Dr Catherine Lester

• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, University of Birmingham
• PhD Film and Television Studies, University of Warwick
• MA Popular Cultures, University of Hull
• BA English and Film Studies, University of Hull

I completed my PhD at the University of Warwick in 2016, which explored horror films made for children in Hollywood cinema (which is available to read online). I was also a sessional tutor at Warwick from 2014-2018, and at the University of Worcester from 2017-18. Prior to doctoral study, I obtained a BA English and Film Studies and MA Popular Cultures at the University of Hull, before taking a brief sojourn into publishing in the areas of children’s books (Random House Children's Publishers, My Little Big Town) and academic journals (Taylor & Francis).

Since joining Birmingham in 2018 I have been instrumental in shaping our undergraduate Film provision, including during my tenure as Admissions Tutor and Undergraduate Programme Lead in the Department of Film and Creative Writing, 2021-25. I am currently Postgraduate Research Lead.

• Introduction to Film (Year One)
• Film Theory and Criticism (Year Two)
• Children’s Film and Television (Year Three)
• Film Studies Dissertation (Year Three)

I am currently at capacity for supervising new postgraduate research students, but as the PGR admissions tutor for the department of Film and Creative Writing I am happy for candidates to contact me with general enquiries about postgraduate study in the department.

I am interested in supervising projects on the intersections between the horror genre and children's media and/or animation. I will also consider projects in the broad areas of children's media, horror, genre studies, animation, and representation in any of the above, but due to limitations on my supervision capacity I am unable to respond to all speculative enquiries. I am currently supervising or have recently supervised postgraduate research projects on topics including: motherhood in 21st century horror films; non-binary representation on television; asexual representation on British television; the child in contemporary Spanish horror cinema; fatherhood in horror cinema; child horror filmmakers; animal migrants in film, television and literature. I am available as an internal and external examiner. Please note that I am not a creative practitioner, and I will only consider supervising practice-as-research projects provided the candidate is able to secure appropriate co-supervision.

My primary research area concerns the intersections of the horror genre and children's culture, particularly in US cinema. This was the basis of my PhD thesis and subsequently my first monograph entitled Horror Films for Children: Fear and Pleasure in American Cinema, published by Bloomsbury in 2021. The introduction is available to read for free. My journal article on children's horror for Velvet Light Trap (2016) was awarded runner-up for Best Doctoral Student Article 2018 by the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies and was short-listed for Screen’s Annette Kuhn Essay Award 2017.

I am currently building connections with other scholars interested in horror and children as Principal Investigator of the Youth & Horror Research Network, with Co-Investigator Dr Kate Egan (Northumbria). This AHRC-funded network draws together international scholars and cultural partners (Into Film, Learning on Screen and Flatpack Festival) to investigate the frequently misunderstood relationship between horror and children. Please reach out if you are interested in the Network's activities.

I also continue to think and write about the intersections between children, horror and cult texts. This includes publications on children’s horror television, race and childhood in horror cinema, and various activities relating to the British animated film Watership Down (1978). This work on Watership Down began with a symposium in 2018 which explored the production, aesthetics, reception and ongoing cultural legacy of this landmark of British animation. This developed into an open access edited collection which was published by Bloomsbury in 2023 as part of the Animation: Key Films/Filmmakers series. The collection was recipient of the Honourable Mention for Best Edited Collection from the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies Awards in 2024.

I am also generally interested in issues of spectatorship, aesthetics, value and representation (especially of the intersection of childhood with other identity categories) in children's cinema, horror and animation.