An Anti-Scientific Pondering Attempts to Normalize Morbid-Content-Curiosity
Coltan Scrivner, Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can’t Look Away (New York: Penguin Books, October 21, 2025). Softcover: $19: 272pp. ISBN: 978-0-143137-34-4.
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“The leading expert on the science behind morbid curiosity explains our spooky, gory, and macabre fascinations. What makes us peek at a car wreck or binge-watch true crime shows late into the night? Why are some of us drawn to horror movies while others shudder at the thought? Takes readers on a thrilling journey into the psychology of morbid curiosity, uncovering why we can’t resist the macabre. From grisly serial killers to spine-chilling paranormal stories, Scrivner reveals the psychological forces that compel us to explore our darkest fears—and explains how this proclivity is more than just a quirk. It’s a powerful survival instinct, helping us mentally prepare for real-world threats, all from the safety of our imaginations. Blending fascinating insights and cutting-edge research at haunted houses across the world, Scrivner makes a powerful argument for the value of playing with fear and embracing the gruesome.”
The author, Coltan Scrivner, is a research fellow at the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University. This lab’s website lists a few of their publications, which look into: “heart rate synchrony” in a “high-intensity horror setting”, such as a haunted-house attraction. Another is a study of scary activities “children enjoy”. Another considers “the effect of recreational fear on inflammation”. Measured factors include rate of hyperventilation. These are semi-pseudoscientific, but they do ask curious questions.
Penguin’s bio for Scrivner adds that he’s self-interested in the horror industry because he’s the “executive director of the Nightmare in the Ozarks Film Festival and the Eureka Springs Zombie Crawl”.
The “Prologue” puffs the horror genre ridiculing critics who have dismissed it as “utterly worthless”. It insists that those who enjoy horror are not women-haters, but rather can be excused for being “morbidly curious”. He claims to have developed a “Morbid Curiosity Scale” for “scientists… to assess how morbidly curious a person is…”
Instead of offering any science, the first chapter describes ghosts as real entities. Unscientific questions are asked and answered digressively, such as: “what does it mean for something to be negative or bad?” What possible benefit comes from such abstract and nonsensical reflections. Nothing promised in the blurb is delivered here. This book is not worth reading.
--Pennsylvania Literary Journal: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-summer-2025/

As soon as I read the blurb that said " what makes us peek at a car wreck or binge-watch true crime" I was hooked.

Was a bit afraid to find out that I had serial killer vibes, since I love true crime and will binge a dark and disturbing doc before bed and not have nightmares (a blessing, or a sign of something deeper.)

Was grateful to find out I'm pretty normal but even more interesting was reading about the research into why so many are fascinated with the grisly stuff.

Interesting read for anyone wanting to understand the topic - a good read.

I got an advanced copy from the book pub.

This was a spliendid book that gives a fuller explanation of why we all have such a problem turning away. Well writen.

This was such a fascinating read - the examination of the topic was in-depth without being overwhelming or bogged down by scientific talk or jargon.