"A
n incredible voice in horror"
—
Tor Nightfire
Horror essays that read like Chuck Klosterman filtered through H.P. Lovecraft.
Slinging ectoplasm, tombstones, and chainsaws with aplomb,
Be Scared of Everything
is a frighteningly smart celebration of horror culture that will appeal to both horror aficionados and casual fans. Combining pop culture criticism and narrative memoir, Counter’s essays consider and deconstruct film, TV, video games, true crime, and his own horrific encounters to find importance in the occult, pathos in Ouija boards, poetry in madness, and beauty in annihilation.
Comprehensive in scope, these essays examine popular horror media including
Silent Hill
,
Hannibal
Hereditary
, the
Alien
films,
Jaws
The X-Files
The Terror
The Southern Reach Trilogy
Interview with the Vampire
Misery
Gerald’s Game
The Sixth Sense
Scream
Halloween
The Blair Witch Project
The Babadook
, the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Slenderman stories, alongside topics like nuclear physics, cannibalism, blood, Metallica, ritual magic, nightmares, and animatronic haunted houses.
This is a book that shows us everything is terrifying—from Pokemon to PTSD—and that horror can be just as honest, vulnerable, and funny as it is scary.
"
is a heady mix of memoir and critical essays. Discerning, unafraid to examine larger questions without easy answers, the collection is also warm and entertaining."
—Paul Tremblay
"Counter’s brilliant essay collection
is a poetic and deeply thoughtful exploration of all the ways that horror permeates our everyday life."
Rue Morgue