A Very Nervous Person's Guide to Horror Movies

By: Mathias Clasen

Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross

Why your worst nightmares about watching horror movies are unfounded.   

Films about chainsaw killers, demonic possession, and ghostly intruders make some of us scream with joy. But while horror fans are attracted to movies designed to scare us, others shudder already at the thought of the sweat-drenched nightmares that terrifying movies often trigger. The fear of sleepless nights and the widespread beliefs that horror movies can have negative psychological effects and display immorality make some of us very, very nervous about them. But should we be concerned?   

In this book, horror-expert Mathias Clasen delves into the psychological science of horror cinema to bust some of the worst myths and correct the biggest misunderstandings surrounding the genre. In short and highly enjoyable chapters peppered with vivid anecdotes and examples, he addresses the nervous person's most pressing questions: What are the effects of horror films on our mental and physical health? Why do they often cause nightmares? Aren't horror movies immoral and a bad influence on children and adolescents? Shouldn't we be concerned about what the current popularity of horror movies says about society and its values? While media psychologists have demonstrated that horror films indeed have the potential to harm us, Clasen reveals that the scientific evidence also contains a second story that is often overlooked: Horror movies can also help us confront and manage fear and often foster prosocial values.

©2021 Oxford University Press (P)2021 Recorded Books

The best intro to horror film

The author has done us a great service, providing an accessible AND well-researched introduction to horror film. As a undergraduate professor of literature (including film), my deepest gratitude goes out to Mathias Clasen.

The reader did a great job, but the recording team should have caught the mispronunciations of Aarhus University (the Danish double-A is pronounced as a long O) and of the child protagonist in _The Exorcist_ (Reagan, like the president).