This volume was first published by Inter-Disciplinary Press in 2016. From concerns about the ‘other’ and the ‘unknown’ through to anxieties about crime and the apocalyptic and monstrous, these chapters traverse a contemporary landscape of social, cultural and existential fears. How do fictional narratives in literature, film and television programmes construct and entrench fears and anxieties? What can contemporary fears and anxieties tell us about the changing nature of the world? What is perceived as a threat? How do the media shape perceptions of those threats? Gun crime, gender equality, terrorism, technology, black holes, Ebola and the return of the dead are all seen to produce fear and anxiety. Reflecting on the things we have come to fear the most and exploring their specific constructions and implications, this volume brings new dimensions to our understanding of the fears and anxieties that permeate the contemporary West.