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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
dark
funny
informative
slow-paced
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
2 stars for the 2 things Stephen King loves most:
1. Yapping
2. Hating women
1. Yapping
2. Hating women
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny
Minor: Car accident
informative
medium-paced
Danse Macabre is a dense exploration of horror in literature and film presented in King's characteristically warm, conversational style. Parts of the book are very heavy because King is excited and eager to share his ideas about a genre that has meant so much to his life and career. Though many readers may find themselves skimming parts, the sections that grip firmly hold your attention. I was particularly fascinated by his discussion of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, horror films as "junk food," and anecdotes from his life and career. If you want a more balanced discussion of writing horror novels, checkout King's masterful On Writing, but this book is for the reader who wants to swim in an ocean of details, ideas, and recommended books/films.
I mostly enjoyed reading this book. There were a few parts I was less interested in, such as some of the talk about movies. I was expecting more of the content to be about books. I was inspired however to take a look at a few movies I hadn't seen and would not have considered. The same thing for the books he did discuss. I can see referring to the lists in the Appendixes many times for ideas.
It had some interesting parts so far but I just could not get myself to care about what he was saying. Unfortunately, it feels very dated. I found his intro to be very interesting, and if he re-worked it in 2025 I'd absolutely read it, but as it stands I just did not find it engaging and life is too short to read books you're not enjoying.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Definitely interesting insight into the horror genre, but I’m obviously reading this about 40 years too late. While I’m familiar with a lot of the books and movies he discusses, I kept having to remind myself that so many of the horror movies I love (Poltergeist comes to mind) didn’t come until after this book.