This thesis introduces, defines, and examines the presence of the carceral image in contemporary horror films, in order to demonstrate it as an invaluable tool for analyses that critique that which is symbolically monstrous. This approach emphasizes the carceral as a looming, palpable, cultural imaginary, at once bound by and encroaching beyond its temporal and cultural specificity— a monster unto itself, rendered that much more haunting in its familiarity.Bachelor of Art