“The souls of the children … Give me strength”: 1980s Horror Movie Marketing and the Life and Death of the “Brand Boogeymen”

Mellor, Noel

Abstract

This article examines the socio-economic landscape of the 1980s and how brand marketing was used to take advantage of high concepts, home video and audience appetites to help establish some of the most enduring horror films of all time. It will discuss how Hollywood turned to established horror subgenres and time-honoured marketing tactics to create individual identities for film properties that would resonate with a target audience of under 18s, and how this led to a new wave of ‘branded boogeymen’ that traversed the boundaries of what was deemed acceptable for children. Focusing on Freddy Kruger, the iconic lead of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, it will discuss how in some cases this can transcend the medium of film to penetrate the popular culture at large in a more comprehensive way.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 6, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jun 19, 2024
• Publication Date: Jun 19, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jun 20, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 24, 2024
• Journal: Monstrum: Montreal Monstrum Society
• Electronic ISSN: 2561-5629
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 3
• Pages: 41–63
• Keywords: Freddy Krueger, Marketing, Horror, Horror films,
• Publisher URL: https://www.monstrum-society.ca/monstrum-v7-n1-june-2024.html