Scary? Nerdy? Both! Three Non-Fiction Horror Reads
Something a little different for spooky season
Halloween is next week, so I thought now may be the perfect time for a weirdly specific microgenre I can’t resist: non-fiction about horror.
As I continue to struggle with my fiction reading (I’m working on it, but it is a JOURNEY), this genre has come in to pinch hit for me during one of my favorite reading seasons—spooky season. Instead of reading horror like I normally would (with the exception of this great book), I’ve been reading about horror. And that’s been really working for me.
So, I thought I’d share three audiobooks that have kept me company this month. One is for horror readers. One is for those of us who grew up in the 90s and still get a thrill when someone says, “Do you like scary movies?” The last is for those who want to get real nerdy about how horror novels and movies had a real impact on feminism in the 1960s/1970s.
Ready? Turn the knob on that creaky door and step inside.
Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature edited by Becky Siegel Spratford
Libro.fm | Bookshop.org | Amazon
I heard about this book on the Books in the Freezer podcast, and I knew I needed to grab it immediately. Becky Siegel Spratford is a reader advisory librarian who specializes in horror. (How fun does that job sound?) Usually, she writes books for other librarians, but this time she decided to seek out some of the hottest voices in the horror genre and ask them a simple question—why do you love horror?
The writers’ responses to that simple question were varied and entertaining. As someone who grew up reading horror from an early age, I resonated with many of the essays. Others offered depth I didn’t expect. I think the question is deceptively simple but gets at some core things. What draws a kid or a teen or a young adult to pick up scary books? How can this often dismissed genre be a beautifully dark place to escape to?
This was an easy listen and is perfect for fellow horror lovers or those who like to read author origin stories.
I also loved that Becky Siegel Spratford introduced each author’s essay with a little bit about the author and their work, along with a helpful “Start here” with which of their books to try first and an “if you like this author, also try this author” recommendation.
About the book:
A love letter to the horror genre from many of the most influential and bestselling authors in the industry.
For twenty-five years, Becky Siegel Spratford has worked as a librarian in Reader Advisory, training library workers all over the world on how to engage their patrons and readers, and to use her place as a horror expert and critic to get the word out to others; to bring even more readers into the horror fold.
Why I Love Horror is a captivating anthology and heartfelt tribute to the horror genre featuring essays from several of the most celebrated contemporary horror writers including, Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, and Rachel Harrison.
“You never told me your name.”
“Why do you need to know my name?”
“Because I want to know who I’m looking at.”
Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror by Ashley Cullins
Libro.fm | Bookshop.org | Amazon
This book is for Scream fans. Full stop. If you’re not into the movies, just scroll on by. However, if this franchise is your jam, get ready to deep dive!
If you didn’t live through it, I’m not sure you can totally understand the impact the original Scream had on the horror genre. The movie came out in December 1996 when I’d just turned 17, so I got to see it in the theater. I’m not sure I’d ever experienced the combo of fear and humor that the movie so brilliantly balanced. It was funny, yes, but somehow didn’t lose the terror factor.
I was the same age and a fellow horror fan like the characters, so the meta aspect also really spoke to me. How many times had I thought, No, don’t run UP the stairs! in all those 70s and 80s horror movies I had loved to watch. Plus, by the 90s, great horror movies had started to be few and far between or sequeled to death, so this felt totally fresh. It became an instant favorite of mine. So I knew I had to grab this audiobook and get all the behind-the-scenes of the franchise.
This book covers all the current movies in the franchise (a lot!) and DOES give spoilers because it has to. So, if you haven’t watched the movies and want to, maybe do a movie marathon first.
I loved getting all the fun tidbits about the creation and filming of these movies. I love that Kevin Williamson wrote Scream and that his VERY NEXT PROJECT was writing Dawson’s Creek. Talk about range! Lol.
And one of the nicest surprises of the book was hearing about how wonderful Wes Craven was. With all the stuff coming out over the last decade about predatory directors and movie industry people, it was lovely to know that the man who created Freddy Krueger was actually this kind, genuine person who was really great to the people he worked with.
The first half of this book was more entertaining to me because it focused on the earlier movies in the franchise, but I enjoyed the whole thing, and it was a fast listen. It’s a great audiobook for having on in the background while doing chores or cooking.
About the book:
The ultimate story of the Scream movie franchise, featuring interviews from more than eighty key players and an in-depth exploration of the creation and legacy of the films that revived a dying genre
In Your Favorite Scary Movie, entertainment journalist Ashley Cullins examines the making and impact of the Scream films with behind-the-scenes insight from cast, creators, and crew, as well as sharp analysis on how the movies’ special blend of gruesome violence and humorous self-awareness rewrote the horror playbook. This intimate and thorough history includes brand-new interviews from Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Kevin Williamson, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Jack Quaid, Parker Posey, Hayden Panettiere, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Radio Silence, Roger L. Jackson, and so many more.
Perfect for fans of Scream, horror lovers, and cinephiles, this is the story of how a little movie about a ghost-faced killer terrorizing high schoolers overcame countless obstacles to become an historic success that still has audiences screaming to this day.
Scream With Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism (1968-1980) by Eleanor Johnson
Libro.fm | Bookshop.org | Amazon
Okay, so the first two recs are light reads. This one is not. This one feels like a college course on film and feminism because it’s written by a Columbia professor. That is not a criticism. I found this book fascinating. But I want to make sure you know what the vibe is. It’s academic. It’s political. And it’s scary because, well, history repeats itself.
In this book, Dr. Johnson, takes six horror movies from the era and shows how they reflected the times and affected the times. The six movies she covers are Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, The Stepford Wives, The Omen, Alien, and The Shining.
I hadn’t seen Rosemary’s Baby or the original Stepford Wives, so I watched them before reading those chapters. I highly recommend doing that. That will enhance the reading experience tenfold.
And y’all, I had to find The Stepford Wives on YouTube because it wasn’t streaming or available to rent anywhere. I feel like everyone needs to watch that original one with the current trad wives movement in mind. Terrifying, truly. So much so that I had a brief thought like, “Is it a conspiracy that this isn’t streaming anywhere? Do they not want us to see this?” I’m saying that a little tongue in cheek…but only a little because *shudder*.
I love a book that helps me see things I didn’t before, and this one did that on so many levels. Having a professor point out the symbolism in these movies—some of which I’ve seen many times—was really eye-opening.
But I think what I found most compelling about this book was that it was an illustration of how powerful art can be. I’m not going to get political here, but I know many of us feel frustrated and helpless right now about affecting change or making a difference. But sometimes change can sneak in through less obvious doors.
In their time, these movies had a real impact on the hearts and minds of society. Stories can make a difference. Stories can change how people think about things because characters we care about make an issue more personal. Art matters. Books matter. Movies and TV shows matter. There are many avenues to effect change.
So that’s what I walked away with from this book, along with a better understanding of recent history and a deeper appreciation for these movies.
Like the Scream book, this one also contains spoilers, so watch the movies first if you can.
About the book:
A compelling, intelligent, and timely exploration of the horror genre from one of Columbia University’s most popular professors, shedding light on how classic horror films demonstrate larger cultural attitudes about women’s rights, bodily autonomy, and more.
In May of 2022, Columbia University’s Dr. Eleanor Johnson watched along with her students as the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade. At the same time, her class was studying the 1968 horror film Rosemary’s Baby and Johnson had a sudden epiphany: horror cinema engages directly with the combustive politics of women’s rights and offer a light through the darkness and an outlet to scream.
With a voice as persuasive as it is insightful, Johnson reveals how classics like Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, and The Shining expose and critique issues of reproductive control, domestic violence, and patriarchal oppression. Scream with Me weaves these iconic films into the fabric of American feminism, revealing that true horror often lies not in the supernatural, but in the familiar confines of the home, exposing the deep-seated fears and realities of women’s lives.
While on the one hand a joyful celebration of seminal and beloved horror films, Scream with Me is also an unflinching and timely recognition of the power of this genre to shape and reflect cultural dialogues about gender and power.
Two Bonus Recs
If you love books about books, I love Sadie Hartmann’s non-fiction books about horror. Both of these are chock full of horror recommendations to keep your TBR pile stacked high for many spooky seasons to come. I recommend these in print because the full color pages and illustrations are so nice.
101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered by Sadie Hartmann
Feral and Hysterical: Mother Horror’s Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women by Sadie Hartmann
Alright, that’s all I have for you today. I hope you have a great weekend!
How are you celebrating spooky season? Have you read any great scary books or watched any horror movies lately? Or do you prefer going cozy in October instead?
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The Eleanor Johnson books sounds great. Being GenX, those are the movies I grew up seeing on TV.
Confession: I've never seen any of the Scream movies. I was a new mom when the first one came out.
I'll be starting the Mad Mabel book soon. It's more domestic thriller than horror.
Please delete this comment if it's inappropriate, but if you want another sort-of-horror or horror-adjacent book, That the Dead May Rest (released a week ago today) involves zombies but is more of an older woman empowerment story and a meditation on grief.