"...revolutionary..." -- Dr. András Molnár, Americana E-Journal of American Studies in Hungary
"Why Horror Seduces is a ground-breaking book ... It is a must-have for academic institutional collections, crucial reading for those interested in the biocultural analysis of popular culture, and highly recommended for scholars, students, and fans of horror fiction with an interest in the evolutionary basis of the genre's appeal." -- Sean Moreland, Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts
"Why Horror Seduces is a groundbreaking book... It provides a firm foundation for further study and is sure to stimulate related research and vigorous debate among horror scholars. It is a musthave for academic institutional collections, crucial reading for those interested in the biocultural analysis of popular culture, and highly recommended for scholars, students, and fans of horror fiction with an interest in the evolutionary basis of the genre's appeal" -- Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts
"An accessible and entertaining read for anyone interested in horror or those curious as to why anyone would be â a rich and readable contribution to the field of horror studies. By combining evolutionary biology, psychology, and sociocultural elements the biocultural framework provides a comprehensive answer to Why Horror Seduces. I would recommend this book to horror fans and scholars alike who want to learn more about one of the most marginalized and most profitable genres in film and literature." -- Horror Studies
"Why Horror Seduces is an exciting look into the engine room of the great horror machine, providing insight into what makes it run, what makes the pistons pump ... [Clasen] writes both intelligently and affably ... I was both entertained and intellectually stimulated." -- Planet Pulp
"For decades, horror fans have smirked at pretentious interpretations of their favorite movies.... Why Horror Seduces is an attempt to understand the genre as 'powerful experience,' and a case for considering it in the light of evolutionary psychology ... Clasen's book comes as something of a revelation. The fact that it is also a burning manifesto for the benefit of scaring yourself witless makes me want to stand up and applaud as I read it ... In the book's best moments I feel that the child inside, pulling his feet up under the cover to hide from the monster under the bed, is granted a form of vindication." --Translated from FLM
"His book offers a welcome and insightful contribution to the field, which would be of use both to students and scholars as well as horror fiction fans more broadly." -- European Journal of Communication
"I can't imagine what it must be like to have a brain as crowded with ideas as his must be! This is an academic book, and sometimes those can be dry, but that is not the case here. Clasen is clearly passionate and knowledgeable about his topic and his approach." -- MonsterLibrarian.com
"Over the course of thirteen brilliantly argued chapters, Mathias Clasen uses the sharp edge of evolutionary psychology to skin the horror genre alive and reveal the wet red tendons twitching under the surface. Why Horror Seduces is sure to provoke admiration, argument, debate, and delight among fans and creators. An essential read for anyone who cares about terrifying fiction," -- Joe Hill, author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller The Fireman: A Novel
"Who would have thought that horror could be so delightful? Mathias Clasen sheds light on the paradox of terrifying entertainment, illuminating human nature and the nature of art" -- Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works and The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
"Mathias Clasen's wonderfully exploratory and explanatory Why Horror Seduces should be read and enjoyed by anyone with an interest in this most misunderstood of genres." --Peter Straub, author of Interior Darkness: Selected Stories and Ghost Story
"A brilliant and much-needed evolutionary psychology take on the horror genre. I loved it."--Dr Xavier Aldana Reyes, Senior Lecturer in English Literature and Film, author of Horror Film and Affect (2016) and editor of Horror: A Literary History (2016).
"It is one of the very best works yet produced under rubrics like "literary Darwinism," "biocultural criticism," or "evolutionary literary study." The most important challenge to the literary Darwinists has been to integrate convincing evolutionary explanations with high-quality, sophisticated literary criticism. Clasen succeeds brilliantly in meeting this challenge...The writing is pithy, witty, vivid, clear, and forceful...This is one of those very rare (vanishingly rare) works of literary criticism that are a genuine joy to read on their own merits, as works of literature."--Academia.edu
"[T]his book is a culmination of empirical and theoretical work [Clasen has] been doing for over a decade. As such, it is steeped in the relevant literature and empirical research (psychology, philosophy, literary theory), and the horror itself (i.e., novels, films, games). The book would make a splendid textbook for undergraduate courses in several fields that touch on horror, either as a genre or as a psychological phenomenon. One could profitably employ the text in film studies, media studies, horror literature courses, and in evolutionary psychology curricula."--Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture
"In this unique, accessible contribution to horror studies, Clasen (Aarhus Univ., Denmark) uses evolutionary science and a biocultural approach to investigate the appeal of horror...Impeccably well written and researched, this work persuasively argues for a new methodology in approaching horror...Highly recommended."--Choice
