World’s First Horror Studies Center, world record in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

October 29, 2025

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States--The Horror Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh, founded by Dr. Adam Lowenstein, professor of English and Film and Media Studies, serves as a hub for scholarship, student research, community engagement, building upon the university's extensive Horror Studies Collection; it sets the world record as the World’s First Horror Studies Center, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

Photos: The University of Pittsburgh, Facebook/University of Pittsburgh

"At the University of Pittsburgh, fear has found a new home — in academia. The university is now home to the world’s first academic center dedicated to the study of horror, exploring how the genre reflects society’s deepest anxieties and historical traumas," the witf.org says.

"The Horror Studies Center, founded by Dr. Adam Lowenstein, professor of English and Film and Media Studies, positions Pitt as a global leader in understanding horror not just as entertainment, but as a vital lens through which to view human experience.

“The Horror Studies Center at Pitt is the result of many years of hard work,” said Lowenstein. “It really grew from a sense that Pittsburgh has an important horror heritage, given that George Romero, one of the most famous artists in the genre, conducted most of his career in Pittsburgh. The zombie film that he created is really still the template for much of horror that we see today.”

"The Horror Studies Center (HSC) positions the University of Pittsburgh as a global leader in interdisciplinary research, teaching, and archival work in horror studies," the University of Pittsburgh says.

"As the first center of its kind supported by both a major research university and a dedicated archival collection, the HSC unites Pitt’s longstanding strengths in horror across disciplines. We foster inclusive scholarship, creative practice, community outreach, and collaborations that explore fear, trauma, and horror in their many cultural, historical, psychological, and artistic forms."

Why Pittsburgh?

"Pittsburgh is globally recognized as the place where the modern zombie film originated, thanks to George A. Romero’s 1968 landmark Night of the Living Dead (recently restored by the Museum of Modern Art)," the University of Pittsburgh says.

"Indeed, Pittsburgh and Romero are so closely linked in the public imagination that the Steel City is also regarded by many as a birthplace for the modern horror genre. Romero’s long career as a celebrated horror icon and Pittsburgh’s most influential independent filmmaker has only become more legendary since his passing in 2017.

But horror studies goes far beyond film. The field investigates:

The business and cultural impact of the horror industry
The science and psychology of fear and trauma
The social issues horror reflects and critiques

Pitt’s Horror Studies Legacy

The HSC builds on a strong foundation of initiatives already established across the University:

Horror Studies Collection (2019)Curated by the University Library System (ULS), this is the world’s only academic archival collection dedicated to horror. It includes the George A. Romero Collection, the archive's founding acquisition and the basis for an ongoing partnership with the George A. Romero Foundation (2018). Since then, the ULS has acquired multiple other archives and materials connected to horror studies.
“Horror Genre as Social Force” Scholar Community (2020)Based in the David C. Frederick Honors College, this community brings together faculty, students, and staff across disciplines. Undergraduate scholarships support research and creative projects focused on fear, trauma, and social horror.
Global Horror Studies Archival and Research Network (GHSARN, 2020)A Pitt-led effort connecting scholars, students, and archivists worldwide. With close ties to the University Center for International Studies (UCIS) and Pitt Global, GHSARN expands the boundaries of the field through international collaboration.
Horror Studies Working Group (2018)A collaborative team of faculty, students, staff, and community members that has helped launch horror studies at Pitt by planning special events, inviting guest speakers, and organizing conferences.

"he University of Pittsburgh's Horror Studies Center is the world's first academic center dedicated to the study of horror, officially launched in October 2025.

"Founded by film professor Adam Lowenstein, it serves as a hub for scholarship, student research, and community engagement, building upon the university's extensive Horror Studies Collection which includes the George A. Romero archives. T

"The center expands on a strong local horror heritage, driven by the legacy of Romero and connections to other Pittsburgh artists and filmmakers." (AI Overview)

Core activities and initiatives

Horror Studies Collection: Houses archives, including the founding George A. Romero Collection, used for academic and creative projects.
Global Horror Studies Archival and Research Network (GHSARN): Connects scholars, students, and archivists worldwide to expand the field through international collaboration.
"Horror Genre as Social Force" Scholar Community: An interdisciplinary group within the David C. Frederick Honors College that supports research on fear, trauma, and social horror.
Horror Studies Working Group: A collaborative team of faculty, students, staff, and community members that organizes events, conferences, and guest speakers.
Curricular Development: The center plans to spearhead curricular initiatives, potentially including a major or minor in horror studies.
Partnerships: Maintains close ties with the University Center for International Studies (UCIS) and the George A. Romero Foundation. (AI Overview)

Goals and purpose

To establish the University of Pittsburgh as a global leader in horror studies.
To use horror as a vital lens for understanding human experience, cultural anxiety, and historical trauma.
To foster student research, creativity, and career opportunities in the film and horror industries

"College classes about popular culture, whether rock ’n’ roll or sitcoms, still elicit eye-rolls from the more traditionally minded. But the University of Pittsburgh is doubling down on its longstanding commitment to studying the horror genre.

"The school says its new Horror Studies Center, announced last week, is the first of its kind. The Center, housed at the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, brings together several existing initiatives including its Horror Studies Collection, which includes the papers and more of famed filmmaker George A. Romero," the wesa.fm reports.

"The Center’s head is English and film and media studies professor Adam Lowenstein, an internationally recognized leader in horror studies who began teaching at Pitt in 1999."

"This September, Pitt launched its Horror Studies Center, the world’s first academic study dedicated to the horror genre. The center, though not a physical location, will work with the University Library System to showcase the archives of popular horror filmmakers and writers," The Pitt News reports.

"Adam Lowenstein, director of the Horror Studies Center and professor of English and film and media studies, said the collection of archival records will feature some of the cult classic horror films that people know and love, including the archive for “The Blair Witch Project,” first edition copies of “Dracula,” “Frankenstein” and Edgar Allan Poe’s works, horror pulp magazines and comics and the George A. Romero Archival Collection, among others.

"The center is currently made up of five scholarship pillars — the Horror Studies Collection in the ULS’s Archives and Special Collections, the “Horror Genre as Social Force” Scholar Community in the Honors College, the Global Horror Studies Archival and Research Network, the Horror Studies Working Group and the George A. Romero Foundation.

"Now, the University of Pittsburgh Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences has launched a new home for the genre in the ’Burgh in Pitt’s Horror Studies Center," the University of Pittsburgh says.

"It’s headed up by Adam Lowenstein (pictured above), professor in the Dietrich School’s Department of English and Film and Media Studies program, who has been working like the living dead with collaborators at Pitt and beyond for years to establish this first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary Horror Studies Center."