Of mobs, misfits and the other, in Hollywood horror films

Kendall Phillips, professor of communication and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University, New York, has spent decades researching controversy and conflict in popular culture. His books on the horror genre include A Place of Darkness: The Rhetoric of Horror in Early American Cinema; Controversial Cinema: The Films that Outraged America; and Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture. Here he talks about what we mean when we say horror; the evolving history of the genre; and the newest portals in cinema, including your own home.