R.L. Stine
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“Nothing scares me. I read horror novels and go to horror movies all the time. And when they come to the scary parts, I always burst out laughing. Is that sick? In The Shining, Jack Nicholson goes berserk, menacing his terrified family with an ax at the Overlook Hotel while his weird son repeats, ‘Redrum, redrum.’ And I laugh. In Marathon Man, Evil Laurence Olivier leans over Dustin Hoffman with his whistling drill and whispers, ‘Is it safe? Is it safe?’ And I laugh.
Vampires? A hoot. Zombies? Hysterical. “I never feel that tingle of fear. I never have the urge to open my mouth in a scream of terror. My teeth don’t chatter. I don’t shudder or feel a chill run down my body. I think horror is funny. I have a friend who went to see Jaws at the movies. When the shark popped up, she was so frightened, she ducked — and broke her nose on the seat in front of her. Now, that’s a good horror-movie reaction. Me? I just laugh.”
— Children’s horror author R.L. Stine has written hundreds of books, including his famous Fear Street and Goosebumps series. His TV series, R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour, based on his extensive spooky catalog, airs on Saturdays on The Hub.
Next: Eli Roth
Eli Roth
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“Fanaticism, in any form, terrifies me. Fanatical devotion to a cause — religious, political, social, even sports teams, often becomes an excuse to let our most violent sides out. When people see others around them that feel the same, they believe in their cause so strongly that suddenly the regular rules of society and behavior stop applying to them, and their actions feel justified because everyone around them feels the same way.
“Violence against others now becomes acceptable, and the darkest, most primal side of our human nature comes out. I remember as a kid going to Yankee Stadium absolutely terrified to wear a Red Sox uniform, yet when I went to Red Sox games we taunted anyone in a Yankees jersey to teach them a lesson not to wear a Yankees jersey on our home turf. Had I met these same people in an office building, I would have been extremely polite, even offended, if they thought of me as a violent person, which by all means I am not. But with the right article of clothing on both of us in the right location we revert to some animal state and justify lashing out at others.
“I see it happening now in America with religion and political parties more than anything. If you’re not with us, you’re against us, and if you’re against us then you’re against all that’s good and decent and must be destroyed. Everyone’s yelling and yelling until the other loses their voice, and it feels like there’s no end in sight. This terrifies me. That and giant frogs.”
— Known for his signature low-budget thrillers, filmmaker Eli Roth has made movie audiences shriek with films like Cabin Fever and the Hostel franchise — hair-raising odes to the blood-by-the-bucket ’70s and ’80s slasher flicks. Lately, the “splat pack” member can be seen on Discovery’s How Evil Are You?, a psychological examination of the capacity for humans to perform “evil” when under instruction to act.
Next: Joe Hill
Related Topics: Eli Roth,
Film,
Horror
