Why are there so many serial killers in the United States? Why is American culture permeated with violence and cruelty? Why should Jekyll and Hyde and the werewolf myth have such appeal in North American culture? Could the global dissemination of American culture increase our murderous instincts?

The author provides unexpected answers to these intriguing questions as a result of his in-depth study of America's fascination with violence. He demonstrates that the representation of on-screen violence reflects America's deep-seated belief that society is only a fragile rampart holding at bay the beast latent in us all. It is this belief which has persuaded Americans to accept mechanized surveillance methods to catch criminals and partly explains the proliferation of criminal legislation

This book argues that cultures which do not share this fear of hidden barbarity will remain unaffected by American-style violence. However, the author warns that if people do come to believe in the primacy of these primitive instincts, their children will have good reason to emulate what they see in screen.