What is the audience for horror? Why should we want to read books or watch films that make us afraid, or that contain acts of violence or depravity?
Horror has had an established tradition in both fiction and film. From books such as Frankenstein and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to films such as Se7en and The Blair Witch Project, the genre holds an irresistible appeal for modern audiences. But what is it? Is horror an anti-establishment force and an argument for social revolution? Is it a liberating expose of human nature and a peek at the dark side of the unconscious? Or is it pure evil, designed to corrupt and deprave?

Starting from such questions about the nature of horror, this book offers an accessible history of the genre. It approaches its subject thematically, with chapers on horror, religion and identity; 'mad science'; vampires and the undead; on madness and psycho-killers; on forbidden knowledge and books; on narratives of invasion and pestilence; on Satanism and demonic possession; on ghosts and the ghost story; and on body-horror and metamorphoses. Making reference to key Gothic texts of the Romantic period, as well as more recent popular novels and films, the book is a highly readable introduction for both students of literature and film, as well as horror fans.