Screaming and Conjuring: The Resurrection and Unstoppable Rise of the Modern Horror Movie

by Clark Collis

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, History, Film

504 pages, Hardcover

Published September 2, 2025

Reviews

[Tyler E · Rating 4 out of 5]

What’s your favorite scary movie?

If you’re a fan of horror films, you’ve probably noticed the resurgence in the genre over the past 15 years. Whether it’s in movies, books, or on the big screen, horror has soared to new heights and popularity. Screaming and Conjuring, the latest book by Clark Collis, distributed by 1984 Publishing, details the rise of horror in all its bloody glory.

First, I want to thank 1984 for this ARC of Screaming to Conjuring. This isn’t the final edition, though. The final edition, upon publication, is a truly premium edition that’s worth the price. The black edges and color photographs are a great addition to the finished product.

I love horror movies. Going all the way back to watching 1970s classics like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Exorcist on VHS in the 90s (a wonderful influence on my childhood!), to watching Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger rampage through the suburbs, I was hooked. But the first part of the 1990s saw what many thought was the demise of the genre. The slasher franchises were on their last legs with diminishing box office returns. A new world landscape after the end of the Cold War brought both a period of optimism and new uncertainty. The fear was no longer about the monster outside—it was focused within. That brought on the rise of TV shows and movies focused on conspiracy theories.

In the latter half of the 90s, there was a shift towards a more meta approach to formerly popular stories. The world was evolving, and a simple good vs. evil wasn’t going to captivate people as it did in the 80s. Even pro wrestling joined the trend with the onset of the Attitude Era, which erased the “wrestling is real” illusion. Horror films were part of this trend, too, starting with Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and finding solid ground with 1996’s Scream. That’s largely where Screaming and Conjuring picks up in the first chapters.

As the title suggests, Scream and The Conjuring mostly bookend this study of the evolution of horror in the early 21st century. There is a final chapter that quickly takes us through the following years up to 2025, though. However, the meat of the book focuses on the period from 1996 to the mid-2010s. The book gives you a blow-by-blow account of essentially every horror movie of note released in that time. It’s both educational and a trip down memory lane. For the larger, more impactful titles, there is expanded storytelling focusing on production, cast and crew experiences, and director interviews.

Probably my most significant drawback with Screaming and Conjuring is that each chapter represents a year, and Collins mostly goes film by film through that year. While informative, it can sometimes give the feel of a “names and dates” type of textbook. When Screaming and Conjuring gets too bogged down in that formula, the book feels like it lags a bit.

Where the work really shines is in the times when Collins delves into themes in the industry and the films that result. I wish the entire book had been organized in that fashion instead. I already know that there has been a resurgence in slashers over the past five years; give us more insight as to why that’s happening. The author briefly explores the impact of 9/11 on horror movie content and the concept of evil. I found that fascinating, and something we could have used a lot more of.

Still, when Screaming and Conjuring is good, it’s a page-turner. The stories behind the origins of Halloween are fascinating. Furthermore, the details of how David Gordon Green took the franchise in a different direction are provided, as well as the involvement of Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter. From 1978 to 2018, Michael Myers has evolved from the boogeyman to a vehicle for films showing the growth and evils of fascism.

If you’re a fan of James Wan, you’ll love the arc of his career path. It’s hit on at different points and then returned to later, so don’t ever think it’s abruptly over when Collins shifts gears. Like a true horror icon, he’ll return. The same can be said for the monumental presence of Wes Craven in this book. Screaming and Conjuring paints figures like Craven and Carpenter as the fathers of modern horror, and they’re treated with the reverence they deserve.

As a horror fan, I loved Screaming and Conjuring. When it’s good, it’s excellent, and that’s enough to overcome the times where the formula can be plodding. You’ll want to have some passion for the genre going in - I wouldn’t recommend this as the introduction to the genre, but a tool to help fans understand the nuances of it better. If you want an introduction, there’s only one way to go. Turn on your TV and start Screaming and Conjuring.

[John Schorg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is obviously the product of a lot of research and looking up stuff, since it talks about hundreds of horror movies released since 1996. What it isn't is a critical analysis of many of those movies. Pretty much everything is handled with kid gloves, and too much credence is given to the box office results. Even the central premise here - that horror movies have enjoyed a resurrection in the time period discussed - is debatable. It can be argued that audiences always have supported good horror films, no matter when they are made. Few genres have as loyal and consistent fans as this one.

[Steven West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another beauty from the author of 'You've Got Red On You', and an engaging, thorough guide to the various trends, successes and failures of post-Scream horror.

[John Bleasdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant overview of the contemporary horror scene. Excellent stuff.

[David Sterritt]

Clark Collis’s hefty book “Screaming and Conjuring: The Resurrection and Unstoppable Rise of the Modern Horror Movie” is for eager fans, not people looking for serious thought. It’s mostly a string of rah-rah production stories and inconsequential quotes, with very little that’s of more than superficial interest. Recommended for uncritical enthusiasts only.

[Ngaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss and 1984 Publishing for providing this book as an eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book is an enjoyable read in terms of better understanding the economics of making horror films and the various historical and social contexts under which particular horror films and franchises became a box office success or failure. The ongoing conversation in the book regarding the relationship that directors, writers, actors and cinematographers had with their work also made for an interesting read. Collis is skilled at helping readers understand the mechanics of the movie-making business.

I appreciated the effort to acknowledge and not shy away from issues both within horror media and behind the scenes regarding assault, sexual misconduct and so on; however discussions of race, gender, sexuality, class, etc., more generally left much to be desired. This book has many interesting ideas that would have been strengthened by an exploration of how audiences connect to horror beyond tools of measurement, such as box office results or CinemaScores. Whilst it is understandable why this was chosen as the metric through which to prove the thesis of the book, a lot of my favourite parts were the parts where Collis explores how audiences experience the genre of horror, and I wish that those parts were more prominent and more rigorously explored than they ultimately ended up being.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was an interesting read, but I didn't love it as much as I hoped I would. I think this is because I expected something more about why people love horror so much and why these movies succeed at the box office, and less a catalogue of films and their earnings. It was good at what it did, I just thought it would be different. That being said, there were a lot of typos and factual errors which really undermined my trust in the book. It definitely needed to be edited again before release. On the other hand, to leave this off on a more positive note, it talked about movies I'd never heard of before that sound interesting, and that's always exciting. I love discovering new movies, and especially through a book about movies -- that's really fun.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Screaming And Conjuring by Clark Collis. A deep dive into the history of American horror films, specifically from SCREAM to THE CONJURING, this is a richly researched tome that I never wanted to end. Told in chronological order with overlapping chapters dedicated to specific trends and genres, it also helped me add dozens of films to my watch list, from blind spots I need to correct to movies I realized were now worthy of a revisit. A perfect book for any nerdy horror movie fan this Halloween (or literally any) season.

[Zak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book. This does everything it promises to be.

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for spooky season and unfortunately, I was disappointed. There doesn't seem to be a central thesis here, other than the assertion that horror movies have experienced a resurgence since 1996, when the first Scream came out. There isn't any critical analysis, so the book mostly consists of naming the horror movies that came out year by year, with some production anecdotes thrown in or brief discussions about box office earnings. I was not impressed.