The Philosophy of Horror - Or, Paradoxes of the Heart

How can we be genuinely frightened of vampires, though we know they don't exist? How is it that people find pleasure in being scared out of their wits? Carroll presents the first philosophical and aesthetic analysis of the horror genre.For nearly two decades, the horror genre has been a major popular entertainment and has dominated the publishing and film industries. Yet there exists no philosophical examination of the genre - the time for its aesthetic analysis is ripe. Carroll discusses the nature of horror and explores the most characteristic narrative structures of the genre. He also attempts to explain how we can be genuinely frightened by vampires and the like, though we know they do not exist; and tries to account for how people can find pleasure in having the very wits scared out of them. He concludes with speculations about the present day popularity of the genre.