Scream

Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear

By: Margee Kerr

Narrated by: Margee Kerr

For as long as we've gathered by campfires to tell ghost stories, humans have always loved a good scare. From the splatter flicks of the 70s, to Japan's obsession with drowned girls, to creepy modern experiences like the overnight ghost hunt at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, the horror industry has thrived across time and cultures. Our obsession with getting scared is obvious to anyone who visits ScareHouse, a haunted house in Pittsburgh that is annually ranked among the scariest in the country, and has become a booming attraction with nearly 150 employees and lines wrapping around the block. It even has its own sociologist, who conducts surveys and observations to make its performances ever more terrifying. Her name is Margee Kerr.

In this surprising, scary, entertaining audiobook, Kerr puts her expertise to the test. Not merely content to observe others' fear, she confronts it in the form of things like skydiving, paranormal investigations, and a visit to Japan's infamous "suicide forest." In her willingness to explore the world's scariest attractions, Kerr shows why we seek out terror even when there is plenty to fear in everyday life. Whether she's dangling by a cable from a 116-story tower or experiencing New York City's "Extreme Haunt," BlackOut, in which participants are handcuffed, forced to crawl through dark tunnels, and given a gun and told to shoot someone, Kerr parses the elements of fear with humor and the precision of an expert.

Along the way, she takes a personal journey that leads to valuable insights about what we fear - and what it says about who we are.

©2015 Margee Kerr (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Yes!

Oh my gosh. Margee Kerr is an incredibly intelligent woman who knows her stuff, and I’m so grateful she reads the book in addition to having written it. This is an educational read, and as a young woman such as myself with PTSD, this is a validating, informative and empowering book. I literally was brought to tears not from just Kerr’s personal stories about her fears of confronting death, or experiences with trauma, but from the exploration of feeling fear in a controlled setting as something positive as well. I need more books like this in my life!

Science and entertaining anecdotes

If you could sum up Scream in three words, what would they be?

fun pop science

Any additional comments?

This book was an entertaining look at fear: why we like being scared or thrilled, what's going on with our brains while we experience fear, and what that all means. Margee Kerr takes us around the world to the scariest "haunts" (haunted houses), roller coasters, high buildings, creepy forests, and dangerous cities. Throughout her journeys, she tries to explain our desire for thrilling experiences and what that says about us (through anecdotes of her own adventures and evidence gathering). The final part brings all that came before together: drawing on her research and the brain measuring skills of another scientist, she creates an "extreme haunt", designed to test the limits of fear and human experience of it in a safe, controlled experiment designed to collect data while entertaining.

I learned a little bit about the brain and why we enjoy scary things, but I mostly enjoyed Kerr's anecdotes about her travels. It was fun to go with her on her journeys. Usually authors who narrate their own books fall a bit flat, but Kerr was a solid reader with good pace and tone.

Loved It

Really enjoyed the perfect balance between amusing anecdote, cited science and psycological/sociological observation. A must read for any true fan of the feeling of fear.

Enlightening and terrifying

This was the most excited and interesting read I have ever experienced. Margee Kerr is a testimant to the word experience. In sharing her experiences she has opened my eyes to an enlightenment one can only hope for. Very well written, definitely spine-tingling, and an all around page turner.

Very interesting but too long

I did learn a lot from this book and much of it was very interesting. However, there were parts that were bogged down by the author's own thoughts, some of which were relevant, others which were not. It's an OK read if you are interested in the psychology of fear!

A must read for the Haunted Attraction Industry

There is a lot to be learned about the science of fear and why we enjoy it with in this book, however it's not your typical scientific journal. Margees primary test subject was herself, and she succinctly relates her experiences in a journal style to the science of fear behind them.
this is a must for anyone in the haunted attraction industry as there are many great insights as to how to design scares to elect the best possible fear response for and from our patrons.

That last line though

This book was really interesting and well written. The last line, however, took a star off. To paraphrase, the author states that she set out to end the hurt caused by prejudice rooted in fear, and with this book, she's done just that. Simmer down, lady, you built a huanted house; prejudice still very much exists.