Why I Love Horror

Hardcover, 272 pages

Published by Saga Press.

ISBN:: 978-1-6682-0509-9

(1 review)

A love letter to the horror genre from many of the most influential and bestselling authors in the industry.

For twenty-five years, Becky Siegel Spratford has worked as a librarian in Reader Advisory, training library workers all over the world on how to engage their patrons and readers, and to use her place as a horror expert and critic to get the word out to others; to bring even more readers into the horror fold.

Why I Love Horror is a captivating anthology and heartfelt tribute to the horror genre featuring essays from several of the most celebrated contemporary horror writers including, Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, and Rachel Harrison.

1 edition

Amber Herbert reviewed Why I Love Horror by Becky Siegel Spratford

For Horror Fans and the Horror Wary Alike

4 stars

If you adore the macabre and the grisly, you'll find thirteen kindred spirits folded in the pages of Why I Love Horror. If you either dislike or fear the genre, you'll read a baker's dozen's worth of essays that explain the complexities and nuances found in horror. Some horror is cathartic. Some horror is tortuously honest. There are so many subgenres of horror, from the most gruesome (think the Terrifier franchise) to the most literary (Dracula, Frankenstein, and the works of Stephen Graham Jones). Even if you're frightened of the dark, or can't stomach blood, there's horror out there for you.

This collection of essays shines a light into the dark recesses of the mind. Some authors delve into their childhoods, reminiscing about their favorite horror movies and Stephen King novels. Others find solace in psychological terrors, where they can confront their most horrific characteristics, their trauma, and the darkest …

If you adore the macabre and the grisly, you'll find thirteen kindred spirits folded in the pages of Why I Love Horror. If you either dislike or fear the genre, you'll read a baker's dozen's worth of essays that explain the complexities and nuances found in horror. Some horror is cathartic. Some horror is tortuously honest. There are so many subgenres of horror, from the most gruesome (think the Terrifier franchise) to the most literary (Dracula, Frankenstein, and the works of Stephen Graham Jones). Even if you're frightened of the dark, or can't stomach blood, there's horror out there for you.

This collection of essays shines a light into the dark recesses of the mind. Some authors delve into their childhoods, reminiscing about their favorite horror movies and Stephen King novels. Others find solace in psychological terrors, where they can confront their most horrific characteristics, their trauma, and the darkest parts of society. For some, horror is healing. For others, horror provides countless answers to the question, "What if?" For even more, horror provides a safe place to grapple with the terrors that play out in their homes, their communities, their country, and the world.

As a horror fan, this read brought introspection I hadn't realized I wanted. I highly recommend Why I Love Horror to fans of the genre or those who wish to dip their toes into all it offers.