Unspool: Critical Time Loops in Screen Media

Time loops abound in recent screen media. From the torturous repeating birthdays of the TV series Russian Doll (2019–2022) and horror film Happy Death Day (2017), to the iterative runs of roguelike videogames like Returnal (2021), to the cyclical mediality of apps like TikTok, loops are used in a variety of ways by a variety of media in a variety of contexts.

Why are loops appearing with such prominence now and what cultural concerns do they express? In this edited collection, a range of scholars take a critical look at many different forms and manifestations of the time loop, from television shows about therapy to films about oppression to videogames about morality to the loops of media formats themselves.

Through this work, Unspool: Critical Time Loops in Screen Media shows the suppleness and significance of the time loop to our loopy times.