University News Last updated 02 May
Birmingham City University (BCU) is hosting a new exhibition, recreating a young horror-enthusiast’s bedroom to discuss the influence of the genre.
Curated by the Youth & Horror Research Network, in conjunction with Flatpack Festival, Fear in the Bedroom draws on an archive of films, television, books, magazines, music and video games from 1970-2000.
“We are delighted to partner with the Flatpack Film Festival this year and collaborating with researchers to explore the unique and compelling genre of children's horror films,” said BCU Exhibitions Manager John Hall.
“Over the years, Flatpack has played an integral role in our teaching and learning programmes—delivering live project briefs, facilitating guest lectures, and enriching our students’ educational experience through a dynamic and multifaceted partnership.”
The Youth & Horror Research Network, led by Dr Cat Lester (University of Birmingham) and Dr Kate Egan (Northumbria University) has curated the exhibition to examine how horror has shaped young people’s understanding of the world, whilst challenging the notion of the genre’s harmful influence.
“By bringing together an assembled archive collection of horror-themed products aimed at children, this exhibition takes viewers through the history of children, youth and horror media,” said Principal Investigator at the Youth & Horror Research Network, and Associate Professor in Film and Television at University of Birmingham, Dr Catherine Lester.
“It’s engaging visitors in the multifaceted world of everyday horror through the eyes of a child and to challenge notions of horror’s harmful influence.
“We want people to consider the relationship between innocence, play and horror that these exhibits encompass, to bathe nostalgically in their own memories and to introduce a new generation to horror toys, books and games of the past.”
Dr Egan, an Assistant Professor in Film and Media at Northumbria University hopes the exhibition will ignite plenty of nostalgia: “Despite ongoing debates about children’s access to horror, the early 1970s to the late 1990s was a period of plenty for the young horror fan.
“This exhibition is not so much envisaged as a snapshot of a bedroom at a given moment in a given year, but rather as a time-capsule of children’s horror media.”
The exhibition is coinciding with Flatpack Festival, an international film festival based in Birmingham, which runs across the city from 9-17 May 2025.
“We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with BCU, University of Birmingham and Northumbria University to present Fear in the Bedroom,” said Sam Groves, Head of Programme at Flatpack Festival.
“The exhibition will feature special items on loan from horror aficionados' archives, archive footage examining the impact of horror films over the past few decades, and personal recollections of the BBC's renowned horror program, Ghostwatch."