Horror on the Brain by Austin Lim, PhD
Horror and science fiction go hand-in-hand under the umbrella of speculative fiction. Often, “what if” can lead down a road to a frightening reality right out of our worst nightmares. Dystopian futures and alternative realities can be just as terrifying as things that go bump in the night; it’s the fear of the unfamiliar combined with a lack of control over the matter at hand that sparks our anxiety.
It’s at this nexus of horror and sci-fi that Dr. Austin Lim, PhD, focuses his fascinating book, Horror on the Brain: The Neuroscience Behind Science Fiction. Anyone interested in neuroscience, psychology or science fiction and horror will find Lim’s work both enlightening and entertaining.
As a horror author and reader, I found Horror on the Brain useful in understanding what creates the kind of fear that keeps us up at night — and turning the pages until dawn.
Examining the Neuroscience of Fear
Dr. Lim, who calls himself “a forever student of neuroscience and psychology,” uses excerpts from science fiction and horror media (including movies, television, literature and other forms of pop culture) to illustrate principles of neuroscience. He explains, in detail, the science behind each concept and then how that concept has been used in fiction.
As a writer, I found this book to be a great resource. Details of exactly what happens in the human body during a fear response, for instance, will help me better describe a scene in which someone is afraid — showing instead of telling.
As a side note, there’s an interesting section about people who literally feel no fear, and this idea could easily be used as a jumping-off point for a character or plot. It left me conjuring in my mind the ways that such a story would play out — the audience sensing the danger that the main character does not, despite increasingly obvious signs. A story that contains no bloodcurdling screams but is so much more terrifying because of that.
Abundant Inspiration for Writers
Just about everything that can be used to scare, titillate or torture someone can be found in these pages, including horrifying places. Our brains are apparently hardwired to be afraid of snake-shaped objects — who knew? Liminal spaces make everyone uneasy. And then there’s the uncanny valley — creatures or objects (robots, for instance) that look almost human but not quite, in a way that really creeps us out. Why is that?
In his examples, Dr. Lim brings us all the way back to the beginning — Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the original horror story that crosses over to science fiction, the first mad scientist. Concepts of eternal life and the living dead, of bringing the dead back to life, are all familiar concepts in horror. Dr. Lim explains the underlying neuroscience in a way that will inspire authors to craft another layer into their writing.
Brain Power: from Dreams, to Pain, to Poisons
He also tackles the subject of sleep disorders, dreams and what might be happening in the brain when we sleep, and how the brain can actually be rewired, which, to be honest, could be awesome or horrifying. These topics lead right into psychoactive substances, good and bad, and what they mean for brain chemistry.
Adding in some involuntary poisoning or addiction is always a fun complication in writing, and Dr. Lin gives us plenty of fodder for describing what that’s like. This all leads nicely into operant conditioning and programming people to do specific things, like rats pressing a lever for food.
But people may also be highly motivated by negative conditioning — avoiding pain. Or, conversely, they may seek it out — plenty of people love being tattooed or eating super spicy food. And then there is the bugbear of pain — chronic, long-term pain.
All this can be traced through nerves and neurons and chemicals in the brain and thus may enrich your future story ideas. Imagine, for example, a villain that could somehow induce fibromyalgia in their enemies!
A Thrilling Read for Speculative Fiction Fans
Memory and memory loss may not seem scary, but only if you haven’t known anyone with dementia. Here, Dr. Lim references William Gibson’s “Johnny Mnemonic,” whose titular character carries vast amounts of data hidden in his brain.
Different types of amnesia are described, along with the removal of sections of the brain and the separation of the hemispheres to treat illnesses. Can memories be implanted? Can they be false? True story: What if your brain is damaged in such a way that you think your hand belongs to someone else (a.k.a. alien hand syndrome)?
With sections that lean heavily into the science of it all, this book is chock full of great premises for writers; it is definitely worth a read and a great starting point for any number of “what if” scenarios. My review copy is highlighted and full of notes.
For the speculative fiction fan, insights abound on what we find scary — and why. If you love the delicious thrill of such stories, Horror on the Brain provides ample insight into what makes them so addictive and why we keep coming back for more.
About Austin Lim:
Austin Lim, PhD, is a neuroscientist and lecturing professor at DePaul University, where he offers a course called “The Brain through Science Fiction,” an exploration into how science fiction authors have used the popular scientific advances of their time to inspire their creative works. His work has appeared in Scientific American, U.S. News and World Report, and many others. He is the author of the open-source introductory-level neuroscience textbook Open Neuroscience Initiative, which has been adopted by faculty from more than 30 universities or colleges around the world since its completion in mid-2021.
