The Anatomy of Fear

What are we afraid of, and why do we love being scared by movies?

This question occupied my mind during the time we edited and published our newest book The Anatomy of Fear.  I am a wimp when it comes to horror movies, but I do enjoy a good scare. Both genres tap into a shady part of the human psyche. Horror wants us to laugh when we’re uncomfortable, keep looking when we want to turn away, and live with a total lack of happy endings.  And because no one expects horror films to toe the line, they get to flirt with madness and imperfection while making the most interesting, controversial observations.

The Anatomy of Fear explores all this, and more. Filmmakers Chris and Kathleen Vander Kaay interview 21 horror and science-fiction film writers and directors to get the inside story on the inspiration, creation, and behind-the-scenes experiences of box office blockbusters.

This book is not about films, exactly; it’s about the conversations those films create. All the films and the discussions with filmmakers have something to say about society, religion, sex, death, and the universal fears that connect us to each other in a fundamental way that no language or common interest ever could.

The Anatomy of Fear explores all the permutations of this, and more, in ongoing conversations with all the horror and thriller writers and directors you’d most love to meet:

John Bruno

Jeff Burr

Stephen Chiodo

Thom Eberhardt

Larry Fessenden

Alec Gillis

Tom Holland

Eric Luke

William Malone

Jim Mickle

Glen Morgan

Lance Mungia

William F. Nolan

J.T. Petty

Eric Red

Eduardo Sanchez

Jack Sholder

George Sluizer

Ethan Wiley

S.S. Wilson

William Wisher

The Anatomy of Fear is essential reading for every horror movie buff.  Buy the book and see the movies!

Sammie Justesen is a publisher with NorLightsPress and the author of Dialogue for Writers, released in May, 2014. She is also an artist and president of the Lawrence County Art Association.