I've been an avid horror fan and reader since I was a child. It's a genre that has been around for centuries and has ebbed and flowed in popularity over the years. I can't help but wonder what makes people enjoy the genre of horror.

Someone that has never actually read much horror may say that horror fans want to be scared, but the truth is there have been very few books and movies that have given me a genuine scare. There's the occasional surprise, but an actual keep my light on at night scare is rare.

Some may enjoy it for the interesting characters, but there are even more fantastical creatures in the fantasy and scifi genres. The truth is that the reason why people love horror is the darkness. We all have a little bit of darkness in our hearts. Though we try to hide it, everyone has that little bit of Dracula and the Wolfman in their souls.

It's this darkness that horror enthusiasts are attracted to. Novels about demons and things that go bump into the night deal with the very core of humanity. We read it because we enjoy it. The librarian that spends all day demure and quiet goes home to experience the evils of Randall Flagg in “The Stand” and the torturous delights of Pinhead in Hellraiser.

While most people hide that darkness away and hope it never gets out, horror lovers embrace their darkness even if its only for an hour or two a week while curled up on the couch with a good book.