For example, some films, such as "Rosemary's Baby," "The Exorcist," and "The Eyes of Lara Mars" use sexual situations in the film to add to the feeling of horror and anticipation about what is to come. Most use very graphic violence, but others create characters that are intriguing and larger than life to get their message across (think of "Frankenstein" and even "Carrie"). Another interesting aspect of this book was the idea that not all horror films contain graphic horror at all. One author maintains films such as "Vertigo" are actually horror films because they manipulate some "problem of vision" within them (Kawin 103). Thus, this definition opens up an entire new batch of horror films if the viewer looks at them with another eye for detail. "Vertigo" and other Hitchcock films do have elements of horror in them (such as "Psycho,") but it would not seem at first glance they were truly "horror" films in the classic sense. After reading this book, it pays to look at films from other angles, and see...

It gives the reader tools to view horror films with new eyes and ears. There is more to look for in horror films than just graphic violence and horrific situations. Many of these films are classic storytelling in their own right, and very good films as well. If people dismiss horror films and do not view them or experience them, they are missing an integral part of Hollywood filmmaking. Horror films may not always be pleasant to watch, but they do have important elements of society and humankind in them. The critics who wrote these essays find very detailed elements of literature and filmmaking in horror films, and the book opened my eyes to many different aspects of the horror genre.
References

Waller, Gregory A., Ed. American Horrors: Essays on the Modern American Horror Film. Chicago, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1987.