Screaming and Conjuring - by Clark Collis (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

LIMITED DELUXE EDITION (first 5,000 copies worldwide) has black foil gilded page edges, textured cover spot varnish, and is printed on heavyweight paper stock. As featured in People, Variety, Entertainment Weekly, New York Post, Fangoria, and more!

Blockbuster box office. Critical acclaim and Oscars recognition. From Get Out and M3GAN to The Substance and Sinners, the horror genre is enjoying a glorious-and gory-golden age.

Screaming and Conjuring details the films and frights that led to this extraordinary renaissance, from the release of the groundbreaking Scream in 1996 to the arrival of 2013's The Conjuring, which spawned a multi-billion dollar franchise. Written by entertainment journalist Clark Collis (author of You've Got Red on You: How Shaun of the Dead Was Brought to Life), this exhaustively researched book is the first in-depth examination of a remarkably fertile and influential time for big screen horror.

Wes Craven's Scream was followed by a flood of classic terror tales such as The Blair Witch Project, The Sixth Sense, Final Destination, The Others, Pan's Labyrinth, 28 Days Later, Resident Evil, Saw, Hostel, Paranormal Activity, and Insidious. This comprehensive history covers the often difficult and tortuous making of all these films (and many more), giving readers the exclusive lowdown on productions which were often as intense as the horrifying sights that ended up on screen.

Screaming and Conjuring features recollections from a host of genre icons, including actors Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween) and Neve Campbell (Scream), directors Eli Roth (Hostel) and Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Drag Me to Hell), and legendary makeup effects artist Greg Nicotero (The Mist, The Walking Dead). The book also includes 200 production stills, film posters, and rarely seen images.

Review Quotes

Early praise for SCREAMING AND CONJURING:

"An amazing account of one of the wildest, blood-soaked periods in modern cinema. A treasure chest of bloody good memories and stories from everyone who lived through it. A must-read for any horror fan who wants to know how the sausage is disemboweled." -- Eli Roth (Director, Thanksgiving / Hostel / Cabin Fever)

"Not only does Screaming and Conjuring define the era that defined an era, this in-depth autopsy maps out the entire circulatory system of horror, painstakingly cataloguing every blood cell of celluloid." -- Clay McLeod Chapman (Author, Wake Up and Open Your Eyes)

Acclaim for Clark Collis' previous book YOU'VE GOT RED ON YOU:

"Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and more offer unique insights into the making of their 2004 zombie comedy classic, Shaun of the Dead. The 424-page book traces the film's story, from late-night pub conversations about surviving the zombie apocalypse to an unexpected hit at Comic-Con 2004." -- Rolling Stone

"A sharply written, thorough, and loving tribute to a modern-day cinema classic." -- Kirkus, starred review

"You've Got Red on You is a must-buy." -- Fangoria

"Witty and deeply researched. What a wonderful, fun, fascinating read." -- MovieMaker

"An exemplary movie retrospective, one which combines an astonishing amount of research with a real flair for storytelling. 5/5 stars." -- SFX

"Just look at Clark Collis's stunning book on the making of Shaun Of The Dead. The red metallic page edging, the cover art, the inside... it's a thing of beauty. In other words: how's that for a slice of fried gold?" -- Ali Plumb, BBC Radio 1

"...almost 20 years later, Shaun of the Dead is a cult classic. Director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost inform the bulk of the narrative with hilarious remembrances; Quentin Tarantino, Eli Roth, and the late George A. Romero are quoted here too...resulting in a work [that will be] wildly entertaining to horror buffs." -- Library Journal, starred review

"A really entertaining read and, if you're a fan of the film, very illuminating on the struggles to not only get it made, but also to have the film be taken seriously. If you've ever wanted to make a movie, you'll learn a lot in You've Got Red on You." -- Shaun of the Dead co-writer/director Edgar Wright

"So many relationships grow and expand over the course of Collis' book that readers will find themselves falling in love with Shaun of the Dead - to say nothing of Wright, Pegg, and Frost - all over again, twenty years on. 4/4 stars." -- Starburst

"[You've Got Red on You] gives unparalleled access to near everyone involved with the movie, plus sketches, script drafts, storyboards, and BTS photos aplenty." -- Total Film

"One of the best books of the year." -- Buzz Magazine

"If you're a fan of Shaun of the Dead or a filmmaker influenced by the films of Wright this is essential reading. It is so good we read it twice before this review." -- Screen Anarchy

"One of the best [pop culture books this holiday season] is You've Got Red on You, Clark Collis' breezy-yet-thorough look at 2004's horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead...it instantly takes its place in the upper echelon of making-of books." -- Josh Sewell, Times-Georgian

"Like a slap of a cricket bat to the face, Clark Collis's terrific new book, You've Got Red on You, takes us on a deep dive into the making of Edgar Wright's classic horror/comedy Shaun of the Dead. It's a fantastic view into the effort, heartache and exultation of the filmmaker's struggle to create a groundbreaking and gore-drenched film." -- Phantasm writer/director Don Coscarelli

"The intricately rendered and definitive story behind the creation of Edgar Wright's cinematic rom-zom-com tour-de-gore's that is Shaun of the Dead, recounted with affection by the one and only Clark Collis." -- The Nun director Corin Hardy

"If you are an Edgar Wright fan, especially if you are a Shaun of the Dead fan, check out Entertainment Weekly scribe Clark Collis' exhaustive (but not exhausting) new book, which takes you deep to the heart of everything Shaun! A fascinating deep dive into one of the best horror comedies of all time." -- director Mick Garris (Stephen King's The Stand / Tales from the Crypt)

About the Author

CLARK COLLIS is a British entertainment journalist who has contributed to The Guardian, Empire, Q, Mojo, and Entertainment Weekly, where he was a senior writer for 18 years. He gew up in Wells. Somerset, and studied history at Cambridge University. He is the author of the 2021 book You've Got Red on You: How Shaun of the Dead Was Brought to Life and 2025's Screaming and Conjuring: The Resurrection and Unstoppable Rise of the Modern Horror Movie.