Fear in a Handful of Dust: Horror as a Way of Life

Fear in a Handful of Dust both is and isn’t a book of film and fiction writing commentaries; yes, you’ll find several reviews and (hopefully intelligent) analyses in here, but a format like that can quickly grow wearisome and repetitive . . . so I’ve decided to take it a couple of steps . . . well, let’s say sideways: one’s reaction to horror movies and literature is a highly subjective and personal thing, emphasis on the latter term. Consider this to be a thinly-disguised autobiography by means of reflections about movies, books, and writing. It’s not enough for someone to simply say, ‘I liked it,’ or ‘I really hated it’; those are not opinions in and of themselves, they are prefaces to opinions. To qualify as actual opinions, they must be followed by reasons why, and in order for you to understand the reasons why, you have to understand something about the person giving the opinion.” — Gary A. Braunbeck