We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Transmedia Terrors in Post-TV Horror Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 February 2024
Abstract
The chapter focuses on informal circulation and consumption as a fundamental component of post-TV horror, offering the original concept ‘Only-Click TV’. Exploring Only-Click TV's transcultural and temporal dynamics, the chapter analyses global audiences downloading The Walking Dead during broadcast as just-in-time fandom. The chapter then considers how Only-Click TV is important for mining horror television from yesteryear, looking at Japanese horror series Rasen and Mexican horror anthology Hora Marcada. Accounting for what Only-Click TV lacks as a format, the chapter argues DVD/Blu-ray's symbolic value can elevate horror television. Finally, the chapter explores industry's incorporation of Only-Click TV discourse: BBC3 adopted Only-Click TV functionality when becoming online-only whilst Masters of Horror uses discourses of censorship in paratextual marketing of ‘Imprint’.
Keywords: piracy, transnational, digital media, DVD, Blu-ray, paratext
The book has thus far looked at textual content and its distribution through channels, services, and portals as part of the formal post-TV horror media ecology. However, access through such official means is not readily available to all. Whilst the global COVID-19 pandemic has seen subscriptions to subscription video on demand (SVoD) services such as Netflix drastically increase (Hazelton, 2020), others are unable to consume twenty-first century TV horror through official routes for a host of reasons. Unsurprisingly, then, during the same period the pirating of media has also greatly increased (Cuthbertson, 2020). Questioning and revising the TVIII ‘TV everywhere’ doctrine (Faltesek, 2011), this chapter addresses how and why some audiences cannot or will not use legitimate official distribution channels for media consumption and how this is remedied by delving into the shadows of informal media circulation that also form part of the post-TV landscape.
TVIII and DVD/Blu-ray formats have aided in the transnational flow of content moving beyond national borders (Shimpach, 2010, pp. 51–52; Gillan, 2011, p. 87). However, informal digital distribution routes evidence nuanced cross-border media flows (Lobato and Thomas, 2015, p. 4), fitting within the milieu of convergence culture (Hjort, 2010, pp. 13–14).
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
