Jones uncovers the origins of horror in the suffering inflicted by political and sexual revolution. The avenging monster, a mainstay of horror, emerged from the sexual dissolution of the French Revolution (Frankenstein) and thrived in the syphilitic underworld of Victorian England (Dracula). From Nosferatu and Psycho to Alien and Interview with the Vampire, the twentieth century has spawned new monsters of unprecedented horror. -- What is the connection between sex and horror? -- Why are vampires and nameless or faceless monsters so common in horror? -- Why do we need horror -- yet fail to understand it?