As the number of books about Folk Horror and Hauntology is considerably increasing, focus falls now upon a quest for a unique selling point – the tone, the angle, which cultural examples will be concentrated upon. With Ghost of an Idea the aspect of Nostalgia is a point of interest.
There is only so much that can be said about the ‘Unholy Trinity’ of folk horror films or Jacques Derrida’s origin of the word Hauntology – mention of either is inevitable but this book mentions the former more in passing but gives the latter a fair bit of attention. Problem with the discussion of Derrida and his concept of political Hauntology is that quite a bit of distance has fallen between that and the ‘popular Hauntology’ of the Haunted Generation. It still has a place however as the associated mode of Folk Horror frequently has a political dimension. But here its introduction early risks the book
being taken as dry covering a matter that Mark Fisher and others have adequately discussed prior, but anybody facing that qualm should stick with the book as it becomes more animated with the detailing of specific movies and music.
An issue facing Folk Horror and /or Hauntology arises then of how to shape a book on the subjects and which audience to target. This makes Ghost of an Idea something of a mixed bag as it at times reads like an academic tome (and would prove very useful for anyone studying the subject matter at university) and at others like a more mass-market book on the cultural entertainment examples – and at this it excels as it provides a very useful list of films and music – a good proportion of it straying from the well-beaten track.
The book opens with a dedication to Mark Fisher, the late writer whose own work investigated the relationship between emotion and the hauntological media of film, literature and music and political philosophy (as well as investigating the concepts of the ‘weird’ and ‘eerie’), and a quotation by the folklorist Catherine Crowe. Burns’ appreciation for Fisher is very clear and well-placed but I would have liked to have also seen more integration of ghost-lore within the book, though aspects such as Stone Tape Theory are covered.
The ‘unique selling point’ of this book is the discussion of Nostalgia. It’s a subject that I have a particular interest in and whilst I found the contemplation of it in Burns’ work intriguing – I did really want more. Indeed I would have preferred further discussion of the psychological conditions of Nostalgia and maybe related feelings such as Deja vu than the content matter of later chapters, which in some instances felt somewhat misplaced.
Burns masterfully covers the wide range of associated music from Blind Willie Johnson to Boards of Canada and beyond. This includes an apt and colourful description of Syd Barrett that I enjoyed – “Psychedelia’s first hauntological casualty Syd Barrett, the Edwardian psychonaut, had one foot on an interstellar spacecraft and the other on a penny-farthing bicycle, haunting his own acid-addled mind, becoming rock’s premier living ghost.” Included are some interviews with musicians extraordinaire such as The Rowan Amber Mill’s Stephen Stannard, Angeline Morrison and Epic45. Though interesting I wonder whether the interviews would have been better suited to a book collection of their own (with other interviewees included) as their inclusion does break up Burns own train of thought a little. Also I am not sure about the section where Burns recollects certain concerts attended.
The recommended albums list however is a great inclusion.
With regard to the films that Burns discusses, again the range and inclusion of some lesser-known examples is very useful and to be applauded. Whilst in such discussions the personal views and tastes of the writer and different readers may vary – for instance I disagree with Burns in my opinion that the remake of Suspiria is a much better film than The Void. Sometimes though I feel that he may sometimes be a bit too harshly cynical towards some examples (even when I share a similar dislike towards some of the media mentioned) and a little too gushing towards others (an example being Alan Moore, although I do think that he’s a very good writer and a huge influence on the evolution of comics, I do feel that too many other excellent comic writers get smothered in his shadow). Though I do share Burns’ great admiration of David Lynch, some people for some strange reason don’t, but one man’s poison is another man’s meat.
I do question the amount of space devoted towards some films/shows and their actual inclusion – eg. American Horror Story, Star Wars and Toy Story. The attention to these feels somewhat incongruous to what has gone before and I would have preferred (along with the concert reviews) either their omission here, for possible use in other works, meaning that Ghost of an Idea be a shorter book or for other studies of the concept of Nostalgia / additional examples of place memory hauntings to have been featured in their place. Or possibly a deeper dive into more found footage/ fake documentary films may have been better placed (I’d have liked to have read about Lake Mungo for instance) or a discussion about Backwoods films or even more about Hoodie Horrors may have been a better fit.
In conclusion it is a well written book, in some instances it really hits the mark perfectly and the film and album lists would prove very useful to both newcomer and those already quite immersed in the fields covered. But … There’s just some inclusions and choices that didn’t fully land and spoiled the flow for me – though of course they may land very well for others.
And it’s totally up to an author what they include in their own books as the ending quote from John Cassavetes, included in in Ghost of an Idea, states “I don’t give a fuck what anybody says. If you don’t have time to see it, don’t. If you don’t like it don’t. If it doesn’t give you an answer. fuck you. I didn’t make it for you anyway.” 😉
Ghost of an Idea: Hauntology, Folk Horror and the Spectre of Nostalgia is due to be released in early 2025 – More Information HERE
Folk Horror Revival & Urban Wyrd Project ⨘ 