Dark Book Review:
Screaming for Pleasure –
How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy
Review by Casey Douglass
I’ve always known
that horror was good for me. Except when I was so scared that I
struggled to sleep at night for fear of nightmares. I was young then
though, and once I became interested in dark things, the fear was
replaced by fascination, and also, the courage to look more closely.
S.A Bradley’s book: Screaming for Pleasure – How Horror Makes
You Happy and Healthy, as you would imagine, is focussed on the
notion of horror being beneficial, but as in most good books, its
scope is wider than you might imagine.
A quick perusal of the
chapter headings soon shows the various areas into which the book
delves, from the mechanics of horror, what it actually is, the way
that horror handles certain themes such as sex and gore, all the way
to the various forms it takes, from film to books and music. I must
admit that going in, I didn’t realise how broadly the book would
roam, and it was a pleasant surprise to be confronted with such a
range of topics.
There were plenty of
areas that I hadn’t really thought too deeply about before, such as
what the communal experience of watching horror on a big screen
brings the viewers, and also the way that we get into horror, the
often illicit “your parents say you can’t” kind of thrill that
watching a “video nasty” might provide. Ah VHS, you little
plasticy bastards, with your cute plastic windows that let greedy
eyes feast on your coiled insides, wondering what you might throw
onto the screen. Good times. Each section of Screaming for
Pleasure also ends with an info-box of recommendations or
interesting facts, from notorious sacrilegious horror movies, to a
list of horror movies and the phobias that they play on. This is a
nice touch to round off the chapter, and a great way to learn about
horrors that you may not have heard of.
Even though I enjoyed
the author’s analysis of the more intellectual/mechanical sides of
horror, it was his own stories about how it helped him that I found
most gripping. From helping his younger self deal with the turbulence
in his early home life, to the time in later life when the horror
community proved to be a valuable tonic to his feelings of isolation.
In my own experience, I know the sanctuary that a good horror can
provide at those times that life seems especially shit, be that by way
of book, film or music, so it was really interesting to see how it
helped someone else in the same way.
Screaming for
Pleasure – How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy is a worthy
read for anyone that views themselves as a horror fan, or anyone that
would just like to understand what draws people to horror itself. The
variety of sections and horror suggestions it contains, married to
the author’s personal experiences of it enriching his own life, all
add up to make a book that has been lovingly produced, and I am sure,
will be lovingly read by those that read it.
Visit Hellbent for Horror at this link for more information and purchasing links.
I was given a review
copy of this book.
Book Title:
Screaming for Pleasure - How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy
Book Author: S.A
Bradley