The Horror of It All

One Moviegoer’s Love Affair with Masked Maniacs, Frightened Virgins, and the Living Dead…

By: Adam Rockoff

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Horror films have simultaneously captivated and terrified audiences for generations, racking up billions of dollars at the box office and infusing our nightmares with unrelenting zombies, chainsaw-wielding madmen, and myriad incarnations of ghosts, ghouls, and the devil himself. Despite evolving modes of storytelling and the fluctuating popularity of other genres, horror endures.

The Horror of It All is a memoir from the front lines of the industry that dissects (and occasionally defends) the hugely popular phenomenon of scary movies. Author Adam Rockoff traces the highs and lows of the horror genre through the lens of his own obsessive fandom, born in the aisles of his local video store and nurtured with a steady diet of cable trash.

From Siskel and Ebert's crusade against slasher films to horror's renaissance in the wake of Scream, Rockoff mines the rich history of the genre, braiding critical analysis with his own firsthand experiences. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

©2015 Adam Rockoff (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Rockoff is a passionate defender of the creative rights of filmmakers." ( Kirkus)

Rambling, with occasional insights

I thought it was pretty good and comprehensive, but it lacked a good sense of organization. The author, who to his credit often admitted to it, digressed often and went off on random tangents. It was sometimes distracting. Still, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

Overall Not Bad

Overall not a bad book Like a lot of these styles of writings it's a lot of the author's opinion about the subject, horror in this case.

The Exact Book You're Looking for Slasher Fans

Rockoff accomplishes exactly what it is like to be a slasher/horror movie fan. Several points must be made.

1) This is a great job of reading and being practically invisible by RC Bray. I didn't notice one mispronunciation and the timing/pace of the reading was pitch perfect. This is why you hire a pro to do the voice acting.
2) If you are a horror fan at all, there will be at least 2-3 opinions in the book that you do not agree with. This is a wonderful thing, I think Adam is 100% wrong about Scream, and his notion that Friday the 13th compares to Halloween is laughable to me, and that's kind of the point. This is a mainstream book that you can argue with, disagree with and still enjoy because he obviously loves the movies as much as we do. It's a book that treats the genre as well as major American sports or like academics with integrity treat literature. Debate is welcome and encouraged.
3) If you are not a hard core horror fan, you will find 3-4 movies you will enjoy that you did not know.
4) The lack of any political insertion into the text of any of his opinions on the movies is so refreshing in 2022, I'd love to give it an extra star just for that. Adam talks about the movies, not how they made him reflect on his values/privilege/gender identity. Evaluating the movies on their own merits and content rather than bringing his own subtext or agenda to them is something I never thought would be noble or rare, but here we are.

Audible, put Adam's Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Movie on here. And there are dozens of similar books on this subject that we would all love to listen to on Audible.

A whole lot of fun for horror diehards!

Rockoff is well informed, amusing and interesting, even when he's wrong about Halloween or pumping up some goofy misbegotten piece of horror cinema from the early eighties. I like the way he looks at different horror films in unusual ways, and seeing where he starts his analysis to when his intended point reaches full circle is a great amount of fun. He is definitely one of us, a horror fan through and through, and his love and passion for his favorite horror movies comes through in every stage of the book, culminating in a brilliant final chapter that will leave you feeling happy to be a horror fan yourself.

RC Bray reads this brilliantly, with emphasis in all the right places. All in all, this is just a super book. I listened to it while walking my dog over a series of a couple weeks. :)

Great Listen for Horror Fans

I loved this book. The narration is up there with the best I've heard (R. C. Bray also narrated The Martian, the man has perfect comedic timing). What I loved about this book, and what may turn a small number of listeners off, is the fact that this book is a look at horror from a single point of view. It's not a text book, It's a memoir concerning a horror fan's experiences with the movies that he loves and how they shaped his life. Not only did I find the book fascinating and entertaining, it's one of the funniest I've heard.

Memory Lane

If you grew up begging mom to rent horror VHS movies, this is a nice trip down memory lane. Definitely some trivia that was new to me, but for the most part, just nice to listen to someone reminisce about their nearly identical childhood to mine. The only time I got bored was when one chapter goes off the rails into what the government was doing in response to Heavy Metal. Felt like it could've been done with a paragraph. Otherwise enjoyable.

Great book, if you were a teen in the 80's

I did really enjoy this book. As someone who was a tween during slasher golden age, I could really relate to the stories in this book. I have seen most of the films, or will now see them. I enjoyed reliving that part of my life and enjoyed listening to someone else talk about horror.

On the downside, he does sometimes go off subject. For instance, there is a whole chapter about the PMRC and the congress hearing regarding music censorship. And sometimes he can be a little pretentious.

Overall, if you love horror movies, especially ones made in the 80's, you will enjoy this book.

this is a fun read

I loved this book. That said I don't know if would be a good listen for someone who doesn't know horror.

I didn't always agree with the author, but his points were made well and really we don't all have to agree about any creative endeavor.

An outstanding book

I read a lot these days and it is rare that I desperately dont want a book to end as I near its conclusion. I really, really didn't want this book to end. If you are at all interested in the horror genre, try out this outspoken, funny, informative book.

Horror nerd book !

This was a fun listen while at work. I recommend this to all my fellow horror nerds looking for something fun to listen to.