Gothic Literature and its rise in Mainstream Media

By: Emma Goh

Decades have long had a supreme genre that most would recount, in the 80s it was
fantasy, in 90s it was unapologetically everything, and in the 2010s it was superhero, with marvel reigning supreme. But now in the 2020s what’s left to do? There’ve been countless attempts to turn animated movies into live action and hundreds of pointless sequels of movies as a cash grab but there’s not been a new genre to really take shape. That is unless we have a gothic revival. Gothic cinema was prominent in the 20s and 30s but it seemingly didn’t grow in its appreciation, you’d have movies here and there but nothing constant, most of them turning into occult films.
Recently there’s been this revival of Gothic stories, adapting from classic gothic literature, raising these narratives into the mainstream media, especially in film.

Gothic Literature has long been a part of my life. My love for the genre started when I
watched the 2004 The Phantom of the Opera when I was 6. I remember my first time watching the movie, being in awe of the transition from the ramshackle opera house back into its former glory within the opening sequence. Captivated once again when the Phantom finally shows up and begins to serenade Christine, as he leads her into the depths beneath the opera house. As a kid I found myself falling in love with the mysterious figure of the Phantom and by the end of the movie sympathizing with him when he let Christine go to be with the man she truly loved. The movie moved me so much that later that year I dressed up as Christine for Halloween, and ended up reading the Classic Start’s Phantom of the opera. My love for phantom grew and in my love for the narrative, I branched out and started reading and watching other staple gothic media.

I started reading books like Bram Stoker’s Dracula once again launching myself into the triad of lovers with struggles of love and devotion. Although Franis Ford Coppola’s Dracula came out in 1992, a similar narrative Nosferatu originally created in 1922, by director F.W. Murnau as an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, seemingly places Count Orlok as the cornerstone for gothic cinema as well as one of the most iconic vampires. Nosferatu just recently came back into the mainstream with Robber Eggars 2024 adaptation. Once again revitalizing the Gothic Genre, playing upon gothic literature, even though it does not have its own original book source material.

This year and just recently released was Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein. Mary
Shelley’s Frankenstein is perhaps the most influential work of gothic literature in history. Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth starring in this adaptation, and Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein’s Monster. I had the pleasure of viewing this movie during SCAD Savannah Film festival in which Oscar Isaac was an honoree. The film was so beautifully executed with not only the use of practical effects, costume design, and setting but just Guillermo Del Toro’s entire artistic vision pulling you in. Guillermo Del Toro’s grasp on the medium as well as his own influence and love of the Gothic genre is perfectly showcased in his adaptation of Frankenstein.This movie captivates the hearts of many whether you are drawn towards the redemption of Victor Frankenstein or sympathy towards the creature. Regardless of one’s take on the movie, all can agree it has become a defining staple in new Gothic cinema.

But Eggers and Frankenstein are the only new gothic media coming out as of late. Next year we will be getting another Frankenstein-esk adaptation with Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! Which seems to take on a more modern setting compared to the original coming out next year. As well as an adaptation of Wuthering Heights originally written by Emily Brontë that tells the story of the destructive love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. With Emerald
Fennel’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights adaptation coming out next year too.

Are we seeing a gothic horror renaissance? Possibly, we’re still a far cry from the 20s and 30s, when our well-known monsters were all the rage but are the 2020s just what we needed to revive gothic stories, and will there be more to come?