Overview

From vampire apocalypses, shark attacks, witches, and ghosts, to murderous dolls bent on revenge, horror has been part of the American cinematic imagination for almost as long as pictures have moved on screens. But why do they captivate us so? What is the drive to be frightened, and why is it so perennially popular? Why Horror Seduces addresses these questions through evolutionary social sciences.Explaining the functional seduction of horror entertainment, this book draws on cutting-edge findings in the evolutionary social sciences, showing how the horror genre is a product of human nature. Integrating the study of horror with the sciences of human nature, the book claims that horror entertainment works by targeting humans' adaptive tendency to find pleasure in make-believe, allowing a high intensity experience within a safe context. Through analyses of well-known and popular modern American works of horror--Rosemary's Baby; The Shining; I Am Legend; Jaws; and several others--author Mathias Clasen illustrates how these works target evolved cognitive and emotional mechanisms; we are attracted to horrifying entertainment because we have an adaptive tendency to find pleasure in make-believe that allows us to experience negative emotions at high levels of intensity within a safe context. Organized into three parts identifying fictional works by evolutionary mode--the evolution of horror; evolutionary interpretations of horror; the future of horror--Why Horror Seduces succinctly explores the cognitive processes behind spectators' need to scream.

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9780190666507

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Reviews

Over the course of thirteen brilliantly argued chapters, Mathias Clasen uses the sharp edge of evolutionary psychology to skin the horror genre alive and reveal the wet red tendons twitching under the surface. Why Horror Seduces is sure to provoke admiration, argument, debate, and delight among fans and creators. An essential read for anyone who cares about terrifying fiction, -- Joe Hill, author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller The Fireman: A Novel Who would have thought that horror could be so delightful? Mathias Clasen sheds light on the paradox of terrifying entertainment, illuminating human nature and the nature of art -- Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works and The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined Mathias Clasen's wonderfully exploratory and explanatory Why Horror Seduces should be read and enjoyed by anyone with an interest in this most misunderstood of genres. --Peter Straub, author of Interior Darkness: Selected Stories and Ghost Story

Author Information

Mathias Clasen is Associate Professor of Literature and Media in the Department of English, Aarhus University.

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