The Science of Monsters

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Copyright © 2019 by Meg Hafdahl & Kelly Florence

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Peter Donahue

Cover photograph by gettyimages

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-4715-9

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-4718-0

Printed in the United States of America

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We dedicate this book to our parents, who let us watch horror movies.

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CONTENTS

Introduction

SECTION ONE: SLASHERS

Chapter One: Halloween

Chapter Two: Child’s Play

Chapter Three: A Nightmare on Elm Street

SECTION TWO: SERIAL KILLERS

Chapter Four: Psycho

Chapter Five: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Chapter Six: The Silence of the Lambs

SECTION THREE: VAMPIRES

Chapter Seven: Dracula

Chapter Eight: Nosferatu

Chapter Nine: Jennifer’s Body

SECTION FOUR: REANIMATED CORPSES

Chapter Ten: Night of the Living Dead

Chapter Eleven: Frankenstein

Chapter Twelve: The Mummy

SECTION FIVE: THE POSSESSED

Chapter Thirteen: The Exorcist

Chapter Fourteen: The Tingler

Chapter Fifteen: Get Out

SECTION SIX: DEADLY ANIMALS

Chapter Sixteen: Cujo

Chapter Seventeen: Arachnophobia

Chapter Eighteen: The Birds

SECTION SEVEN: GHOSTS

Chapter Nineteen: Poltergeist

Chapter Twenty: The Shining

Chapter Twenty-One: The Ring

SECTION EIGHT: FROM THE DEPTHS

Chapter Twenty-Two: Creature from the Black Lagoon

Chapter Twenty-Three: Jaws

Chapter Twenty-Four: Alien

SECTION NINE: WITCHES

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Witch

Chapter Twenty-Six: Carrie

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Blair Witch Project

SECTION TEN: CREATURES

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Descent

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Tremors

Chapter Thirty: The Wolf Man

A Final Note

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Endnotes

Index

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INTRODUCTION

It was nearly twenty years ago when we met because of a T-shirt. I (Meg) was working in a gift shop when Kelly strolled in, The X-Files emblazoned across her chest. An immediate connection was made, the special kind that forms when two people are thrilled to share in their fandom. Before that day, I had spent countless afternoons screening The Shining for my friends, none of whom cared for it or understood my horror obsession. As our friendship grew, Kelly and I eagerly shared movies with each other, from the silly, low-budget Invasion of the Blood Farmers to the truly terrifying The Ring. (We spent that night wide awake, convinced every gust of wind was Samara preparing to crawl inside and eat us whole!) Our affection for horror became a touchstone in our lives, a catalyst that has brought us to create, consume, and better comprehend the complexities of the horror genre.