CFP: Essays on The Twilight Zone Franchise
Subject Fields: Television History, Film History, Popular Culture Studies, Humanities, Horror/Sci-Fi, Interdisciplinary Studies
Call for chapter contributions to an edited anthology
Abstracts or inquiries of up to 300 words may be submitted any time before June 28, 2019.
Chapters of roughly 3,000 to 6,000 words (with an ideal length of 5,000 words) will be due May 20, 2020.
Essays on The Twilight Zone Franchise is an academic anthology, edited by Ron Riekki (co-editor of The Many Lives of The Evil Dead: Essays on the Cult Film Franchise, McFarland, 2019) and Kevin Wetmore (editor of Uncovering Stranger Things: Essays on Eighties Nostalgia, Cynicism and Innocence in the Series, McFarland, 2018), examining the legacy of The Twilight Zone, in its original and subsequent manifestations. With the four versions of the television series (1959-1964, 1985-1989, 2002-2003, and 2019-current) and the film version (1983), The Twilight Zone is one of the best and most prolific horror/sci-fi franchises of all-time. With episodes directed by the likes of Wes Craven, Joe Dante, John Brahm, and William Friedkin, and episodes written by Harlan Ellison, George R.R. Martin, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, and Stephen King, and, of course, the latest incarnation with our modern-day Alfred Hitchcock, Jordan Peele, the series has consistently been at the forefront of the greatest horror and sci-fi minds of our time. Essays on The Twilight Zone Franchise gives a variety of theoretical perspectives, including Marxist film theory, gender film theory, critical race theory, cultural studies, eco-criticism, and much more.
With this call for papers, the editors are seeking essays of 3,000 to 6,000 words on any aspect of The Twilight Zone film, television, and media franchise, including:
• Film and television studies essays related to The Twilight Zone (2019-), The Twilight Zone (2002-2003), The Twilight Zone (1985-1989), The Twilight Zone (1959-1964), and Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), on topics such as horror/sci-fi theory, gender studies, queer theory, psychoanalysis, governmental control, eco-terrorism, irony, paranoia, hyperreality, late capitalism, the cinematography of anxiety, television music/scores, the history of television, media franchises, space exploration, nuclear war, and so much more.
• Essays related to adaptation and 1950s-1960s aesthetic, 1980s aesthetic, and 2010s aesthetic.
• Essays on the The Twilight Zone Magazine, as well as the Gold Key comics, Dynamite Entertainment comics, and Savannah College of Art & Design graphic novel adaptations.
• Essays related to the various toys, miniatures, collectibles, tie-in paraphernalia, soundtracks/score/songs, and other material ephemera associated with the The Twilight Zone franchise.
• The editors are also open to any other television and film criticism related to the The Twilight Zone franchise.
The anthology is under contract with McFarland.
Please submit abstracts or inquiries of up to 300 words any time before June 28, 2019, to
ronriekki@hotmail.com or
Kevin.Wetmore@lmu.edu. Completed essays of 3,000-6,000 words will be due May 20, 2020. On May 20, 2020, all essays will be sent to peers for review and then rewrites from that peer-review will be due June 28, 2020.
