Ghost of an Idea

“One rarely finds a book that covers so wide a range (music, television, cinema, philosophy) with such authority and insight: whether dealing with Kubrick’s The Shining (on which Burn‘s shines a fresh, condensed light), obscure British TV shows, or unknown Brazilian and Peruvian horror flicks, William Burns has worthy things to say.” — Dejan Ognjanović, Rue Morgue The future ain’t what it used to be.Is nostalgia revitalizing or killing 21st-century culture? The concept of nostalgia has seeped into almost all aspects of modern-day media, none more so than horror culture and its borderlands of Hauntology, Folk Horror, and found footage film.Ghost of an Idea: Hauntology, Folk Horror, and the Spectre of Nostalgia examines the use and effect of nostalgia in the Horror and Hauntological realms. It asks why these genres hold such a fascination in popular culture, often inspiring devoted fanbases. From Candyman to The Blair Witch Project, and Dark Shadows to American Horror Story, are the folk horror and found footage phenomena significant artistic responses to political, social, and economic conditions, or simply an aesthetic rebranding of what has come before? How has nostalgia become linked to other concepts (psychogeography, residual haunting) to influence Hauntological music such as Boards of Canada or The Caretaker? What can the ‘urban wyrd’ or faux horror footage tell us about our idealized past? And how will these cultures of nostalgia shape the future?Combining the author’s analysis with first-hand accounts of fans and creators, Ghost of an Idea offers a critical analysis of our cultural quest to recognize, resurrect, and lay to rest the ghosts of past and present, also summoning up those spectres that may haunt the future. Table of Contents Introduction: The Seductive Liar, or Are We What We Used to Be?Chapter 1: Today is Tomorrow’s Yesterday: The Philosophy of NostalgiaChapter 2: The Yearning to Return: Folk Horror and Nostalgia Chapter 3: The Illusionary Precipice: Found Footage and NostalgiaChapter 4: The Longing of the Permanently Lost: Franchise NostalgiaChapter 5: An Ethereal Composition of Disjointed Memories: Nostalgia as Catalyst for the NewChapter 6: The Vice of the Aged: Do They Still Got It or Living Off Past Glories?Chapter 7: The Enemy of Truth: Is Nostalgia Counter-Revolutionary?Index Key Points New angle on the Folk Horror and Hauntology genres made popular by writers such as Mark Fisher;Folk Horror is a major trend in contemporary horror culture (e.g. the 2021 documentary, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched);Found footage films – a key focus of the book – have a strong presence on all major streaming services and a devoted fanbase;Combines the author’s analysis with first-hand accounts of fans and creators;Interviews with hauntology musicians. Paperback Edition Title: GHOST OF AN IDEASubtitle: Hauntology, Folk Horror, and the Spectre of Nostalgia Author: William BurnsISBN: 978-1-915316-31-8Street Date: March 6, 2025Category: Pop Culture / HauntologyRetail Price: UK £19.99 / US $27.95Binding: PaperbackSize: 203mm x 127mmPages: 286Illos: N/A Special Edition Hardback As the trade paperback, except this special NO-ISBN hardback is exclusive to this website. Because it carries No ISBN number, this edition of the book is off the grid in as much as it doesn’t appear on any database, in any library, cannot be ordered through mainstream bookshops or online retailers.   The best books on hauntology, folk horror, and all things wyrd and eerie. Picked by William Burns (for shepherd.com) Look Inside Click Image For Sample Pages Reviews Fortean TimesAndy Paciorek “[I]n his consideration of whether the past is harming or revitalising the creation of horror media in the 21st century he asks some timely and pertinent questions.” New Books NetworkRebekah Buchanan An interview with Ghost of an Idea author William Burns. Cinema RetroAdrian Smith “Ghost of an Idea: Hauntology, Folk Horror and the Spectre of Nostalgia is a fascinating read, and something which will undoubtedly cause the reader to pause and reflect on their own relationship with the past, and their own ghosts.” Booklist OnlineA. E. Siraki “The depth and breadth of works that this book covers make it a boon for academics, despite occasionally veering too much into discussion of contemporary non-horror media. Still, horror buffs who want to dig deeper into the genre will enjoy this book and the interviews in it with folk music and ambient composers like Hawksmoor, Angeline Morrison, and more. ” Shindig!Sarah Gregory “There's so much to get your teeth into here — the familiar and the new. A definite repeat read.” Shindig!Camilla Aisa [William Burns' book featured in Camilla Aisa's hauntology music article, A Seancing Song. Shindig! issue 160] The WireSpenser Tomson “[William Burns’] approach achieves a delicate balance that understands hauntology's academic bones, but never dresses them up as a Halloween skeleton […] an astute summation of hauntology's current position. Burns also reveals hauntology to be a subject with many unexpected characters and a weird array of influences.” Rue MorgueDejan Ognjanović “One rarely finds a book that covers so wide a range (music, television, cinema, philosophy) with such authority and insight: whether dealing with Kubrick’s The Shining (on which he shines a fresh, condensed light), obscure British TV shows, or unknown Brazilian and Peruvian horror flicks, William Burns has worthy things to say.” fertilitycultFolk Horror Revival & Urban Wyrd Project ⨘ “A well written book, in some instances it really hits the mark perfectly and the film and album lists would prove very useful to both newcomer and those already quite immersed in the fields covered.” Related Posts 1970s nihilism for adults only in the tenth issue of C.B. Cobb's homage to classic Times Square zine,... Read More A prelude to Jon Dear’s much anticipated Headpress book, No Diggin’ Here, on the history of the BBC’s... 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