Danse Macabre
Published: 20, April 1981
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Essays, History, Movie History, Media Tie-In, Performing Arts, Popular Culture, Social Sciences
Check the summary of this book here:
Danse Macabre Summary
The Review
Stephen King's nonfiction book, Danse Macabre, is about horror fiction in print, TV, radio, cinema, and comics, as well as the impact of modern social fears and anxieties on the genre. On February 23, 2010, it was reissued, along with a new essay titled "What's Scary." A sprint across the horror genre and a cultural snapshot that will appeal to horror lovers as well as those who want to start reading and watching but are unsure where to begin.
In 1980, Stephen King was thirty-three years old when he penned 'Danse Macabre.' At the time, he had only released five significant novels: Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Stand, and The Dead Zone.
While these were the novels that established his early reputation, many of his most well-known works would follow Firestarter, Cujo, The Running Man, The Gunslinger (the first book in the long-running Dark Tower series,) Christine, Pet Sematary, It, Misery, The Tommyknockers, The Dark Half, and so on into the 1990s and beyond.
So, when King mentioned his own novels to explain themes in Danse Macabre, he could only draw on the first five. We can undoubtedly find many more—and often far better—examples from his later work.
For example, when King discusses The Bad Place in horror literature and movies, you and I, blessed with over forty years of perspective from reading his works, could immediately think of the Native-American burial site in 'Pet Sematary' or the infernal sewer in 'It.'
Danse Macabre is a product of its period, but that doesn't mean it isn't still educational and entertaining to read.
King's ideas about what makes horror "succeed" are still eye-opening today, and his evaluation of some of the great horror novels and stories is often spot-on, as are the personal opinions he reveals along the way, such as in Chapter 4 when he recounts his colorful down east individual of an uncle trying to hose down a new well with an apple wood bough.
Danse Macabre was composed at a period when King was still extensively into alcohol—at one point, he nonchalantly mentions downing fourteen beers in a single night, noting that he'd taken it "quite easy" that night; elsewhere, he makes repeated matter-of-fact comments to "becoming delightfully loaded..." Whether it's due to the alcohol or not, he periodically goes off on wide, meandering tangents that, although amusing, appear to veer away from points that might have been conveyed considerably more swiftly and with much better accuracy.
There are a lot of great facts and wonderful storytelling along the way, but I think some of his comments should be taken with a grain of salt, especially when it comes to "vintage" horror movies.
For example, while 'Dementia 13' is okay for a low-budget B movie from the early 1960s, I don't think it's anywhere near as excellent as King seems to remember—perhaps it's his own young nostalgia at work?
He complains at length about the production values in the original 1942 version of Val Lewton's 'Cat People,' not to be confused with the forgettable, exploitative re-make from 1982, but most people watching this classic B movie for the first time are unlikely to notice the things that King finds so irritating.
The original 'Cat People' was created during WWII, and shooting a night sequence on location in a blacked-out New York City would have been unfeasible.
Also, in 1980, King had a low opinion of Wes Craven's films, which included Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, and The People Under the Stairs.
However, in his forewords to later editions of Danse Macabre, King, while still mostly dismissive of Nightmare on Elm Street and, especially, the rather dull series it became, does offer some grudging admiration for Craven's 'Scream' movies, and he basically shouts about Dennis Illiadis' 2009 re-make of Last House on the Left.
Danse Macabre investigates the different influences on King's own work as well as key genre writings from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Danse Macabre delves into the genre's history as far back as the Victorian era, although it predominantly concentrates on the 1950s through the 1970s, which approximately corresponds to King's own life at the time of publishing.
King sprinkles his work with casual academic acumen, exploring archetypes, major authors, common storytelling methods, the psychology of dread, and his central notion of Dionysian horror.
"Horror Fiction in Cinema, TV, and Books: 1950 - 1979" should have been the subtitle so that Stephen King's fiction readers wouldn't pick it up and start reading it. They can be quite dissatisfied.
Given his literary output, it's possible that the author has a few red-eyed and capering buddies and readers. As he describes his own horror fiction: "I consider dread to be the most powerful feeling, thus I will attempt to scare the reader. But if I can't frighten, I'll try to horrify, and if that fails, I'll go for the gross-out."
While reading "Danse Macabre," I felt compelled to sever a few capers. King was able to get me into sometimes heated debates about his theory and choices for great terror.
It was like sitting at a bar, sipping beer and debating with a sometimes obnoxious buddy. Unfortunately, like that slightly inebriated friend, this author tends to ramble tediously off-topic: the Vietnam War, Patty Hearst, the fate of MGM, many not-so-hilarious anecdotes about Harlan Ellison and, no, Mr. King, you haven't written the longest footnote in history—see Hans Zinsser's "Rats, Lice, and History"; dismissive critiques of certain pulp authors.
Well, I guess that's what I'm doing now, but who's going to read this?; a tirade about grammar; and an entire chapter labeled "An Annoying Autobiographical Pause."
Actually, some of the side writings are small treasures if you're in the mood for them, but they do help to round out King's discussion on terror.
Final Thoughts
Danse Macabre is both purposely and unwittingly hilarious (see the movie review of "Robot Monster".)
If you're someone who's watched at least some of the 'B' movies and TV series Stephen King has seen or has read a few of the horror books he assesses, this is a funny, thought-provoking book—a 421 page inside joke.
If you're not the correct age, Danse Macabre will undoubtedly bore you with its rants about defunct TV series, deteriorating celluloid films, and out-of-print horror stories.
In his two forewords, King cautions us that he will be focusing on horror films made between the late 1950s and the early 1980s.
If you couldn't read, watch TV, or go to the movies when you were younger, this book might not be for you.
All of this is to suggest that if you can stick with it; Danse Macabre is a worthwhile book, educational and frequently humorous.
And it was definitely worth the effort. In the rear, Stephen King adds two appendices that list 100 horror novels as well as all of the movies mentioned in the book.
Enough to keep any healthily interested fan occupied for quite some time. I recommend it to true fans because, as already said, It is not for everyone, and if you want to read it, don't think of it as a story.
Synopsis
“From the author of dozens of #1 New York Times bestsellers and the creator of many unforgettable movies comes a vivid, intelligent, and nostalgic journey through three decades of horror as experienced through the eyes of the most popular writer in the genre. In 1981, years before he sat down to tackle On Writing, Stephen King decided to address the topic of what makes horror horrifying and what makes terror terrifying. Here, in ten brilliantly written chapters, King delivers one colorful observation after another about the great stories, books, and films that comprise the horror genre—from Frankenstein and Dracula to The Exorcist, The Twilight Zone, and Earth vs. The Flying Saucers.
With the insight and good humor his fans appreciated in on his writing, Danse Macabre is an enjoyably entertaining tour through Stephen King’s beloved world of horror.”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords
Books And Movies, Harlan Ellison, Highly Recommended, Horror Genre, Jekyll And Hyde, Movies And Books, Night Shift, Peter Straub, Richard Matheson
Rating: 90/100
Recommended: 90/100 Yes.
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