The Horror Aesthetic: Essays from the Dark Corners of the Genre

by L. Marie Wood

Many creatures lurk in the dark, weaving on top of one another, roiling together like waves on
the night sea. The darkness forms in layers to encompass the land, fill the corners, and obscure
angles. Untold mysteries lie just beyond reach told in many tongues, many inflections, many
rhythms.

The stories are many.
Innumerable.
Legion.

The Horror Essays from the Dark Corners of the Genre shares perspectives from the
darkest corners of the horror genre, providing study and nuance to the mythos, antagonists, and
storytelling we love. This is a book that celebrates the craft of writing horror, explores the oral
traditions that gave life to the written words of the gothic and the tortured, shines a light on what
has been left in the obscurity of the dark. From the classroom to the far corners that only
shadows reach, The Horror Essays from the Dark Corners of the Genre examines the
horror genre in rich context, contemplative zest, and dark humor.

It's the horror research you never knew you needed until now.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror

234 pages, Paperback

Published October 4, 2024

About the author

L. Marie Wood is an award-winning author and screenwriter. She is the recipient of the Golden Stake Award for her novel The Promise Keeper, as well as the Harold L. Brown Award for her screenplay Home Party. Her short story, "The Ever After" is part of the Bram Stoker Award Finalist anthology Sycorax's Daughters. Wood was recognized in The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Vol. 15 and as one of the 100+ Black Women in Horror Fiction. Wood holds an MFA in Speculative Fiction from Southern New Hampshire University and serves as the Director of Curricula for the Diverse Writers and Artists of Speculative Fiction (DWASF.org). She is also the Director of the horror track for MultiverseCon.

Visit lmariewood.com to learn more.

Reviews

[Becky Spratford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review in Booklist Online and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2024/08...

Three Words That Describe This Book: essays about Horror, authoritative, fascinating

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't often get to explore Horror with the more academic side of my brain and I really enjoyed this collection of essays about the horror genre in literature and film.

The essays cover a gamut of subjects: vampires, werewolves, zombies, Westworld, publishing, diversity, types of horror, Shakespeare, and many more. If you love digging into horror stories, history, and societal impact, you'll love these essays.