Review of Memory and the Gothic Aesthetic in Film

Ali Najaf Dokht

doi:10.5195/cinej.2026.1088

Review of Memory and the Gothic Aesthetic in Film

Authors

Ali Najaf Dokht University of Tabriz https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1274-5806

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2026.1088

Keywords:

Gothic cinema, memory, exile, haptic memory, film studies, Joana Jacob Ramalho

Abstract

This review considers Joana Jacob Ramalho’s Memory and the Gothic Aesthetic in Film (2025), which proposes the cinematic Gothic as a transnational aesthetics of memory shaped by exile, travel, and touch. It assesses the book’s theoretical framework, its account of “travelling directors,” and its analyses of haptic and amnesiac memory, and notes where the politics of memory could be developed further.

References

Aldana Reyes, X. (2020). Gothic cinema. Routledge.

Burton, T. (Director). (1990). Edward Scissorhands [Film]. Twentieth Century Fox.

Carné, M. (Director). (1951). Juliette, or key of dreams [Film]. Silver Films.

Erll, A. (2011). Memory in culture. Palgrave Macmillan.

Florey, R. (Director). (1941). The face behind the mask [Film]. Columbia Pictures.

Hathaway, H. (Director). (1935). Peter Ibbetson [Film]. Paramount Pictures.

Mankiewicz, J. L. (Director). (1946). Dragonwyck [Film]. Twentieth Century Fox.

Minnelli, V. (Director). (1946). Undercurrent [Film]. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Murnau, F. W. (Director). (1922). Nosferatu [Film]. Prana-Film.

Ophuls, M. (Director). (1948). Letter from an unknown woman [Film]. Rampart Productions.

Ramalho, J. J. (2025). Memory and the Gothic aesthetic in film. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-73628-5

Rothberg, M. (2019). The implicated subject: Beyond victims and perpetrators. Stanford University Press.

Spooner, C. (2017). Post-millennial Gothic: Comedy, romance and the rise of happy Gothic. Bloomsbury Academic.

Young, T. (Director). (1948). Corridor of mirrors [Film]. Apollo Films.

Downloads

Published

2026-10-15

How to Cite

Najaf Dokht, A. (2026). Review of Memory and the Gothic Aesthetic in Film. CINEJ Cinema Journal, 14(2), 881–889. https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2026.1088

Download Citation

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026): Fall

Section

Book Reviews

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
The Author represents and warrants that:
1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
4. the Work has not previously been published;
5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.