, and Victorious Visibility: Making A Case for the Black Final Girl” – Ashlee Blackwell
“Hungry Like the Wolf: Women as Werewolves in Mongrels” – Rebecca Lush
“Exploring Slasher Films as a Space for Queer Identity” – Laura Springman
The Slasher Across Media. Room 804.
“Why Slashers Are Dead on Arrival in Comic Books” – Blair Davis (chair)
“Putting the Graphic in Graphic Novels: Jack the Ripper in the Comics” – Lisa Macklem & Dominick Grace
“Now They're Slaying With Power: Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Adapting the 8-Bit Slasher-Game” – Kyle Morrell
Slasher Film Funhouse Roundtable discussion. Room 802.
A discussion panel to reveal the ideal Slasher spectator
Alex Smith (chair), Ron Falzone, Lauren Cappaelletti, Chaz Ludwig
5:45-6:00
Silent Auction Results. Room 803.
Vendors
25th Hour Crafts (facebook.com/25hourcrafts/) – Lower Level
Alien Entertainment (Alienentertainment.com) – 8th floor
Art By Rembry (www.etsy.com/shop/ArtByRembry) – 8th floor
Bucket o Blood (bucketobloodbooks.com) – 8th floor
Nerfect Art Novelties (www.etsy.com/shop/nerfectartnovelties) – 8th floor
Owl Post Greetings (owlpostgreetings.etsy.com) – Lower Level
Reel Art Collectibles (www.reelart.biz/)– Lower Level
StinkeeCheese (www.etsy.com/shop/stinkeecheese) – 8th floor
Teamneville (etsy.com/shop/TeamNeville) – 8th Floor
Wallettes (www.etsy.com/shop/Wallettes) – 8th floor
Come back to this site often as we are adding new speakers every day!
Scroll down to see a list of our panels and vendors
You can register for the conference here (it's free!) and you can donate to our charities or order the conference books from here!
Speakers!
...and many more being announced until the conference!
Vendors
...and many more being announced until the conference!
Information about the conference
9:00am - 6:00pm
April 28, 2018
DePaul University Loop Campus, Daley Building
247 S. State Street
All donations to our supported charity this year will receive a special badge and ribbon!
Travel information
Reserve Discounted Parking: SpotHero
To reserve parking in advance with SpotHero, a parking reservation service that connects drivers to discounted, convenient parking, visit the official DePaul University Pop Culture Conference Parking Page to find and reserve convenient parking with rates up to 50% off drive-up. Enjoy 15% off your reservation by entering the code DEPAULPOP15 at checkout!
Reserve Discounted Parking: ParkWhiz
To use ParkWhiz on the web: click the following link to reserve parking near the Pop Culture Conference: ParkWhiz. To use ParkWhiz on the phone: download the ParkWhiz app and create an account. Once you’ve done that, you can also use the coupon code POPCULTURE to reserve parking between April 28-30. This code is good for $5 off the cost of parking for the event. Both new and existing ParkWhiz users can use the code, limit one use per customer. You can make a booking for the event now but the code will only be good for parking during the event.
