First panel of the conference!
First up we have Dr Lauren Barnett with 'Cabbages & Kings: Plant Horror and the Political response to climate change'
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The early weird of Algernon Blackwood and Louisa May Alcott ia a good starting point when engaging with plant horror, and the 1933 King King film, but it's the 1950's where there's big political engagement; existing nature becomes dangerous to humans
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In the 1960's there is a drastic change with regards to eco awareness that influences political policy. Plant Horror also has more of a theme of 'plant revenge', plants are given action and motive, films like The Day of the Triffids and Island of the Doomed
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In these, the plants are the bad guys, but moving into the 1970's there is a shift to how humans are responsible for the natural world. More focus on leaves, the beauty of the area, flowers feature. In Invasion of the Body Snatchers (spoilers) the humans don't win
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Nancy is the environmental voice of the film, and gives a moral tone; do humans deserve their fate when they are causing such destruction?
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In the 1980's, there is a regression to plants as monsters, like Little Shop of Horrors. There is political shift away from environmental policy (Thatcherism in Britain) despite climate disasters like Chernobyl
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In the 1990's, films like Sleepy Hollow and Blair Witch have plant horror elements, but culturally there is a wave of climate denial, perhaps a desensitivity to issues, and goverment funding for environmental projects are cut
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Little Otik and A Sound of Thunder in the 2000's are about the time President Bush Jr is actively pulling away from environmental focus,yet there was a resurge after An Inconvenient Truth.
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Films like these explore how we respond to environmental fear, and what we can do in the face of climate change
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