Daniel Kraus was gearing up for the release of his novel, Whitefall, when he decided to take an entire month off from writing. There was going to be a lot of press revolving around the book and he thought that was the perfect time to take a well-deserved break. Instead, he found himself with gaps of time with nothing on his schedule.

His first thought was to pen an essay dedicated to the film that changed his life, Night of the Living Dead. It would be something simple to send to anyone subscribed to his newsletter, nothing more. He pulled up an online copy of the film and pressed play without any set intentions. He paused it after five seconds, took some notes about those five seconds and continued that way for less than one minute into the film. He already had 20 pages written.

Kraus realized he had a lot to say, and wondered how long it would take before he ran out of commentary. (Spoiler alert: he already has a list of things he wants to add to a new edition.) Not only was he taking notes in seconds-long increments, he was adding personal touches as he had originally intended. From mentioning his hometown in the first paragraph to detailing the loss of his sister in its final pages, he had no idea Partially Devoured: How Night of the Living Dead Saved My Life and Changed the World would get as deeply personal as it did.

“I thought it would come on rare occasions,” he said. “Or there would be something humorous that I could tell about my own version that I made when I was a kid. I didn’t expect it to become so serious…I feel like this book was the equivalent of years of therapy. In a way, it really directed me to some answers.”

He also didn’t expect to learn so much from a film he had seen hundreds of times. The first draft went entirely off of facts he already knew and was seeing in real-time as he watched it. The deeper he got into it, however, the more unfinished thoughts would grace the page. He found himself chasing down an 8-track tape (and player!), counting how many times a cigarette was smoked and detailing each and every piece of art that carried on the film’s name.

The most important bit of research that became a personal passion was learning as much as he could about lead actor Duane Jones. HIs role as Ben marked the first time a Black actor was the star and hero of a horror film, and Kraus felt he had not been properly recognized for it. Chasing down leads and investigating student newspapers became one step closer to understanding the impact the film had on Jones.

He had to trust his instincts when it came to the first draft as this wasn’t something he could necessarily outline. He was aware of how impactful the balance between personal and factual could be, and subsequent drafts became a little easier once the shape of it formed.

“For my novels I’ve done a lot of research but this was very different,” he said. “I would just have a random thought while writing one day and realize I want to chase that down. That led to absolute insanity when it came to rewatching the movie because I’d keep finding reasons to rewatch it.”

He said he never tired of watching it, though. He even still enjoyed it, whether it was a colorized version or semi-pixelated upload on YouTube. “Its hold on me is unique,” he wrote.

He never knew how to answer the question, ‘Why are you interested in horror?’ and finally found the answer during this writing process. Now he had another question: Are there other admirers of the film out there who feel the same?

More than anything, readers can relate to the passion because they too have a passion for something. Another film, television show, album, song… their fandom can relate.

“There are definitely people who for them this movie is just as important as it is to me,” he said. “I’ve been really surprised by how many people who are reading and enjoying it have never seen the movie. I think that’s because there’s something universal about it even though it’s extremely specific. There’s something universal about this kind of feeling and people can mentally substitute in whatever they’ve always been obsessed with.”