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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
This is by far the most interesting book I read all year! Exploring the horror genre through the eyes of Stephen King - what's not to love? Sometimes the book is written as if the two of us are sitting down and having a cup of coffee and discussing horror films and books. Other times the narrative feels like I am attending a lecture course in college - a good one - the kind that everyone fights to sign up for and actually attends. Either way, King gives great insight into the world of horror.
I purchased the revised book version with the essay "What's Scary" as a forenote and I really loved what had to say 30 years later.
I purchased the revised book version with the essay "What's Scary" as a forenote and I really loved what had to say 30 years later.
dark
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A great long form essay about the state of horror in 1981 as well as a history of it from years prior.
informative
slow-paced
medium-paced
I'd really love for SK to update this book. I'd love to get his take on today's horror and fantasy scene. Danse Macabre the next thirty years.
I had wanted this book for years but once I started reading it, it was hard to keep up with. I kept putting it in the side. Yes it's an older book and not up to date with modern movies...but hearing King speak of memories of horror and his views on movies and books of older day seemed like a priceless idea to me.
While some areas are of course interesting, there is so much repeated and off-topic rambling that sneaks in. Ideas are stated but then beaten to death. 20 novels are discussed as majors in Horror Fiction but even that grows a bit repetitive. The movie section is the largest but feels all over the place. I wasn't interested in the TV section as much but will say King perhaps did the best there with staying on point and with the right touch of brevity. King doesn't hold back on his words at the best of times, but discussing the Haunting of Hill House for almost 20 pages is pushing it. He writes in a conversational tone without clear direction and sometimes circles to the same points again; while this isn't supposed to be a structured school essay, it keeps feeling so disorganized and conversational that it crushes enthusiasm.
On the plus side he mentions some greats and brings to mind some that aren't given enough attention. It's clear in an almost humorous way he's not a John Saul fan - did the two have a personal beef, or is he just unapologetic about his feelings of the author?
I enjoyed his musing in "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft". He's good at capturing the magic of reading and story. I highly recommend checking that one out, but this one didn't leave a favorable impression. It works better as a random reference than something to sit and read for entertainment.
While some areas are of course interesting, there is so much repeated and off-topic rambling that sneaks in. Ideas are stated but then beaten to death. 20 novels are discussed as majors in Horror Fiction but even that grows a bit repetitive. The movie section is the largest but feels all over the place. I wasn't interested in the TV section as much but will say King perhaps did the best there with staying on point and with the right touch of brevity. King doesn't hold back on his words at the best of times, but discussing the Haunting of Hill House for almost 20 pages is pushing it. He writes in a conversational tone without clear direction and sometimes circles to the same points again; while this isn't supposed to be a structured school essay, it keeps feeling so disorganized and conversational that it crushes enthusiasm.
On the plus side he mentions some greats and brings to mind some that aren't given enough attention. It's clear in an almost humorous way he's not a John Saul fan - did the two have a personal beef, or is he just unapologetic about his feelings of the author?
I enjoyed his musing in "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft". He's good at capturing the magic of reading and story. I highly recommend checking that one out, but this one didn't leave a favorable impression. It works better as a random reference than something to sit and read for entertainment.
I first read Danse Macabre in high school, (perhaps twelve or thirteen years ago) and, in hindsight, it’s astonishing to me how utterly comprehensively King laid the groundwork for my personal involvement in the genre, as well as my basic notions of film and literary theory. In that respect, it was a pleasure to revisit his treatise on the field I’ve grown to love so dearly. But independent of my own history with the book, this is simply an entertaining look at a vast cultural phenomenon that’s only seemed to gain momentum in the intervening years since the book’s publication. King approaches the subject less as an academician and more like a mechanic fiddling under the hood of a Chevy, explaining in astute but straight-forward terms how all this stuff works, why it does, and most importantly, what for. A boon for anyone with even a passing interest in the ghoulish and the macabre.