Dreadful Pleasures: An Anatomy of Modern Horror

by James B. Twitchell

Dreadful Pleasures takes a lively look at the stories that make our hair stand on end. James Twitchell examines the appeal of horror through the centuries--its persistence in our culture, its manifestations in art, literature, and cinema, and our need for the frisson it provides.
From the cave paintings at Lascaux to the "slasher" movies of today, Twitchell traces our fascination with horror stories and explores why certain myths and images--vampires and transformational monsters like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--have had special resonance in our culture, and why others have faded. Whether discussing the engravings of William Hogarth or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , Twitchell is consistently insightful and entertaining. Film buffs and scholars, literary critics and Gothic novel devotees will all welcome this study of the horror genre and the immense appeal it has had throughout the centuries.

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction, Criticism, Research, Academic

368 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 1985

About the author

James B. Twitchell is an American author and former professor of English, known for his work on advertising, consumer culture, and popular media. He earned his BA, MA, and PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A tenured professor at the University of Florida, Twitchell resigned in 2008 following allegations of plagiarism. Despite this, he remains recognized for his engaging writing style and provocative insights into American cultural and consumer behavior.

Reviews

[Sarah Brecko · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is hard to review a book that I mostly disagreed with. His analysis of horror and how it centers around Freudian concepts of family, sexuality, and incest is very dated. He also focused on a very narrow swath of horror, namely the Universal horror monster stock and the Hammer Horrors that followed.

That said, I am reading this 30 years after it was written and have a vastly different perspective. It is kind of like reading an academic time capsule.

Still, I am giving this book four stars. It gave my brain a good workout by picking apart his dated arguments. My main enjoyment was the discussion of horror films and their evolution looking back at the original texts. There was a lot of rich comparisons and documentation of the evolution of these horror stories and monsters.

All in all, I enjoyed the read.

[zeynep]

>writes a book about how all long-lasting horror is about incest at the core
>Dedicates it to his family
Ok 🤔
(Twitchell is funny and clever with his prose sometimes but Freudian readings...are a DISEASE. And in this case it only really works with Dracula imo (and even then I'm like. Put some respect on Mina harkers name fool))

[Brian Fagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

James Twitchell was a professor of English. In Dreadful Pleasures, he puts forth his theorems about the genesis and psychological context of horror literature and films. This is an incredibly heavily researched and detailed book. Twitchell's analysis covers horror in written form from the Middle Ages, and horror in movies from film's beginnings.

The primary assertions he makes about the "meanings" and subconscious themes in horror stories are these:

Modern horror myths prepare the teenager for the anxieties of sex, the dangers of careless sex.

The stories are nearly all based on a limited number of classic (old) tales, especially the vampire, the hulk with no name (i.e., Frankenstein's monster) and the transformation monster (the werewolf and the Wolfman, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde).

Horror appeals primarily to young people who soon move on to other interests.

One real benefit I obtained from going through this encyclopedic review was finding the name of a movie I went to see as a teenager that was my first foray into horror films and had a pretty strong impact on me - 1971's What's the Matter With Helen. By the way, I haven't "moved on to other interests"; horror still makes up a decent percentage of my movie viewing, although I certainly don't read much horror anymore.

The most pervasive idea that organizes Twitchell's book is his belief that behind most horror stories, and behind the sex in horror stories, is a warning not just about promiscuity, or about violence against women, but very specifically about incest. I can't convince myself that moviegoers see horror films as a kind of roadmap for appropriate sexual behavior, even subconsciously. And neither do I think that directors or viewers see horror films as having anything to do - on the surface or even underneath - with incest.

There are, I'm sure, other treatises on what horror is and how it works that are highly recognized, but my go to is Stephen King's Danse Macabre, to which I compare any attempt.

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the early books about both horror movies and monster stories, Twitchell's Dreadful Pleasures is a witty, fun read. One gets the feeling, however, that Twitchell approaches the subject a little too academically at times. Although his book is quite readable and avoids jargon, he is almost dismissive of the "low brow" (my word, not his) nature of the genre. It took a considerable time before academics started to understand that horror, both in novel and movie form, was a legitimate field of study. Twitchell seems to be at the cusp of that turning point.

Focusing mainly on Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and the Wolfman/Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Twitchell demonstrates how these characters have endured throughout the twentieth century, tracing their roots to the eighteenth. It is a fun read, but it left me feeling like I needed something more. That came in the next book I read: Men, Women, and Chainsaws. For further rumination about this book, please note that I wrote about it on my blog: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author puts broad focus on the horror revival in the late 70s and 1980s (the book is from 1985). He quotes all kind of archetypal horror books, paintings and illustrations to shift its psychological attraction to sex (e.g. "horror of incest" following Freud). This is an interesting theory but this steady emphasis of the sexual component in horror is a bit tedious over all the chapters here leading to sexual exuberance. The photos, illustrations and references are great though and very inspiring. Recommended to every horror fan because of its richness in details and material!

[Victoria Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Twitchell essentially considers and discusses the horror film as fables
of sexual identity.
In addition, Twitchell examines the evolution of the horror film and well as
its psychology. In addition to a discussion of 'Dracula',(concerns of sexuality).
and 'Frankenstein' and Sons. Both are concerned with reproduction and the fear, revulsion,
and horror that often accompanies any sexual discovery. He also delves into schizophrenia,
wanted and unwanted transformations in his discourse of 'Wolfman' and 'Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde.
A must have for the monster movie enthusiast.

[Benjamin Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

mwahhhhaahhahha

[Antonio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everything that talked about the history and origin of the famous Universal/Hammer monsters was great, tons of insight; HOWEVER, the author had an insufferable obsession to making everything about incest, author found a way to connect every single monster to some sort of incest theme, so great part of the book got really tedious, especially if you disagree with the incest angle.