exploringhorrorfiction

[exploringhorrorfiction]

Horror and the writer

All writers, good ones at least, hold a certain power within the words they put to paper. They can make a reader weep, or laugh with joy, or tremble in terror. Horror writers, it seems, can have a far more lasting effect upon their audiences. Even after closing the pages and putting the story back on its shelf, a reader can still find themselves looking over their shoulder, wondering if the monsters and murderers they had just been reading about are lurking in a corner.

There are many writers famous for writing within the horror genre e.g. Clive Barker, Anne Rice, Stephen King, HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, and their stories still send shivers down the spines of readers years and years after first being written. This is because horror writers, such as Poe, do ‘…not intend that his reader ever escape the effect of his fiction’[1]

Why and how does the horror writer do this? We can answer this by examining Poe’s formula for fear:

-          The isolation of the reader

-          The stunning of his sensibility

-          The victimisation of his emotions

-          The premature burial of his reason[2]

Poe, often credited as the writer who defined the horror genre, has provided these guidelines so that aspiring horror writers may inspire fear just as he did.

‘…isolation of the reader.’[3] to make the reader feel cut off from everyone else is the beginning of multiple negative feelings to come, ‘Alone. Yes, that's the key word, the most awful word in the English tongue. Murder doesn't hold a candle to it and hell is only a poor synonym.’[4] Many horror stories feature isolation for the protagonist, placing them in secluded town, a cabin in the middle of the woods, or an abandoned city. This is exactly the case in ‘Salem’s Lot[5], The Cabin in the Woods[6], and I am Legend[7]. Being isolated means there is no one to turn to for help and no one to talk to. It is natural to feel fear in this situation because humans are very sociable creatures and we, as the reader, are meant to empathise with the protagonist and their separation.

‘The stunning of his sensibility.’[8] exploits the suspension of disbelief that all writers, not only horror writers, ask of their audiences. To accept the altered state of the fictional world they have created, ‘a willingness to suspend one's critical faculties and believe the unbelievable; sacrifice of realism and logic for the sake of enjoyment’[9] doing this to the point where the reader is convinced by incredible information. Any work of fiction is an example of this.

The next part of the formula, ‘The victimisation of his emotions’[10], brings us back to the empathy we experience when following the hardships of a horror protagonists. When they feel their heart pounding in their chest as a murderer stalks them through the woods we are right there with them. When they are disgusted by discarded body parts or a particularly gruesome monster we too are disgusted by the description the author gives us. This is especially true for horror writers who write in the first person, which brings another level of intimacy to the relationship between reader and protagonist.

‘The premature burial of his reason’[11] is the ultimate taunt for the reader. Not all horror writers use this last piece of the formula, but the writer that does ‘provides no resolution – no real explanation for the series of events presented in the tale’[12] and therefore the reader cannot be satisfied, and cannot leave the story to rest. They will always be wondering why, much like ending of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw[13]

Indeed, why does the horror writer do this? Why do they feel the need to make their audiences feel alone, to convince them of wild possibilities, make them feel everything their tortures characters feel, and to leave them groping in the dark for an explanation?  Because ‘Throughout, the element of control, the conviction that there is nothing to be afraid of, turns stress…into a pleasurable sensation.’[14]. Horror stories are popular for a reason. It seems we humans love to be scared and horror writers are there to provide for us and all of our twisted desires.  

[1] David R. Saliba, A Psychology of Fear (Washington D.C: University Press of America, 1980), 17

[2] David R. Saliba, A Psychology of Fear (Washington D.C: University Press of America, 1980), 17

[3] David R. Saliba, A Psychology of Fear (Washington D.C: University Press of America, 1980), 17

[4] Stephen King, ‘Salem’s Lot (London: Hodder, 2006), 289

[5] Stephen King, ‘Salem’s Lot (London: Hodder, 2006)

[6] The Cabin in the Woods, Drew Goddard (2012)

[7] Richard Matheson, I am Legend (United States: Gold Medal Books, 1954)

[8] David R. Saliba, A Psychology of Fear (Washington D.C: University Press of America, 1980), 17

[9] http://www.dictionary.com/browse/suspension-of-disbelief [accessed 01/03/18]

[10] David R. Saliba, A Psychology of Fear (Washington D.C: University Press of America, 1980), 17

[11] David R. Saliba, A Psychology of Fear (Washington D.C: University Press of America, 1980), 17

[12] David R. Saliba, A Psychology of Fear (Washington D.C: University Press of America, 1980), 17

[13] Henry James, The Turn of the Screw, (London: Vintage, 2007)

[14] Sigmund Freud, The Ego and the Id (New York: W.W. Norton, 1989), 18

[exploringhorrorfiction]

Horror and Location

Location can make or break a scary story. The horror genre is filled with memorable location that are so linked to the atmosphere of the story that should the story take place anywhere else, it simply wouldn’t work. Take for example the Overlook hotel from The Shining[1], the Nostromo from Alien[2], or the small-town setting in Salem’s Lot[3]. These setting are vital in making a scary story actually scary.

Whether you realise it or not location has an effect on your emotions, and in the case of the horror genre specifically emotions of fear. This is also known as psychogeography, defined by Guy Debord in 1955 as “the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behaviour of individuals”[4] This isn’t altogether unsurprising, after all there are plenty of places that make a person feel uneasy, abandoned buildings, the wilderness, or perhaps graveyards. But horror fiction uses this to achieve the desired effect on the audience and creates stories that continue to scare us for many years.

It is not necessary for a location to be creepy in order to function within the horror genre. Of course, a rundown cabin full of cobwebs and broken doors in the middle of the woods seems an obvious choice for a horror genre, but other locations, if written correctly, can be just as scary. Stephen King’s Carrie[5] takes place within a school, a place that one doesn’t usually think of as horrifying, unpleasant maybe but not terrifying, yet Stephen King manages to create a frightening atmosphere. It is quite an achievement to take an ordinary location and turn it into the stuff of nightmares but one cannot deny that the effect is chilling. This brings into play Freud’s theory of The Uncanny[6], the experience of something familiar and yet distinctly different or wrong in some way. Many horror stories that take place within a home environment use this to great effect, The Exorcist[7] or Paranormal Activity[8] are prime examples of this. The home is usually considered to be a safe and comforting place, by turning that on its head the “…victim of fear perceives a threat to his identity which he experiences as a loss of control.”[9]

Pushing this to the extreme is The Evil Within[10], a survival horror game which takes place entirely within the character’s mind. The settings change from time to time, from a mental hospital to the city streets to monster filled forests, but it is made clear that the events of the game are products of the character’s brain. The mind, a person’s last sanctuary, turned against them is the Uncanny being used to an entirely new level.

However, different cultures find different location to be frightening. “Scary stories are so completely different country to country because they’re based on shared cultural experiences. In England, for example, all of their scary stories take place in an urban environment. Scrooge was haunted there, Jekyll and Hyde took place there, Jack the Ripper became a legend because he killed in a city…British people are afraid of cities because that’s where they lost their humanity. The industrial revolution turned London into a carnival of horrors. Orphans sold into slavery, parents thrown into debtor’s prison…”[11] This is reflected within the horror genre and the creators within the genre, British stories are urban and different countries prefer using different locations in their horror stories because that is what will distil the most fear in their audiences. Because at the end of the day, horror fiction is trying its hardest to terrify you, no matter where you’re from.

[1] The Shining, Stanley Kubrick (1980)

[2] Alien, Ridley Scott (1979)

[3] Stephen King, Salem’s Lot (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2011)

[4] http://www.psychogeography.co.uk/  (accessed 21/02/2018)

[5] Stephen King, Carrie (United Kingdom: Hachette, 2007)

[6] Sigmund Freud, Art and Literature (United Kingdom: Penguin, 1990)

[7] The Exorcist, William Friedkin (1973)

[8] Paranormal Activity, Oren Peli (2007)

[9] David R. Saliba, A Psychology of Fear (Washington D.C: University Press of America, 1980)

[10] Shinji Mikami 2014, The Evil Within, video game, Playstation 3, Bethesda Softworks, United States

[11] Cracked, ‘Four Creepy Truths Behind Popular Scary Stories | After Hours’ YouTube Video, 7:55, 10/07/2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAR1fp1tbds&t=293s

[exploringhorrorfiction]

Horror and me

My relationship with horror has been, until very recently, almost entirely non-existent.  When I was younger I actively avoided anything that may frighten me, books, films, video games, if there was so much as a hint of horror I stayed well away. As a very timid child with an overactive imagination and an intense fear of the dark it wasn’t hard for me to scare myself half to death on a regular basis by imagining things watching me in the shadows. This was exacerbated if I had seen or read anything I found to be frightening (not even necessarily horror), after all “Fear is capable of generating more fear, and a victim of fear can find himself in a nightmare of his own making if he allows his imagination to get out of hand…”[1]. Of course, we all have those childhood fears, different for everyone, spiders, clowns, thunderstorms, all things that, as children, we could not control. It seemed inconceivable to me that people would seek out fear when I would lie awake for hours and hours staring at the shadowy corners of my room in case of monsters.

As I grew older I am proud to say that I faced many of fears and overcame them. I no longer freeze at the sight of a spider or require the landing light on during the night. Most importantly I started to engage with the horror genre, primarily through movies. I distinctly remember watching I am Legend (2007)[2] and going through all the special features and watching the animated comics that were frankly disturbing. My parents encouraged me to watch A Company of Wolves (1984)[3], An American Werewolf in London (1981)[4], and Resident Evil (2002)[5]. Though I was a little jumpy afterward I was no longer the fearful child I was. I began to read Creepypastas about murderers and vengeful ghosts, of course I found them frightening but at this point I was in control of my fear, these things weren’t directly happening to me and so I was removed from the terror of it. All in all, I was quite proud of myself for becoming such a fearless person.

However, a few years ago I took another big step into the horror genre when I took to YouTube and the rise of the gaming channel. Gamers became some of the most popular channels on the website and uploads of them doing playthroughs of horror games were the most popular of all. There was something very comforting about seeing someone who is just as frightened as you are (with a little bit of overreaction to entertain the audience). Yet, it was still more immersive than anything I had experienced before. There wasn’t any fancy camera work or scripted conversations and the monsters didn’t chase screaming characters but instead came straight for you. The likes of Five Nights at Freddy’s (Scott Cawthon 2014)[6], Outlast (Red Barrels 2013)[7], Silent Hill (Konami 1999)[8], and PT (Konami 2014)[9] started up my wild imagination all over again. I kept imagining that the monsters of the games were waiting around the corner ready to jump scare me at any moment. One would think that I would stop watching them, but I continued, and I still do to this day.

Perhaps it’s the rush of adrenaline they cause, the rising heartrate, the way the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, though fear can be described as a negative emotion no one can deny that it is exhilarating. In a way, continuing to explore the horror genre was about facing my fear as much as immersing myself in it. Yes, after watching a horror game, movie, or reading a Creepypasta I’m scared that something will jump out at every corner, but I turn that corner anyway and lo and behold I’m still alive to talk about it.

On the other hand, that doesn’t stop one’s imagination running wild when the time comes to turn out the lights.

[1] David R. Saliba, A Psychology of Fear (Washington D.C: University Press of America, 1980)

[2] I am Legend, Francis Lawrence (2007)

[3] A Company of Wolves, Neil Jordan (1984)

[4] An American Werewolf in London, John Landis (1981)

[5] Resident Evil, Paul W. S Anderson (2002)

[6] Scott Cawthon 2014, Five Nights at Freddy’s, video game, Microsoft Windows, Scott Cawthon, United States

[7] Red Barrels 2013, Outlast, video game, Microsoft Windows, Red Barrels, United States

[8] Konami 1999, Silent Hill, PlayStation, Konami, Japan

[9] Konami 2014, PT, PlayStation 4, Konami, Japan

[exploringhorrorfiction]

The Nature of Horror

To truly explore the horror genre, one needs to look all the way back to our early days species. Ever since the Megalithic period, we have been gathering around our fires trying to terrify each other about what might be lurking out there in the dark. As one can imagine, the first horror stories were likely about real dangers that our ancestors had to face. Fear can be described as a natural reaction to danger so it is unsurprising that we tell tales rooted in truth. As we have developed our stories and beliefs have changed and as a result so have our inspirations for horror.

Many horror stories can be traced back to folklore, especially monsters. Werewolves, vampires, demons, and spirits are all figures that we are familiar with and still appear in modern horror stories, for example Salem’s Lot[1] by Stephen King. These monsters can be found as far back as Greek mythology, and the story of King Lykaon who offended the god of the heavens, Zeus, and was transformed into a wolf as punishment. This is the origin of the term lycanthrope, which is another term for werewolf. We also find inspiration in religion. “And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns of gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.”[2] there is plenty of horrific imagery in religion to inspire many writers.

Yet, “The genre has been labelled as ‘Horror’ only since the emergence of Edgar Allen Poe”[3] who pulled away from the Gothic that horror had thus far been a part of.  Poe wrote to inspire true terror in his readers rather than the blend of romance and horror that defines the Gothic. Since then many writers have made a name for themselves within the horror genre, take for example Stephen King or HP Lovecraft.

But why do we experience these fears?

“The horror genre is predominantly concerned with the fear of death, the multiple ways in which it can occur…”[4] which seems to make sense. The body and mind desires to survive and in doing so continue the existence of our species. A basic need for survival exists in all animals, not just humans. However, when examining fear from a critical perspective “There are two basic kinds of fear stimuli. The first is environmental and poses a direct physical threat to the perceiver. The second is strictly psychological and poses no direct physical threat.”[5]

If there is a mad axeman standing covered in blood in your kitchen then it is unsurprising that your brain will tell you that this is a dangerous situation that should be feared. This is the survival instinct telling you to run away, the environmental fear stimuli, the direct and recognisable threat. On the other hand, if the lights are off in your kitchen so that you cannot see clearly and you fear the mere possibility that there is a mad axeman standing there where you cannot see him, this would be considered the psychological fear stimuli. There is no threat, but you experience fear anyway because you are creating a threat in your mind.  

This is the fear we find in the Horror genre. As we turn the pages we feel the terror of the characters as if we too were under threat. Yet, we are in no danger. The monsters and murderers in these books cannot reach out and harm us, and we know this to be true. Is this why we love horror? The thrill of the adrenalin without actually putting ourselves in harm’s way, deep down knowing that we can go to bed without having to worry about what is lurking out there in the dark. But we must acknowledge that all horror has a foundation in truth.

[1] Stephen King, Salem’s Lot (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2006)

[2] Bible (Revelations 9: 7-10), KJV

[3] Gina Wisker, Horror of Fiction: an introduction (London: Continuum, 2005) pp.39

[4] Paul Wells, The Horror Genre: From Beelzebub to Blair Witch (London: Wallflower, 2000), pp.10

[5] David R. Saliba, A Psychology of Fear (Washington D.C: University Press of America, 1980), 39