[Review] - 'Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films' by Nina Nesseth

Were you ever labeled as different or weird because of your love for horror movies? I can't speak for anyone else, but my answer is yes. I was the loner kid reading used horror paperbacks during high school lunch. Instead of going to a football game on Friday nights, I was alone in my bedroom watching rented VHS horror flicks while eating cheesy pizza and rotting my teeth on soda. Not once did I wonder why I loved scary movies, though, at the time, my mother was worried I would become a serial killer like Michael Myers. It's twenty-five years later, and I can assure everyone that my fascination with all things horror didn't affect me — too much.

For the past few days, I had the privilege of reading Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films by Nina Nesseth. Yeah, I know what you're thinking - Billy's reading nonfiction?! Yeah, it may come as a shock to some, but I do read nonfictions every once in a while. I like to expand my mind beyond whodunits, trips into outer space, and supernatural tales.

Nightmare Fuel attempts to explain why horror fans love horror movies. As it turns out, it's more than just blood, guts, and boobs . . .wait a minute, that's why I like slasher films. Well, at least those were the reasons when I was a teenager. LOL!

Anyhoo, author Nina Nesseth takes a deep dive into why we love to be scared to death by movies. Yeah, there's a bit of science in horror. It seems we use our noggins and bodies while watching horror films.  

Final Thoughts

What can I say? I've loved horror movies since I first watched The Midnight Hour in 1985 at the tender age of four. Witches, werewolves, zombies, and psychopaths spontaneously and simultaneously give me goosebumps and weirdly put a smile on my face. So, it's a no-brainer why I wanted to read Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films.

The first few chapters were a drag because they were a bit too scientific-heavy for my liking. I have nothing against science, but it's never been my favorite subject. Why? Let's say the science technical jargon typically goes in one ear and out the other without me learning anything. I'm going to take a wild guess that most people who'll take an interest in reading this book aren't scientists or medical professionals. The author should have gone with layman's terms and summed all the physiological, biological, and scientific aspects in a few paragraphs instead of chapters. I skipped over many parts to get to the good stuff, such as the author's scientific analytics of classic horror movies.

Overall, Nightmare Fuel is a detailed researched-based look into why we love to be scared to death by watching horror movies. I thought it was a middle-of-the-read at best.