Take a step – if you dare – into the shadows and the story of our primal fascination with fear, terror, and the macabre.

This comprehensive and creepy audio guide that explores the dark and eerie landscapes of horror down the centuries and across the world – from prehistoric death rituals and early monster myths to modern manifestations of the subject in art, literature, and film.

Discover how horror has evolved through the ages, beginning with the ancient visions of a hellish underworld. Encounter terrifying figures like Medusa and the Babylonian demon Pazuzu. Tread carefully through the medieval world, where a fear of the unknown stoked apocalyptic terror around the Black Death and gave rise to the demonology of the Malleus Maleficarum.

Delve into the folklore that gave birth to iconic creatures of the night – from vampires and werewolves to the Japanese Kappa water demon and the cannibalistic Wendigo of Indigenous American lore. Witness the emergence of Gothic literature, with the terrifying and genre-defining works of authors like Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley, and learn how the 20th century saw a new wave of terror unleashed through silent films, Expressionist art, and the emergence of horror cinema – from gruesome “body horror” movies to the social commentaries of films like Get Out.

Whether you’re a dedicated horror aficionado or a curious newcomer, this audiobook is the ultimate guide to the subject… Prepare yourself for a thrilling – and chilling – journey into the heart of darkness.

This audio edition has full sound design with music inviting you into the gothic chamber of each chapter.

Damian Lynch is a celebrated narrator among the fantasy genre having narrated books by John Gwynne and Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire series. He has narrated over 100 audiobooks from fiction to non-fiction. When he is not narrating in his gravelly undertone he is acting in British classics; Casualty and in video games, most recently in Total War: Warhammer III.

© 2026 Dorling Kindersley Ltd. (P) 2026 DK Audio