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Scream
Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear | Margee Kerr
24 posts | 25 read | 139 to read
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 book, 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.
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PathfinderNicole
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Watched all 6 Scream films in less than 24 hours! ‘‘Twas a true Screamathon. Totally loved them though nothing beats the original. #TeamCreepinItReal #scarathlon

StayCurious how fun! 5mo
12 likes1 comment
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Read4life
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 😱🖤🙌🏻 1y
Eggs 😳 🔪 🤯 1y
28 likes2 comments
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Victoriahoperose
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Pickpick

This was a bit dense in parts with a lot of research, but I like that it combined the authors real life experiences with science and relatable situations. I thought there would have been more variety in what she discussed which is why I didn‘t give it 5 stars. She obviously is very passionate about this research and it was very interesting why we enjoy things that make us scream.

vivastory This has been on my TBR forever. There's another one coming out soon that sounds similar but also interesting 2y
Victoriahoperose @vivastory same!! And I finally got to it. I‘m going to add that one now. Sounds good!!! 2y
35 likes1 stack add2 comments
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BeeMagical
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… Who else is beyond excited?!😱🖤

Bookzombie I‘m excited, but not really feeling sitting in a theater with people. Wish it was available to stream. I would totally drop the money for it. 🙂 2y
BeeMagical @Bookzombie Same😂 I have no intentions of sitting in a theatre - home release is good enough for me! 2y
22 likes2 comments
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abookishbutterfly
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Pickpick

As a whole, I really liked Scream a lot. It‘s clear that a tremendous amount of academic and field research was put into it and I felt it was written in a way that held my attention. I found it quite educational and I will be referring back to my underlined passages for review. I think this was an excellent topic of study and I‘m grateful Kerr was so invested in presenting it!

Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3303370166

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Artifice
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Pickpick

Aside from love, fear is probably the strongest emotion on earth; and for some reason we all strive to be afraid whether its by watching a horror movie, riding a roller coaster, or giving a haunted attraction full permission to fuck with your head. Margee Kerr takes the emotion of fear and breaks it down to a science in which explains why it is we seek out fear, what causes fear, and the positive and negatives of fear.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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laur89
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It‘s hereeeeee! 🎃☠️😁 #Screamathon

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Brie
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Pickpick

Fascinating look at why we get scared, why some types of people seek out scary situations, and why some proclaim to love getting scared. The author, a sociologist, collects data from her own personal experiences and that of others as she rides the most intense rollercoaster in the world, spends the night with a group of ghost hunters at Eastern State Penitentiary, treks through the suicide forest in Japan, and other chilling adventures.

47 likes2 stack adds
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laur89
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It‘s been a CRAZY past few weeks and I haven‘t been so active on here... but just wanted to let you know this #Screamathon swap box is on its way to @Kappadeemom 📬🙌🏼😄

Kappadeemom Yay!! Mine is packed, I just need to drop it off! 5y
24 likes1 comment
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Brie
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Ooh spooky! 👻

47 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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laur89
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1. M&Ms (especially peanut) & Twix! 🍫
2. Cute/spooky 👻
3. Books (duh!) and coffee mugs 📖☕️
4. The Other Mother from Coraline is one of them! 🕷

Catching up on Litsy... this week has been crazy preparing for back to school 🏫🍎👩🏻‍🏫

#Screamathon @4thhouseontheleft

Karisa The Other Mother is soooo creepy! Great pick! I'm a teacher and mom--I agree about Back to School time. Jolt to the system (back to reality)! 🥴 5y
laur89 @Karisa Oof... double duty 😅 supermom!! 🦹🏻‍♀️ I‘m already exhausted just from the lesson planning... 5y
13 likes2 comments
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sprainedbrain
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I look forward to any enjoy the #screamathon every year, and I‘ve already started planning my scary reads for October. I absolutely LOVE that there will be a swap this year, and opening at the beginning of the month means we will have even more creepy books to enjoy during the event. 😱

See Alisia‘s posts for more info. Here‘s the link to sign up! https://forms.gle/jcx64L78Vj4Xhufc6

alisiakae 👻🎃💜 5y
66 likes1 comment
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Craftylikefox
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1. I don‘t think I have read the scariest book yet But ‘Salem‘s Lot gives me some good spooks!
2. Cabin in the woods, it also has some silliness thrown in to lighten in it up.
3. So many things! Smells, apples, bonfires...
4. I am not a fan ACOTAR, I had a friend try to convince me to read the series with her and I read the first book and it just wasn‘t for me.
Join in on the #spooktober fun!

Oryx Love Cabin in the Woods 😀 6y
amb I love Cabin In the Woods! 6y
Trashcanman 👁️👁️👋🏼 6y
32 likes4 comments
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Natasha.C.Barnes
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1) Murders, not scary, bad book
2) Scary events but not very halloweeny
3) Seems like something spooky going on but there isn't
4) Scary entities, lightly bated breath
5) Scary comic
6) Not scary comic, vampires
7) Short stories-a few def scared me
8) Apprehension, scary but STUPID ending
9) Dread, minor scare
10) Dark fantasy
11) Not actually scary
12) More dark fantasy
13) Eerie, scary content but not effect
14) Def scary but is it good?

Natasha.C.Barnes I've about had it with this blurry text--a bug in the app? 6y
BekahB HA! I like your description of the books. I absolutely agree with #8. 6y
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EchoLogical I'm only on my 2nd book for the screamathon 😂 6y
Natasha.C.Barnes @BekahB Hah! Yes, 8 was the worst. 6y
Natasha.C.Barnes @EchoLogical Hahaha so funny--but also almost all of these are VERY short, so that makes a huge difference. 6y
51 likes6 comments
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Fancypants
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Pickpick

It's mostly personal stories rather than studies and science. But it was interesting and a good read.

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Fancypants
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When the book you're reading doesn't match you're day vibe.

7 likes2 stack adds
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brariane42
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Bailedbailed

Could not finish this. I thought it was going to be closer to Mary Roach, an exploration of the actual science. Turned out to be the author getting scared in "haunted" locations. I was really unimpressed.

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thelizflynn
Pickpick

This book was an awesome read for this time of year. Very informative and entertaining- at the same time! The only thing I wanted Kerr to explore more was why some people (like me) don't like being scared. It's pretty interesting to learn how our brain reacts to scary and thrilling situations.

13 likes2 stack adds
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thelizflynn
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Spending my day off with a headache 😑 but at least I get to finish up this book. So interesting! (T-shirt by The Sad Ghost Club. They're awesome). #scaryreads #AllHallowsRead

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thelizflynn
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Time to start this #AllHallowsRead pick. I bought this last year and sadly never got around to reading it. Better late than never! #scaryreads

WordWaller Omg I need this!!! Thanks for posting about it! 7y
thelizflynn @WordWaller Glad to be of service! 📚💁 7y
13 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Chocamanda
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Woo hoo! Another excellent #spooktober #ebookdeal on my wishlist! It's like Christmas but better because it's Halloween!!! 🎃👻📚

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callie
Pickpick

This is a great book to read during the fall. I love the horror genre and I really enjoyed reading about why we fear and why we enjoy it.

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bookriot
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Pickpick

Doing the #2016ReadHarderChallenge? Here's a great recommendation for "Read a nonfiction book about science." This is a fascinating look at how fear affects the body, why some people are more afraid than others, and Kerr's own quest to find what scares her. (She does some CRAZY stuff.) Here's the rest of challenge: http://bookriot.com/2015/12/15/2016-book-riot-read-harder-challenge

debcaletti Ooh! That looks great! 8y
LeahBergen I need this. Right now. 8y
MyNamesParadise That has been added to my stack! 8y
[DELETED] 2232195534 Adding this one to my list! I've always been fascinated by scary stories while having real anxiety over things like high places and enclosed spaces. 8y
140 likes103 stack adds4 comments
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cursetine
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Pickpick

Margee Kerr digs into the psychology of fear and why we (sometimes) like being afraid. As an incredibly nervous person who loves horror movies and ghost stories, this book was super fun and enlightening to read. Kerr also writes about creating positive & uplifting interactive scare experiences - which is refreshing because some commercial scares prioritize being shocking over everything else.