Dark Carnivals: Modern Horror and the Origins of American Empire" by W. Scott Poole is a book that captivated me from the very first page. As a 25-year-old bibliophile with a keen interest in both horror fiction and historical analysis, this book was a remarkable find. Poole masterfully intertwines the evolution of modern horror with the complex and often dark history of American imperialism.

The book begins by exploring the roots of American horror, delving into how the genre has been shaped by historical events and cultural fears. Poole's analysis is insightful, offering a fresh perspective on how horror has been used as a lens to examine and critique aspects of American society and politics. His exploration extends beyond mere entertainment, revealing how horror reflects deeper societal anxieties and truths.

One of the most intriguing aspects of "Dark Carnivals" is its examination of iconic horror figures and narratives within the context of American history. Poole discusses how figures like Dracula and Frankenstein's monster, while not American in origin, have been appropriated and transformed within the American cultural landscape. He argues that these figures, along with others, serve as metaphors for the country's imperialistic endeavors and its consequences.

Throughout the book, Poole makes compelling connections between the rise of the American empire and the evolution of the horror genre. He illustrates how events such as the World Wars, the Cold War, and the War on Terror have influenced horror narratives, molding them into reflections of the nation's fears and ambitions. This historical context adds a layer of depth to the genre that I had not fully appreciated before.

"Dark Carnivals" also delves into the realm of pop culture, analyzing how horror films, literature, and other media have both influenced and been influenced by American politics and society. Poole's writing is engaging and accessible, making complex ideas and historical events easy to understand. His passion for the subject is evident on every page, making the book a compelling read.

As a young reader, I appreciated how Poole's analysis was not just academic but also deeply personal. He weaves in his own experiences and perspectives, adding a personal touch that makes the book relatable and engaging. His writing style is fluid and captivating, making it easy to get lost in the pages.

In conclusion, "Dark Carnivals: Modern Horror and the Origins of American Empire" is a fascinating and enlightening read that offers a unique perspective on the horror genre and American history. W. Scott Poole's analysis is thorough and thought-provoking, challenging readers to view horror in a new light. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in horror, history, or cultural studies. As a young book enthusiast, I found it to be an enriching experience that deepened my understanding of both the genre and the country's history.

This book wasn’t what I expected. I thought they’d compare the horror movies to politics—which it did, but there was very little time given to each movie. Additionally, some of the author’s takes on the movies were not good or correct. Therefore, 3 stars is where this book lies.

First I must say that there's horror in here, for sure, but there's more about America lol. But I don't know. Something about this just seems...off. Like it was really grasping to make the horror-America parallels work and didn't always pick the most accurate examples, just the most interesting ones. You know? Like they had to build a narrative around the gimmick.

This was an interesting read. I'm not the biggest horror buff, but I do enjoy a good commentary on how pop culture can reflect society. This book felt very heavy on metaphor. Some metaphor is fine, but sometimes the amount used here caused me to struggle in following the author's line of thought. I thought there was a decent connection of post old-school and modern horror tot he changes in social views over the years, but I do agree that the conversation around modern horror felt a little lacking.

Dark Carnivals views the history of horror cinema through the lens of American imperialism. I learned more useful information about 20th century US history from this book than I did in my K-12 education. Highly recommended for fans of horror cinema or history in general.

Dark Carnivals is a dense but immensely readable examination of America’s Imperial Empire from about the time of World War I to the present day, with a heavy focus on the wrongdoings of the U.S. government against both its own people who aren’t the stereotypical American citizen (basically everyone who isn’t a straight white male) and the countless millions of foreigners who have been unluckily forced to deal with the American machines of Big Business and War, both seen and unseen. At the same time, there’s just enough riffing on Horror culture thrown in, with a heavy emphasis on movies at the expense of books and TV shows, which seeks to explain why certain genres of horror were popular during each decade of the twentieth century, told through the lens of what ‘ordinary Americans’ feared at the time.

First of all, this book is great. It’s well-researched, contains fact-based arguments, and eviscerates the typical American perspective on its own history, especially the kind of history related to the rise of the world’s sole remaining superpower. Whereas most history books/textbooks shy away from the horrors of what the U.S. government did to its own people who weren’t straight white males, Poole goes all in on an examination of the absolute hypocrisies of political and governmental leaders during the twentieth and early twenty-first century, with a good dash of shots at major American businesses and corporations thrown in as well. In a way, it’s very Zinn-esque, and it makes for a scorching critique of the American Dream and Ideal. At the same time, Poole’s own personal politics aren’t explicitly acknowledged until the epilogue of the book, and, while it’s kind of obvious what they must be based on some of his arguments and non-idolization of people like Ronald Reagan, his beliefs in the context of his arguments never once overwhelm the actual substance of the book. To me, it read like I was sitting down and having a beer with one of my college professors (which, in fact, makes sense, as Poole is a professor at the College of Charleston in South Carolina), and I mean that in the best way—his arguments are cogent, easily understood, and backed up with historical fact and detailed analysis.

One of the only reasons this didn’t get five stars is because of where Horror comes into this, and I mean Horror with a capital H. Based off the description of the book, one would assume that there would be an equal spotlight given to both the history of how America became an imperialistic empire and the Horror culture that accompanied the rise of today’s modern superpower. Instead, the book seems to explain and expound on trends in the horror genre almost as an afterthought, with many of the chapters starting with a historical examination of a certain American event or trend (i.e. the dawn of the Atomic Age in the late ‘40s/early ‘50s or the Iran-Contra Affair in the late ‘80s) and then throwing in some movies that were around at the same time and trying to tie the two together. Further, Poole almost exclusively focuses on horror cinema, with almost zero discussion of horror TV (there’s a mention of American Horror Story all the way at the end and a longer diatribe on The Twilight Zone earlier in the book), a slightly more substantial discussion of horror books (while Ray Bradbury and mid-century science fiction are discussed at length in a few chapters, there is almost no mention of the reigning champion of everything Horror over the last forty-plus years, aka Stephen King, and it seems like a striking omission), and a small discussion of video games, specifically Resident Evil and Call of Duty, near the end of the book. While the focus on movies isn’t necessarily bad, as most Americans think of horror icons like Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers when they hear the word ‘Horror’ in the context of genre, it leaves out a lot of missed connections and examinations that could’ve been delved into, especially in regard to shows like The Walking Dead, the horror paperback explosion of the 1970s/80s, and even going as far back as H.P. Lovecraft during the early twentieth century. An examination of the racist ramblings of Lovecraft, and a wholesale repudiation of them, would’ve fit in perfectly with this book, and Poole could’ve use them as a lens to also describe Woodrow Wilson’s attitude of the time. Some of the film-to-current-event analyses are also a bit flimsy, but at least Poole provides enough context and argument that, even if I don’t agree, I could see how one would side with him on certain kinds of conclusions drawn.

My one other critique of the book is that of the subtitle: ‘Modern Horror and the Origins of American Empire.’ There are definitely discussions of ‘Modern Horror’ throughout the book, which I enjoyed immensely. Poole starts the book with an analysis of how groundbreaking The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was when first released, and then goes back in time to the early horror films of the 1920s and ‘30s before moving onward from there. His inclusion of horror video games at the end of the book also displays a full-circle grasp of the types of horror media that have tunneled their way into the American conscience over the last hundred years. At the same time, the book itself is not an examination of the ‘origins’ of America’s empire. Yes, Poole touches on explicit origins when America ‘received’ colonies from Spain after the Spanish American War, and how America rose to the top of the world order after WWII, but the book doesn’t focus on that. Instead, it focuses on what happened during the reign of the American empire, and Poole does a damn good job at it, for what it’s worth. So, I don’t know if this was a mistake of the publisher or the author’s, but the subtitle is a little misleading about the overall content of the book. However, I didn’t find that it impacted my enjoyment of the book whatsoever, so let me make that very clear. It was just a different, albeit very pleasant, read accordingly.

Overall, this is a terrific book. Don’t come expecting a lot of highbrow Horror analysis, but understand that there are extended examinations of trends in the horror genre, specifically in the arena of horror cinema. Poole deftly ties most of that analysis with the goings-on of the American imperial empire, and he doesn’t hold back in terms of exposing the worst of the worst of American involvement in both domestic and international affairs in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The epilogue provides a perfect ending to the book as well—Poole examines the rise of Trump and MAGA culture, and it is a brief but deep examination of the current events fissuring the country today. The conclusions he draws are not rosy, and, arguably like the best kind of horror stories, the outlooks are bleak.

Highly recommended for people who love twentieth-century American history, American pop culture related to the horror genre, and Howard Zinn acolytes.

Thanks to NetGalley, Counterpoint, and W. Scott Poole for the digital ARC of Dark Carnivals in exchange for an honest review.

This is an notable entry that examines American History via the depictions in the cinematic horror films and related genres - ranging from the nuanced to blockbuster films. It examines the section of society who support these films and the motivations of those who make them which were largely political and propagandist to influence the masses. The book delves heavily into how these films influenced and reflected the American agenda both domestically and internationally. Following the author’s rationale makes this an interesting (and well-researched) read – I found the narrative led to some questionable (at times, yet clever) connections and conclusions.

Overall, I’d say this novel is more of an analysis on American imperialism and history rather than a deep dive into the Horror genre. It was an intellectually stimulating departure appropriate for the Halloween Season and for that I enjoyed the literary adventure.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.

Dark Carnivals by W. Scott Poole was not what I was expecting.
With the tag "Modern Horror and the Origins of American Empire" I was expecting more about horror as a genre, but this seems to be more the horror of American Empire.
It's a well written book but is more of a condemnation of capitalism and American Empire than a look at Modern Horror. What nuggets about horror there are seemed to be used primarily to show how American empire is worse than any fictional monster or killer.
My appreciation of the book never really recovered from my disappointment of the lack of any substantive look at Modern Horror.
Thanks to #Netgalley, #Catapult, and W. Scott Poole for the ARC of #DarkCarnivals.

A reflection and exploration of how society has tried to hide the darker parts of our history, and how the horror genre has mirrored that history. Americans love horror, because Americans history is rooted in violence. Its easier to stow fear, than love.
Beginning with the Native American massacres, Poole's extensive and exhaustive research reaches deep to help us understand the correlation between our violent past and the tropes of horror. Many horror movies and books are used to help us, the narrative is easy to follow and understand.
Engaging and challenging, this book will leave you with much to ponder and think about. Everyone should read this book. Its absolutely recommended.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Catapult, Counterpoint Press, and Soft Skull Press, for an advanced copy of this book on the American Experience and and the genre of horror.

The arts are a reflection of society and in many ways genre literature and films are its closest mirror. The fears, the doubts even the crimes the suddenly seem to be accepted are quick fodder for the B- movies that were needed to fill a demand and since money is the ultimate goal why not create art that reflects what was in the newspapers or media of the day. America has a rich history of treating anyone other than white horribly, along with women, the disadvantaged and the foreign just as bad. In Dark Carnivals; Modern Horror and the Origins of American Empire, author, educator and horror historian. W. Scott Poole compares the truth of American history, with the fiction that we watch in the cinemas, how one effects the other.

The book begins with a primer on American history and how much of history has been ignored, or forgotten. The destruction of the indigenous people, slavery, our history of violence, and complete and other resistance to change are reflected in the arts, in propaganda like ways, or films that are banned because of the truth they tell. Some of the artists worked within the system like Rod Sterling who could make a show about aliens, be something much more, or Tobe Hopper who saw the power in a chainsaw, or a housing development for upward growth, but was really just a cursed piece of soil. Atomic ants, sharks that bear grudges, killers who never stop hunting, even the purge movies are mentioned and discussed.

Dark Carnivals is a very solidly researched book, which in the today where it is obvious certain political parties don't want the truth to be told about America's origins is a very good thing. Both the truth of America's path and the cinematic history are interesting, and full of surprising facts. Also Poole does a very good job of lining specific idea in both the past, or even the current political clime with a fictional counterpoint. Poole is very good at not going to deep into the weeds or losing his readers. The book reads well, and the narrative is very clear and offers a lot to think about.

A book for both people interested in the American experience, and the history of genre films, and why society has thought about them. The best is that there are a lot of good films mentioned, along with books, which will give people much to try and find in second hand stores or streaming. Along with his other book Wasteland which was a look at British and modern horror, these books are a fascinating examination of both the twentieth century and the dark films that were influenced by it.

W. Scott Poole is one of the most interesting horror scholars working today. In "Dark Carnivals," his follow-up to "Wasteland: The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror," he follows the development of the horror genre through the growth of American culture in the twentieth century, showing how the genre reflected back the sickness of empire to a public eager to understand their country's place in the world. Five stars.

This book aims to follow the rise of the American horror film and how it parallels American politics and the rise of the American empire both at home and abroad. It aims to show how viewing American history through the lens of horror films has left us somewhat numb to the atrocities that the US has inflected on the rest of the world. It talks about a smattering of films from the introduction of what we would now call a horror film, including the history of the genre, all the way up to the time that this book was written.

I got this because I’m a huge horror movie fan and I was looking forward to an in depth discussion of the films in question and their relation to politics. In my opinion that isn’t really the bulk of this book. Don’t get me wrong, there are several very short sections where it talks about certain movies but a good 90% if this book is dedicated to politics. It took me way longer to read this than usual as a result of that. I admit that this complaint is most likely a me thing.

The politics sections of the book are very well written and researched. You can tell that a lot of work went into this to try to make it as accurate as humanly possible. Like I said this is 100% a me thing but I thought that there would be equal attention paid to the films being talked about here and the actual politics of the story. The book is almost all politics though and it was an active pain for me to read. People that are actively interested in the subject or politics as a whole are probably going to feel very different from me about this. It was just way too much for my taste with not enough movie content sprinkled in.

I have a lot of issues with the movie section of this despite the fact that this section is so small. Some of the connections were brilliant but many of them were stretched to within an inch of their lives. Zombies somehow became an allegory for almost every single thing talked about in the book. Some films were included that almost none would classify as a horror movie (Independence Day and Deep Impact among them) and some of the films are blatantly misrepresented. In one of the more egregious examples is this, there is a section on “cannibal tribe in the jungle” films and one of the films cites is Cannibal Holocaust. I don’t know if the author didn’t watch the film or he’s hoping that the people reading this book haven’t but including it here is 100% missing the point of the film. It was not filmed as a serious example of the genre. It was a parody/satire/call out. The goal of making it was to show how terrible films like it are. It is extremely obvious by the end that the film maker main characters are the villains of the story and the tribe they are filming are the victims.

It also contains a section on horror video games (mostly games that include zombies) where it compares the killing of zombies in game to actual genocide.

Overall I would have to say that the is a passable book. I didn’t hate it but I also wasn’t a big fan. If you like reading about politics and particularly the politics of the United States I would recommend this. If you go into this wanting to read about the movies you are going to be disappointed.

An interesting dive into horror movies and American culture. It was hard to differentiate the chapters in my version, which made reading difficult. But besides formatting, I didn’t get the strong argument I thought I would get here.

Ah, my reward for getting through this very heavy (in every sense of the word) tome is to be the first to review it. Ok, so…
This was meant to me my smart book of the month and sure enough…combining two things I enjoy: historical nonfiction and my beloved fictional genre, the author explores the not inconsiderable connection between the two, specifically the way the latter reflects the former.
If you somehow expected an encomium of the great again country and the fun scary stories it inspires, this isn’t a book for you. Oh, no.
Poole, who is - based on his previous published work - an expert on both subjects, presents a much more terrifying picture of a country gone mad with power and a genre that has done so well to reflect this madness.
In this book, unjust wars lead to dancing with chainsaws and ever-increasing social inequality results in purges, one greater than the next.
Poole’s America is an empire more so than a democracy. The amount of effort taken lately to undermine that democracy makes it difficult to argue this posit, but Poole goes further saying that it wasn’t much of a democracy to begin with. Much more of an empire. Built on war, conquest, genocide, power, blood. Like many empires - evil.
And no greater reflection of that than the genre that thrives on evil.
And so, to support this thesis, Poole takes the readers on a harrowing journey through American past with heavy focus on US meddling in other countries by flexing its sizable military muscles. With dictators installed and supported, wars waged and assisted, money and power applied precisely and strategically, USA has been a major player on the global arena. It is Poole’s assertion that the role has been that of an antagonist. Albeit one who doesn’t think of themselves that way, one that categorically thinks themselves and their actions heroic.
This book isn’t merely critical, it’s pretty much a vicious incisive opprobrium. And, unlike most such things seen in media, it’s loaded with supporting facts. Well, the historical aspect of it, anyway. Although the media (books and movies both) criticism is quite clever too.
Like most people with a hammerlike aim and determination, Poole does view most things he comes across as nails, but it’s difficult to fault him for the overall presentation is well written, well researched, coherent, intelligent, and very strong. A powerhouse, really.
It took me a while to get through but was very well worth a read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

As a horror fan and a history teacher, Dark Carnivals is a phenomenal piece of writing that blends American history with a study of how Horror movies reflect the world and nation we live in.

W. Scott Poole creates a fascinating and well researched study from WW1 all the way to modern day of how ideas such as war, imperialism and racism all are connected by watching and reading horror. From The Twilight Zone to The X-Files and even Godzilla, Poole peels back their connections to key events in American history and how we can learn from the stories of Alien Invaders and undead bloodsuckers.

I greatly enjoyed this book and hope to use it in my classes!