Why I Love Horror

Why I Love Horror by Becky Siegel Spratford is not a horror book, and it is not just for horror fans. It is for horror fans, of course, but it’s also for everybody else who likes stories.

• It’s for everyone who likes personal stories that make you feel.

Some have humorous or nostalgic moments like when John Langan reminded me of how afraid we all were of quicksand when we were kids. And others nearly moved me to tears (“I’m not crying, you’re crying!”) such as when Cynthia Pelayo talked about the importance of breaking cycles of abuse. Others touched on shared experiences like when Clay Chapman mentioned the Challenger explosion; I was already inhaling every Stephen King book I could get my hands on at the time at 12, but that moment of real life horror is an indelible part of my brain chemistry.

• It’s also for anyone who is interested in hearing different voices or reading different styles.

Part of what I like most about Why I Love Horror is that though the prompt is the same, the styles are very different from each other. For someone unfamiliar with the authors, it’s an interesting variety with one essay in the form of a (probably fictional) conversation with a stranger on a train and one lavishly illustrated by the author’s daughter, for example. (Fans could make a game of hiding the author’s name and guessing who it is by their distinctive voice and style.)

Speaking of fans - everyone will learn something and fans will get new insight into the author from the thoughtful introduction from Spratford for each essay - and her “similar author” recommendations are sure to create even more fans of more authors.

I am sure almost every horror lover has been asked this question in some form at some point or even be called to defend the genre’s existence outright depending on how likely your step-mamaw is to think you have the devil in you because you’re wearing red. That’s probably not an example that will apply to a lot of people, but you get my point.

My “why” is similar to some in this book, as a child, I retreated into books because I was (and still am) shy and introverted. I was drawn to the darker stories which in some ways were reflecting my reality - but over which I had control. Now, decades later, horror has been my most trusted companion, it continues to be a balm from the world when I need it but has opened up so many new worlds - both fictional and real.

Why do you love horror?

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Pub. date: 9/23/25 Support your favorite indie bookstore (and give us both 20% off if it’s your first purchase) by using my link at https://refer.bookshop.org/candidanorwood.