The Lust for Blood: Why We Are Fascinated by Death, Murder, Horror, and Violence

Psychologist Kottler (The Last Victim) investigates in this lackluster study why nonviolent people find blood, gore, and general horror compelling, and comes up with mostly unremarkable answers. Drawing on interviews with women who are “irresistibly drawn to” and “simultaneously repulsed by” horror films in which female characters are murdered; analyses of rubber-necking at accident scenes; and research studies on how violent video games affect players and sports brawls influence spectators, Kottler contends that when “a baser instinct that draws us into the vicarious experience in the first place” clashes with rationality, revulsion results (“What the heck am I doing watching this stuff?”). While the paradox Kottler delves into is fascinating, his observation that “the fear of death, the need for stimulation, and instinctual aggression... are at the core of our fascination with violence” isn’t exactly new. In addition, his analysis is marred by dubious and distracting claims, as when he suggests that some humans have historically survived due to “their ability as stalkers and killers,” while their “more peacefully inclined” peers were “wiped out” by the likes of Vlad the Impaler or Adolf Hitler. Nina Nesseth’s Nightmare Fuel or Thomas Fahy’s The Philosophy of Horror will better serve readers intrigued by the questions Kottler raises. (Jan.)