Fantastic films have always succeeded in capturing the intriguing essence of the circus and fairs through two different genres: melodrama and horror, which act as Siamese twins, one tragic and circumspect, the other histrionic and wicked. The films discussed in La feria de las sombras (The Shadow Fair) encapsulate everything necessary to describe a world where each member of the nomadic circus community is an attribute - a unique one - of a multiple hero, a giant who sleeps when travelling, wakes up in the wee hours of the morning and comes to life in a different place every week. As a result, the book talks about clowns, illusionists, magicians and other misfits who find a refuge from the world in the fairground wagons. Mònica García Massagué, Pepe Aracil Sáez, Jorge Loser, Xavi Sánchez Pons and Lluis Rueda take us on an evocative journey through the most emblematic films that deal with this subject: a universe of make believe and barracks populated by hybrid beings, freaks and knife throwers. In the center ring, Ángel Sala and Jordi Sánchez-Navarro (coordinators of the publication as well as contributors) reveal the secrets of circus shows and sinister fairs, as well as the evolution towards more modern fictions: from the Grand-Guignol to Jurassic Park, and their influences on marketing and advertising. Foreword by Lluís Rueda.
