The horror in a horror film is as essential as the West in a Western or the humor in a comedy. This book concentrates relentlessly on the nature and expression of horror, both filmin reality and in the cinema.

Overview

Horror films can be profound fables of human nature and important works of art, yet filmmany people dismiss them out of hand, are too disgusted or frightened to watch them, or filmare simply reluctant to discuss them. One reason is that horror itself resists formulation filmand can be difficult and unpleasant to contemplate. The material is awful, a nightmare no one wants to come true. Horror can be filled with violence, cruelty and gore. It can scare us badly. It can be inexpressible, nameless. It can make us want to vomit. And it can be disturbing. The horror film can bring uncomfortably close the worst that could ever happen—to a character or to ourselves. It can explore forbidden aspects of human psychology. It can present dark beauty or sick fantasy. It can be sexist. It can be stupid. It can be badly produced. Arousing both terror and repugnance at once, it can be revolting in its moments of greatest power, when it shows us what we do and do not want to see. It can make us unable to express what we have seen. It can transgress and transcend limits. It can make the repellent, the terrifying and the creepy compelling. It can have the raw theatricality of a freak show.