Fear, paranoia, and alienation are terms that pull in different directions, but they also overlap in key ways, most having to do with the idea that the mind's apprehension of danger, whether that apprehension is accurate or not, can lead to expected emotions. This volume presents critical works on authors or directors who plunge their readers/viewers into the visceral experience of fear by depicting characters and conflicts as realistically as possible. Included are essays on well-known texts that are likely to be studied in high school and introductory college courses in writing, literature, and/or film. Subjects of analysis include cultural examinations of danger and civility, fear in Shakespeare's Macbeth, historical considerations of women and paranoia, comparisons of the role of the camera, and many others.