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A review by caitcoreads
Stephen King's Danse Macabre by Stephen King
4.0
Danse Macabre, Stephen King’s first work of nonfiction, chronicles the horror genre as a whole from the 1950s to 1980. His deep dive into the genre include discussions on horror television, radio, literature, and movies, as well as his pontifications on why we are so drawn to horrifying things, and his own personal experiences with the genre, including where it all began. Danse Macabre is Stephen King’s love letter to horror. It is incredibly genuine and conversational and has the ability to make you feel that King is speaking to you directly: the equally impassioned horror aficionado. My favorite part was definitely his thorough exploration of the horror novel, because he discussed some of my favorite books (The Haunting of Hill House and Rosemary’s Baby). I also thoroughly enjoyed all of his personal anecdotes. I really felt like this book allowed me to get to know King at his core, and fall even deeper in love with his writing. Just a fair warning, this book does include heavy spoilers.
Reading Danse Macabre made me turn inwards and reflect on why I consistently choose the horror genre over nearly everything else. I would love to discuss this at length later on (possibly on my horror website if I ever get it up and running), but I do have some general summations I’d like to share. I choose horror first and foremost because I genuinely love the strange and unusual, and I am utterly fascinated with anything that makes my skin crawl. But lying in a more subconscious realm in my brain, I choose horror because it empowers me. My real life is riddled with perpetual anxiety, but the horror genre allows me to turn outwards and become absorbed by imaginary horrors. Consuming horror makes me smile, and it makes me feel brave and fully formed. I have been obsessed with horror since childhood, and I am confident that my obsession will continue on for the remainder of my life.
4 out of 5 stars.
My favorite quote was, “The true horror film aficionado is more like a prospector with his panning equipment or his wash-wheel, spending long periods going patiently through common dirt, looking for the bright blink of gold dust or possibly even a small nugget or two.”
Reading Danse Macabre made me turn inwards and reflect on why I consistently choose the horror genre over nearly everything else. I would love to discuss this at length later on (possibly on my horror website if I ever get it up and running), but I do have some general summations I’d like to share. I choose horror first and foremost because I genuinely love the strange and unusual, and I am utterly fascinated with anything that makes my skin crawl. But lying in a more subconscious realm in my brain, I choose horror because it empowers me. My real life is riddled with perpetual anxiety, but the horror genre allows me to turn outwards and become absorbed by imaginary horrors. Consuming horror makes me smile, and it makes me feel brave and fully formed. I have been obsessed with horror since childhood, and I am confident that my obsession will continue on for the remainder of my life.
4 out of 5 stars.
My favorite quote was, “The true horror film aficionado is more like a prospector with his panning equipment or his wash-wheel, spending long periods going patiently through common dirt, looking for the bright blink of gold dust or possibly even a small nugget or two.”