Jon Towlson se věnuje kritice filmu a hluboce zkoumá žánr hororu. Jeho práce se zaměřuje na analýzu subverzivních prvků a protikulturních sdělení v hororových filmech, od klasických děl po současnou produkci. Towlson zkoumá, jak hororové filmy odrážejí a komentují společnost, často se soustředí na témata jako je vzestup násilí a jeho zobrazení ve filmu. Jeho přístup je analytický a pronikavý, nabízí čtenářům hlubší porozumění kinematografickému hororu.
An iconic and controversial film, Midnight Cowboy is given its due as a classic of queer cinema. By shifting the perspective away from interpretations of Midnight Cowboy as homophobic, Jon Towlson argues for a new interpretation of the film as a proto-queer buddy movie and portrait of a friendship.
Arguably, excess is at the heart of Dawn of the Dead, integral to its meaning: not only in its scenes of gore, its in-your-face social satire and its gaudy pop-kitsch style but in the production history of the film itself.
Exploring the global landscape of horror cinema, this book delves into how filmmakers from various countries address cultural fears and anxieties through the genre. It highlights the evolution of horror over the past decade, analyzing 28 significant international films, such as It Follows and Get Out, while discussing many others. Each chapter focuses on a different nation, providing insights into the unique terrors faced by its people and examining the genre's appeal across borders.
Jon Towlson considers how Candyman might be read both as a "return of the repressed" and as an example of nineties neoconservative horror. He traces the film's origins as a Clive Barker short story; discusses the importance of its real-life Cabrini-Green setting; and analyzes its appropriation and interrogation of urban myth.