As American as Mom, Baseball and Apple Pie: The Construction of Community in Contemporary American Horror Fiction by Linda J. Holland-Toll
This book does nothing less than redefine the very genre of horror fiction, calling into question the usual conventions, motifs, and elements. Unlike many critics of this genre, Linda Holland-Toll sees dis/affirmative horror fiction acting neither to soothe fears nor reduce them to the vicarious thrills 'n' chills mode, but as intensifying the fears inherent in everyday life.