It was not long after Halloween when Stephen King received a telephone call from his editor. 'Why don't you do a book about the entire horror phenomenon as you see it? Books, movies, radio, TV, the whole thing.' The result is this unique combination of fantasy and autobiography, of classic horror writing honed to an unforgettable edge by the best-selling master of the genre.

Danse Macabre ranges across the whole spectrum of horror in popular culture, from the seminal classics of Dracula and Frankenstein. It is a charming and fascinating book, replete with pertinent anecdotes and observations, in which Stephen King describes his ideas on how horror works on many levels and how he brings it to bear on his own inimitable novels.

There is a reason why Stephen King is one of the best-selling writers in the world - ever.

Listening Length

18 hours and 4 minutes
Author

Stephen King
Narrator

William Dufris
Audible release date

11 August 2016
Language

English
Publisher

Hodder & Stoughton
ASIN

B01IU55KXS
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	18 hours and 4 minutes
Author	Stephen King
Narrator	William Dufris
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com.au Release Date	11 August 2016
Publisher	Hodder & Stoughton
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B01IU55KXS
Best Sellers Rank	11,737 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) 31 in Art (Audible Books & Originals) 1,413 in Arts & Photography

Customer reviews

5 star		71%
4 star		17%
3 star		7%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Andrea Drew

Stephen King is a Writing God and I didn't like leaving three stars for this book

Reviewed in Australia on 13 April 2014

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but the editing is almost non existent. I read the first thirty pages and gave up, the errors were coming thick and fast which is a shame because "On Writing" is a book I consider to be my writing bible and have read it more than three times. Stephen King is a living legend as an author but unfortunately this one would have been better left unwritten as it seemed to be an after thought. When you consider the sheer volume of fantastic work from this author, this review needs to be at least three stars for sheer writing brilliance of his other works.

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M Peter

Five Stars

Reviewed in Australia on 9 October 2015

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Deeply insightful.

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John M. Ford

What Scares Stephen King?

Reviewed in Australia on 30 September 2014

This book, written using the author's notes from a college course he taught, explores the techniques that horror writers, filmmakers, and television producers use to scare us, entertain us, and keep us coming back for more. Along the way, King explores the horror genre from the 1950's through the 1980's and traces several key influences on his development as a horror fan, then author.

The author finds the roots of modern horror in three "tarot cards" or character archetypes, each represented by a key literary work. Our expectations about "The Vampire" were formed by Bram Stoker's Dracula ; we see the essence of "The Werewolf" in the protagonist of Robert Lewis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde ; and experience "The Thing Without a Name" as recurring versions of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein . He traces the influence of these themes in written fiction, radio, movies, television and in popular culture.

Most interesting is King's three-level taxonomy of fear reactions. The most refined is "terror" as the suspenseful anticipation of fright which can be induced by a skilful writer with the monsters off-stage. He believes that finely-tuned terror is best achieved through books and radio because they require more active engagement by their audiences. "Horror" is secondary, as we recoil from the hidden monster as it is revealed. "Revulsion" is the lowest, most visceral reaction triggered when we are "grossed out" by slime, gore and vomit. King admits that as an author he makes unrestrained use of all three.

This book is recommended for horror fans, Stephen King fans, and all those who work to improve their writing. Readers can learn more about the author's writing style and process in his subsequent nonfiction works On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft and Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Crafts of Writing .

One person found this helpful

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JL nash

SIMPLY BRILLIANT

Reviewed in Australia on 14 February 2020

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YOu wont be disappointed

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Top reviews from other countries

Darren Ware

It's dated!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 February 2022

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It's dated somewhat. Their are parts that he would probably change. Wes craven comment for one.
However I will say this is up till 1980 it has given me such a get way in to other authors I didn't know and some films I didn't know, not the saucerman film so loves but many many others.
It's a great book and although I don't agree with everything he says in this book about certain people (it's ok to not and still like the person, most people have forgotten that in this day an age)I'm still enjoying the book. I have about 60 pages left but I have enjoyed hearing of a era I wasn't part of and finding alot of horror before my time in many formats. I even found the old radio shows Stephen mentions from his childhood on YouTube.
Would be really interesting if he did another one of these for the past forty years but I doubt he will.
It's nice to see the point of view from the master of horror .

Connor Caple

Kindle edition NOT the 2012 version! Lacks the new 20 page intro. DO NOT BUY

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 May 2020

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The kindle edition is not the new one as advertised. It is the original edition without the new intro by Stephen King summing up the new Horror since the original publication. Don't waste your money if, like me, you have the original paperback.

3 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Danse Macabre review

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 November 2017

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I read this novel nearly 30 years ago and re read it again recently. It covers the period of horror from 1950-1980. The best section is his detailed review of 10 fine horror novels and a list of 100 or so “must read” horror novels. King was 33 when this was published and comes across as brusque, today he is much mellower. 4 stars, but it’s dated, when published 1980 was the present day.

4 people found this helpful

charlie k

Interesting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 March 2015

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I'm a huge fan of Stephen King and I initially was skeptical about reading but the book wore on me. It's more of a treatise on the horror genre in general but it is written in his witty style which helps. I especially like the appendices of books and films which for me meant giving this book an extra star

2 people found this helpful

ken tilston Tillo

Horrow all the way

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2020

Verified Purchase

What a read excellent

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