Potonulo groblje by Goran Tribuson between horror fiction and film

Abstract

This paper analyzes Potonulo groblje (“The Sunken Cemetery”, 1990), a horror novel by Croatian author Goran Tribuson, a key figure in the country’s escapist fiction tradition. The novel centers on Ivan Hum, a former prisoner who returns to his neglected, nameless hometown to uncover the truth about his past. As he navigates an eerie, decaying landscape marked by supernatural events and cryptic townspeople, Ivan becomes entangled in a web of personal trauma, local myth, and historical repression. The narrative weaves together psychological horror, crime mystery, and gothic atmosphere to explore deeper themes of memory, decay, and identity. At the core of the novel lies a metaphorical exploration of the collapse of socialism and the uncertain transition into a post-socialist society. The imagery of the sunken cemetery, derelict infrastructure, and a town lost in time serve as powerful symbols of social disintegration and historical amnesia. Through close reading and comparative analysis, the study investigates how Tribuson mobilizes elements of horror and thriller genres not just for suspense, but to comment on the disorientation and disillusionment that accompanied the end of Yugoslavia. A central contrast in the novel is between Ivan - a disillusioned intellectual shaped by rationalism, guilt, and exile - and Marilina, a strange, quasi-mystical librarian whose home is filled with Western pop-culture memorabilia. Their interaction encapsulates the tension between high and popular culture, as well as the ambivalence of post-socialist identity caught between the ruins of the past and the seductive promise of consumerism. The novel is also examined through its 2002 film adaptation, directed by Mladen Juran, co-written with Tribuson and Czech director Jiří Menzel. The film reinterprets many of the novel’s themes through visual storytelling, using cinematic techniques, symbolism, and Western horror tropes to enhance psychological and socio-political layers. While the novel’s horror is more existential and literary, the film foregrounds visual motifs such as marbles (representing trauma), decayed urban spaces, and Western pop references to depict the cultural Westernization and trauma of post-war Croatia. The adaptation reflects how the sociopolitical context of the early 2000s - particularly Croatia’s recovery from war and reorientation toward Europe - influenced the reinterpretation of the original narrative. The film emphasizes resolution and personal healing more explicitly than the novel, suggesting a more hopeful vision of the future. Ultimately, the study argues that despite its genre label, The Sunken Cemetery -both as a novel and as a film -offers a layered, critical engagement with the historical, psychological, and cultural anxieties of late 20th-century Croatia. It demonstrates that escapist or genre fiction can serve as a powerful lens for examining national trauma, collective memory, and ideological transition.