Morbidly Curious: A night with Coltan Scrivner and Clay McLeod Chapman

Join horror fanatics, Coltan Scrivner and Clay McLeod Chapman for an evening discussing the merits and appeal of horror as a genre. Speicifically, centering around Coltan's newest book Morbidly Curious: Why We Can't Look Away and Clay's latest short-story collection Acquired Taste.

“A fascinating examination of a feature of human nature that all of us have, most of us deplore (at least in others), and few of us understand.”
—Steven Pinker, New York Times bestselling author of Rationality and Enlightenment Now

The leading expert on the science behind morbid curiosity explains our spooky, gory, and macabre fascinations

What makes us peek at a car wreck or binge-watch true crime shows late into the night? Why are some of us drawn to horror movies while others shudder at the thought? In Morbidly Curious, scientist Coltan Scrivner takes readers on a thrilling journey into the psychology of morbid curiosity, uncovering why we can’t resist the macabre. From grisly serial killers to spine-chilling paranormal stories, Scrivner reveals the psychological forces that compel us to explore our darkest fears—and explains how this proclivity is more than just a quirk. It’s a powerful survival instinct, helping us mentally prepare for real-world threats, all from the safety of our imaginations.

Blending fascinating insights and cutting-edge research at haunted houses across the world, Scrivner makes a powerful argument for the value of playing with fear and embracing the gruesome. Whether you're a horror fan yourself or just want to better understand the true crime craze, Morbidly Curious will open your eyes to the hidden benefits of exploring the dark side of human nature.

Coltan Scrivner, PhD, is a behavioral scientist and horror entertainment producer. He is the world’s leading expert on the science behind morbid curiosity and the appeal of frightening entertainment. He is also the executive director of the Nightmare in the Ozarks Film Festival and the Eureka Springs Zombie Crawl, one of the largest gatherings of zombies in the world.

A startling, witty and downright terrifying collection of 25 short stories from the "21st century's Richard Matheson" (Richard Chizmar, Chasing the Boogeyman.) Perfect for fans of Paul Tremblay, Rachel Harrison and Eric LaRocca.

They're feeding on you too.

A father returns from serving in Vietnam with a strange and terrifying addiction; a man removes something horrifying from his fireplace, and becomes desperate to return it; and a right-wing news channel has its hooks in people in more ways than one.

From department store Santas to ghost boyfriends and salamander-worshipping nuns; from the claustrophobia of the Covid-19 pandemic to small-town Chesapeake USA, Clay McLeod Chapman takes universal fears of parenthood, addiction and political divisions and makes them uniquely his own.

Packed full of humanity, humour and above all, relentless creeping dread, Acquired Taste is a timely descent into the mind of one of modern horror's finest authors.

Clay McLeod Chapman is the creator of “The Pumpkin Pie Show” and the author of Rest Area, Nothing Untoward, and The Tribe trilogy. He is the co-author, with Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick, of the middle grade novel Wendell and Wild. In the world of comics, Chapman’s work includes Lazaretto, Iron Fist: Phantom Limb, and Edge of Spiderverse. You can find him at claymcleodchapman.com.

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