Halloween 2012: What’s scary?

This Halloween, six top writers reminisce about the things that used to scare them — and what scares them now

Peter Trachtenberg, Kate Christensen, Jennifer Gilmore, Julie Klam, Meg Wolitzer and Jonathan Lethem Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 10:11 PM UTC
Life Meg Wolitzer

Fearing fear itself

The author — no fan of Halloween — wonders why people would want to seek out the feeling of being terrified

Jennifer Gilmore Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 9:00 PM UTC
Life Halloween 2012: What's scary?

Even in haunted houses, ghosts seem to elude the author. But that's not what scares her the most

Julie Klam Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 9:00 PM UTC
Life Halloween 2012: What's scary?

The Halloween-loving novelist, now 50, suddenly finds mortal crises in the holiday's every image

Kate Christensen Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 9:00 PM UTC
Life essays, costumes, Williamsburg

The McCarthy-era horror show has never stopped haunting the author, who sees the monsters on the news every day

Peter Trachtenberg Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 9:00 PM UTC
Life Rwanda

For the novelist, fear of the events in the real world was more than enough

Jonathan Lethem Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 9:00 PM UTC
Life Horror, Parenthood

Adulthood is only occasionally lurid, says the author. Not like the afternoon creepfests she used to watch as a kid

Meg Wolitzer Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012 9:00 PM UTC
Life essay