The Department of Central, Eastern and Northern European Studies (CENES) is thrilled to host an exciting array of courses in Winter 2022-23. Among these is GERM 304 004: German Cinema (in English), taught by Dr. Jason Lieblang, a three-credit course about “Shadows and Screams: Germanic Horror Films from Expressionism to Today” that focuses on the horror genre in the German-speaking world from its gothic beginnings in late 18th-century literature to contemporary films.
CENES: What are the particular highlights of the course?
Jason Lieblang: Finding German-language horror films where/when there aren’t supposed to be any. The official narrative is that after Nazism the genre disappears until the 1970s. (We find some curious specimens nevertheless – featuring decapitated talking heads in vats and giant spiders that prey on young women, to name just a couple.)
CENES: What gave you the idea to design this course?
JL: I’ve been teaching the 1920s Expressionist masterpieces Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari for years. A few summers ago I thought: why not dig into German horror cinema a bit deeper? Oh, and what I found …
CENES: What part of the course do you look forward to most?
JL: The Austrian director Michael Haneke fascinates me and students alike. His films encourage lively discussions about cinematic violence and specifically about the forms in which it can be considered ethical.
CENES: Have you recently updated the material, and why?
JL: Yes, I’ve recently discovered a couple of interesting Austrian serial killer films from the 1980s, one of which was way ahead of its time.
CENES: Which students do you think might be particularly interested in this course?
JL: Anybody looking for something a bit different. The course gets weird and wild at times.
CENES: What do you think are the most important insights students can take from this course?
JL: Students will never look at films the same way after taking this course.
