What is horror fiction?
Wikipedia defines horror fiction as “a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror.”
That pretty much sums up Barney, Teletubbies and Elmo. Er…um…maybe that’s a little silly (except for the Elmo part. I totally mean that). Seriously though, that definition covers films about war, torture, rape or any of the other ugly things that people can do to each other.
Yet, most of those films probably wouldn’t be considered “horror fiction.”
Wikipedia goes on to say that horror fiction “creates an eerie atmosphere” and that it ”can be either supernatural or non-supernatural.”
So maybe it’s the eerie atmosphere part. The sense that we’re entering a world that maybe isn’t all it should be…
…Or perhaps we’re just seeing the world as it really is. Perhaps the world we see is really just a candy coated skin over a darker truth. Maybe horror is about all the things we ignore, sweep under the rug, deny. Everything we pretend doesn’t exist or that we’re too mature or smart or civilized to believe in anymore. It grows to big to ignore and forces us to take a look at our world and ourselves.
But, if there’s darkness, there’s also light.
Sure, lots of horror fiction is all about the gore, the undefeatable monster and the good guys getting it in the worst way but even the odds are overwhelmingly in favor of the monsters, even when the situation looks completely FUBAR, even when the good guys are probably going to lose…they fight anyway.
And that gives me hope. Because, just like mostly dead isn’t all dead, probably
isn’t a 100% guarantee the good guys (us…because don’t we really put ourselves in the hero’s place?) are gonna lose. So if there’s even a slim chance (slim chances are better than none, says Rick Grimes) we gotta take it.
You might call me a naïve idiot an optimist but I believe that, underneath the blood and guts, horror fiction is about hope. That we can look into the darkest parts of our world, of ourselves, put on our big boy/girl pants and come out swinging.
‘Cause If there are monsters, then there are also heroes.
How do you define horror fiction? What makes good horror? Do you see hope in horror fiction?
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For your further reading pleasure, you can find the Horror Writers Association’s take on the subject here. And over here you can find a discussion on what makes good horror fiction at the blog of the Great and Terrible Bearded One, the Mighty Chuck Wendig.
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Horror fiction simply deals with what happens when what we’re afraid of comes after us. I know those are very general terms, and I know that some often happens when whatever the “creature” that the piece deals with is provoked or hurt, but horror fiction, to put it simply, is about what happens when our fears become antagonistic realities.
I agree, Sonia. My husband hates horror movies. He says he doesn’t get why I love them. but it’s for exactly the reason you state: that moment when the person/people/creature being oppressed or tormented rises up and ‘comes out swinging’.
I love horror movies – if I had to choose, I would choose laughter and fear as my first two choices when deciding which movie to watch. The eerie slasher films are my favorite, the ones where you know everyone except for perhaps one or two characters are going to die (that’s a fun game to play – which character lives), like Scream, Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw, etc… I also love the films that are so suspenseful, they keep you on the edge of your seats, like House on the Left. I recently watched Straw Dogs hoping for a horror story like House on the Left, but it disappointed…IMO.
Horror for me is that which scares the crap out of me. LOL Edgy, suspenseful and some type of boogeyman whether supernatural or not. I don’t like the ones that are nothing but gore. To me that’s not scary. I can watch it, but there’s no value to it for me. I would rather watch those that keep me on the edge of my seat. One of my all time favorites is When A Stranger Calls. It’s so suspenseful but you don’t actually see anything bad. Also the original Halloween. Sure there was some light gore, but it wasn’t the main focus of the movie.I just love reading or watching something in the horror genre. i like the good versus evil and the good (hopefully) winning!
I totally agree. There’s an RPG on my bookshelf called Dread: A Game of Horror and Hope. It’s been designed from the ground up to emulate horror books and movies. And it does a damn fine job of it, too.
Horror, and dread, need hope to work, otherwise they’re really just stories about despair.
I’ve tried before to understand why I love horror fiction so much. But I always have. And I believe I do see hope in it. I remember seeing a movie once where the bad guys won at the end. It made me very uncomfortable. But, for some reason, I like feeling afraid while reading or watching. Even though I’m pretty sure it’s all going to be okay in the end, there’s that nagging fear that it just might not be. Perhaps it is the threatening of hope that makes it so appealing.
And I think I define “horror” as something that is frightening, but not real…not even possible. Like zombies or vampires or monsters from space. I guess the monsters from space could be real…but I doubt it. Movies/books that are frightening that involve real things are just “thrillers.” I like those, too. Sometimes, they are even more frightening than horror. Because, hey…that could really happen.
@Daniel: Very true. Horror fiction is about our fears becoming reality. And I think horror fic makes us look at the world a little differently.
@Cynthia: My hubby doesn’t really get why I like horror either. I’ve tried to explain it but he still shakes his head. LOL.
@Tiffany: Slasher type films definitely have their own kind of fun. Like the Final Destination series. It’s sort of sick fun to see exactly how they’re gonna get it. I don’t think I’ve seen Straw Dogs yet. May have to give it a try.
@Rhonda: I agree with you about the suspense versus gore. The original Halloween is a very good example. I don’t think there was any blood at all in that movie…or at least there was very little. It was all the building of anticipation. The Paranormal Activity movies did some of that quite effectively, I think.
@Pat: Oooh! I haven’t heard of that RPG. Sounds very interesting. I think you’re exactly right about dread and horror needing hope. I think that’s why I don’t really like the movies where there’s no hope (except for the amusement of Final Destination and such…but even that’s not that far reaching). Well put!
@Jeff: Good point about difference between “thriller” and “horror.” I think horror tends to be more supernatural than not. Even when the monster is human, he tends to have a supernatural-like quality. As for not existing…sometimes the movie explanations for zombies and vampires border on pretty convincing. LOL
Great. I’ll be sleeping with the light on tonight! LOL…
LOL
Love it. So eloquently analyzed and said. Horror is about the all consuming darkness that seems unstoppable but underneath it is the hope the knowledge that in the end the tide will turn because one person made a choice.
I think that in Walking Dead, and a many a Stephen King novel, humanity is questioned, letting us see both sides of the coin. It’s just being laid out for us in a new and refreshing way. Once boiled down, however, it truly is about the hope (at least well-written horror fiction). Hack slash is shallow and any piece of writing worth its dime should expand and add complexities to compliment the horror element. Any bit of writing should be memorable, and protagonist(s) questioning their morality or strictly following it is always more memorable for me than just another late night romp through the woods.
Reblogged this on The Horrifically Horrifying Horror Blog.
I think horror is full of hope and it is perhaps the only genre that allows us to truly explore the primal fears that lay deep within us. Great post by the way.
I agree… for me, horror stories (along with disaster/apocalyptic stories) are about hope, perserverance, the human spirit rising up and fighting even against terrible odds, ordinary people finding within themselves the ability to be heroic, brave and resolute. I like to watch these characters and ponder how I would fare if I were faced with that situation.
Of course, not all horror/apocalyptic stories are like that, but I tend to not like the “everyone dies/the world ends/everything’s hopeless” variety very much.
@PW: I like your point about choice. To fight and to hope is a choice. That means it can’t be taken away from us unless we give it up.
@Anthony: Stephen King does seem particularly good at showing both sides of the coin when it comes to humanity. There are heroes and there are those who choose to be heroes and those who choose to be villains. And it’s rarely black and white.
@Vincent: I think you’re right. Horror fiction allows for a lot of freedom to explore those fears and ideas. .
@Ben: I love disaster/apocalyptic flicks too. Mostly only the ones that have folks striving to face up to the challenges. I try to imagine myself there too. Those kinds of films and novels definitely give us a kind of safe stage to play out our fears.
I haven’t read horror fiction in a while. I loved John Saul’s books, although I’m not sure if that qualifies. I guess I tend to look for my horror in movies, unless it’s Stephen King. He’s still the master at the trade. And I totally agree with you about Barney and Elmo – both are creepsters.
I’ve always loved horror. Stephen King is my hero. But I like a happy ending, even with horror stories. So, yeah, that element of hope is important to me. I know in horror, people usually have to die. (I’m writing a horror book right now, and I’ve already killed off three people and wounded most of the others.) I’m usually happy if the main characters have kicked butt and saved the day.
I’m in complete agreement – horror, done well, is about hope. And about the ability of “everyman” to overcome impossible odds – by exhibiting humanity in the face of monstrosity. (Ooooh – that came out of nowhere. You’ve probably inspired a blog post.)
I would like to politely dissagree to an extent. While I do like horror movies with survivor endings, I think the deeper and more lasting horror is darker. Hollywood always has to have that ‘good conquers all’ ending but one of my favorite movies in the last ten years is ‘The Mist’, which had a very grim ending (very unhollywood). ‘The Fourth Kind’ stayed with me for weeks and doesn’t have a hero’s ending either. Nor does any Poe story.
I want to say that The Mist was also one of my favorite movies…until the end. LOL. It ended much more tragically than the original story by Stephen King. That movie stayed with me for awhile…in a bad way. *shivers*
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