An offbeat odyssey through the most daring and disruptive phase of
American cinema since the advent of sound -- during the most
transformative and tumultuous period of American history since the Civil
War.
We Are the Mutants is a critical reassessment of what is
arguably the most discussed and beloved stretch of movies in Hollywood
history.
Documenting the period between the arrival of US combat troops in
Vietnam and the end of President Ronald Reagan's second term, the book
forgoes the usual and restrictive exemplars of "auteur cinema," and
instead focuses on an eclectic selection of films and genres -- horror,
documentary, disaster, vigilante action, neo-noir, post-apocalyptic
sci-fi -- to track this period's tumultuous transformation in American
life, culture, and politics.
By exploring cult classics like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and
Escape from New York, as well as studio blockbusters like The
Exorcist and Fatal Attraction, We Are the Mutants rewrites the
history of modern American cinema and, in doing so, the history of
America itself.