LMK Sheppard

Palomar College, Media Studies, Faculty Member

University of East Anglia, School of Art, Media and American Studies, Alumna

The American Library, The American Library, Library and Information Assistant

Followers

Following

Public Views

Dr Sheppard received her BA in Modern English Literature from San Diego State University, her Master of Arts in Cinema Studies from New York University and her Doctorate in Film, Television and Media Studies from The University of East Anglia. She currently works as a Library and Information Assistant at the American Library, and as a Part-time Professor at Palomar College. In addition to her academic affiliations, she produces a podcast and coordinates events for the Hallowed Histories Project. Her latest book, Faith Horror: Visions of Satanism, Paganism and Witchcraft is soon to be released from McFarland Press
Supervisors: Professor Mark Jancovich (Primary Supervisor), Professor Richard Hand (Internal Thesis Examiner), and Dr Jonathan Mumby (External Examiner)

less

InterestsView All (12)

Uploads

Papers by LMK Sheppard

A Jigsaw of all our Worst Fears: Representations of Mary Shelly as Gothic Heroine in Popular Media

Gender and Contemporary Horror in Comics, Games and Transmedia, 2019

Modernity, Commodification and Spiritual Affiliation in Rosemary's Baby

Film Journal , 2019

Sheppard contribution Representations of Mary Shelley

Horror and Gender Studies Edited Collection, 2019

On the two-hundredth anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, this chapter... more On the two-hundredth anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, this chapter will examine the ways in which this author has been portrayed in popular culture. Beginning with her characterisation in the prologue of The Bride of Frankenstein continuing through films concerned with the Haunted Summer including Haunted Summer, Rowing with the Wind, and Gothic and culminating with other more fictionalised texts such as Frankenstein Unbound and The Frankenstein Chronicles, it will be argued that rather than offering up this historical figure as an enduring and inventive author, these texts instead act to rob Mary Shelley of authorial agency. Even as this eighteen-year-old woman was challenged as the progenitor of this seminal Gothic text at the time of publication, so too modern discussions of her inspiration limit her creative impulse to that of one who merely records the events of the world around her rather than allowing for the possibility of her conceiving of a wholly unique literary conceptualisation. It will further be suggested that these texts act to relegate Mary Shelley to the role of Gothic heroine, a female protagonist negotiating a labyrinthine landscape so as to avoid madness at the hands of nightmarish visions of the supernatural. Indeed, such representations beg the question as to whether Mary Shelley is finally to be remembered as the author of one of the most inventive, original and persistent of all Gothic texts, or simply a character trapped within the very narratives to which she helped to give life.

Download

Look Ro Its the Pope at Yankee Stadium

Film Journal, 2019

Download

I Aint Afraid of No Ghosts

Presentation for Gothic Feminism Conference, 2019

Download

Books by LMK Sheppard

Faith Horror: Cinematic Visions of Satanism, Paganism and Witchcraft 1966-1978

Faith Horror: Cinematic Visions of Satanism, Paganism and Witchcraft 1966-1978, 2021

A Jigsaw of All Our Worst Fears: Representations of Mary Shelley as Gothic Heroine in Popular Media

Gender and Contemporary Horror in Comics, Games and Transmedia, 2019

Contemporary popular media has been marked by its startling ability to morph into a wide variety ... more Contemporary popular media has been marked by its startling ability to morph into a wide variety of formats, fed by the ongoing revolution in digital technology. Despite these significant changes, the horror genre has retained its attraction for audiences, and the representation of gender has been crucial to that appeal. Gender and Contemporary Horror in Comic, Games and Transmedia examines the impact of media convergence on the horror genre, focusing on comic books and graphic novels, video games, audio broadcasts, and transmedia adaptations, as well as considering the increasingly proactive role of audiences in making media themselves. A wide range of scholars consider the effect of this new hybridity on established debates regarding the role of gender in the horror genre, offering vital new interpretations of identity and representation. This book is an illuminating, exciting read for academics and students interested in the effect of changing media, and an evolving cultural landscape, on the established debates surrounding gender in the horror genre. The responses of the authors reflect both the possible limitations and the groundbreaking possibilities of this new era in horror.

“I don’t know if we’ve got the heir to the Thorn millions here or Jesus Christ himself”: Catholicism, Satanism and the Role of Predestination in The Omen (1976)

Scared Sacred, 2018

This chapter focuses on how The Omen (1976), as a representation of New Hollywood Horror, acts as... more This chapter focuses on how The Omen (1976), as a representation of New Hollywood Horror, acts as both an agent within this sociopolitical environment and a disseminator of its message and values. In addressing cultural and religious neo-liberal and conservative debates—involving the role of free will and its opposites, determinism and predestination—the film in many ways challenges this liberty of choice. Like the culture from which it arises, The Omen may be regarded as being not only conflictual but also conflicted.