'Holy Mackerel! What a Show!': Spectacle and Spectatorship in Giant Monster Films
Department of English lecturer Brad Congdon (PhD) will be presenting this Literature Matters: Literature in the Community event
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 25
Time: 7:30 pm
Location: Grace-Westminster United Church Social Hall
505-10th St. E., Saskatoon
This event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Department of English.
About this event
When a character in 1933's King Kong first encounters the giant ape, he shouts, "We came here to get a moving picture, and we've found something worth more than all the movies in the world!" We all know how that works out for Kong. From the beginning, giant monster films have focused on the twinned themes of exploitation and spectacle. This talk discusses kaiju (“giant monster”) films such as Godzilla, King Kong, and Nope to analyze how filmmakers have used monsters to embody historical, cultural, and systemic fears and anxieties.
Upcoming Events
Art*Cycled: The Gleaners
Apr 24-25, 2026
An exhibition of senior sculpture students with support from the USask Office of Sustainability
Discovering the Amatis
Apr 26, 2026
The April concert in the 2025-26 Amati Concert Series features the Frontier String Quartet
7 Nights of History: Percy Moore: Bringing Modern Health and Welfare North Through Indian Health Services
Apr 29, 2026
A community lecture by Dr. Erika Dyck (PhD) of the Department of History