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For fans of Stiff by Mary Roach and Ghostland by Colin Dickey - an ordained minister seeks to uncover the reasons we are drawn to the morbid side of life.The Frighteners is a bizarrely compelling, laugh-out-loud exploration of societys fascination with the dark, spooky, and downright repellent, written by a man who went from horror-obsessed church hater to a God-fearing Christian, who then reconciled his love of the macabre with his new faith.Laws takes us on a worldwide adventure to shine a light on the dark corners of our own minds. He meets the people who collect serial killers hair, spends a night in a haunted hotel, and has dinner with a woman who keeps her own coffin in her living room, ready for the big day. Hes chased by zombies through an underground nuclear bunker, hunts a supposed real-life werewolf through the city streets, and meets self-proclaimed vampires who drink actual blood.From the corpse-packed crypts of Rome to the spooky streets of a Transylvanian night, he asks why he, and millions of other people, are drawn to ponder monsters, ghosts, death, and gore. And, in a world that worships rationality and points an accusing finger at violent video games and gruesome films, can a love of morbid culture actually give both adults and children safe ways to confront our mortality? Might it even have power to re-enchant our jaded world?Grab your crucifixes, pack the silver bullets, and join the Sinister Minister on this celebratory romp through our morbid curiosities."This is not simply a defense of a genre that routinely comes under fire for its graphic violence; its an intelligent, perceptive, and very well written successor to Stephen Kings 1981 classic, Danse Macabre." - BOOKLIST "A unique blend of personal experience, research, and humor...as entertaining, informative, and insightful as it is hilarious." - Foreword Reviews"Phrases like page-turner and tour-de-force are slapped on any old tome these days, but in this case, it is fully deserved. Truly the Bill Bryson of the horror think-piece, in literary terms, the highest honor this writer can bestow upon another." - Starburst magazine"Full of blood and guts and brains and heart, Peter Lawss work is a fearless and ultimately emotional exploration for anyone whos ever wondered why they were drawn to the macabre, and what it says about them." - Mike Bockoven, author of Fantasticland and Pack



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