The Pleasures of Horror

by Matt Hills

Pleasures of Horror is a stimulating and insightful exploration of horror fictions-literary, cinematic and televisual-and the emotions they engender in their audiences. The text is divided into three sections. The first examines how horror is valued and devalued in different cultural fields; the second investigates the cultural politics of the contemporary horror film; while the final part considers horror fandom in relation to its embodied practices (film festivals), its "reading formations" (commercial fan magazines and fanzines) and the role of special effects.

Pleasures of Horror combines a wide range of media and textual examples with highly detailed and closely focused exposition of theory. It is a fascinating and engaging look at responses to a hugely popular genre and an invaluable resource for students of media, cultural and film studies and fans of horror.

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2004

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the most academic and scientific work on horror I read so far. The author tries to work out an interesting model why we read and enjoy horror. He uses all kind of literary sources and academic works for his argumentation. It reads like a thesis actually. We come from hesitation to shock, psychoanalyze the genre (restoration and repetition), regard horror as the reconfirmation of surmounted beliefs. Horror is for purification, its fans adore connoisseurship, crafsmanship and the constant try to outmanoeuver censorship. The author explains what's beyond generic horror (TV horror, true horror, seriality, theory horror) and crosses the borders of beyond postmodern horror. This is no easy to read book but has some interesting insight most other books don't have. Don't get fooled by the cover. This is very academic stuff. Recommended!

[Bjorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really great survey of how horror fans and academic scholars talk about the horror genre and their relation to such texts. If you're looking for a cultural history of horror films or other horror fiction, this isn't the book you want. there are others that perform that work in much greater detail. However, if you are interested in fan-cultures and the expectations various groups of people have about horror texts, this book offers a lot of great insights and ideas, while also being fairly accessible (for an academic study). Highly recommended.

[Jonas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting examination of the theories of horror, using a metatheoretical lens to identify weak points in previous ideas of horror and terror. Pleasure does a nice job of looking at how many current investigations ignore the affect in horror or how enjoyment of horror is also a performative act. Taking most of his lead from Bourdeau's Fields of Cultural Production, Hills makes a convincing case for re-examining horror fans.