Analyzing the horror genre across literature, film, and television, Rebecca Gibson unveils the hidden horrific undercurrents of the mundane.

Gibson argues that while many people are excited to cohabitate, marry, have children, or grow older together, others do so because that is what they are expected to do-and often they do so not with excitement, but with a sense of dread. Normative Lifecycle Milestones Examined Through Horror Fiction examines the progression of a human life, and the expectations of the milestones we are meant to meet, through the lens of horror fiction. Across nine chapters, this book examines fundamental phases of life (birth and childhood, adolescence/independence, courtship, cohabitation, marriage, parenthood, old age, and death), and the often dreadful aspects and outcomes of what is purported to be periods of joy and ambition. Incorporating various theories from the fields of anthropology, philosophy, sociology, and gender studies, this book not only serves as an analysis of contemporary horror, but as a guide to examining human behavior and emotions about our daily lives.