An Exploration of Gothic Horror Stories Gothic horror is a type of romantic, horror fiction based on irrational fear that predominated in 18th century England. The term 'gothic' originated from the architectural style of the middle ages, but came to describe the dark, terrifying tales that achieved such popularity. Gothic horror can be determined by many things which exist in all gothic horror stories, for example eerie settings such as gothic monasteries, bleak comfortless castles, grave yards and cobwebbed rooms lit by guttering candles. It can also be determined by a unique character such as a beast, monster, ghost, evil creature and innocent person. Usually the innocent person is killed …show more content…
All three stories were written in the 19th century. They were all set at the same time when they were written. This is a good effect because at the time when they were written, horror stories containing superstition and the macabre were popular because the people at that time believed in witchcraft, ghosts and demons. The location of the action is of great importance in the gothic novel because it creates an atmosphere and feeling to the story. 'The Judges House' is located in the dining room of an old, quiet and isolated house. An old, rambling, heavy built house, this creates a scary atmosphere thus matching the typical setting of a gothic horror story. It goes on to describe the dining room as a, room in darkness, this also creates a scary and terrifying atmosphere because you cant see in the dark and you don't know what's in the dark, this also is an essential gothic horror element because darkness creates a creepy and scary atmosphere. 'The Tell Tale Heart' is located in a house that is probably old as a lantern is used by the narrator, this creates a scary atmosphere like the 'Judges House' because you cant see in the dark and you don't know what is in the darkness so the reader imagines things that create the scary atmosphere,
Many gothic writers compose their stories with a hidden meaning or lesson within the piece. They base their work upon what they notice in the world or what they are feeling in the depths of their heart. However, if there was one word to describe the tone many of these writers use when writing gothic literature- it would be ‘negative’. These writers seem to focus on the main themes of horror, death, and sometimes romance. For example, in gothic works such as “Prey”, “A Rose for Emily”, and “The Black Cat” each writer focuses on the weaknesses and faults of a character to show each of the characters loss of innocence and personal experience of bizarre occurrences.
I read the true story, The Amityville Horror. The book is a retelling of the 28 terrifying days a family spent at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, Long Island. George and Kathy Lutz, along with their three children, move into a house that seems to be almost too good to be true. As they stay in the house longer and longer, more and more frightening phenomena occur. In this journal I will be evaluating and predicting.
“We’ve got a problem,” a harsh voice said through the phone. It was my second in command.
I am startled awake by a loud bang. I am still tucked neatly under the sheets just as mommy left me before I went to bed, but Big Brother is no longer by my side. I turn to find my bedroom door wide open. I quietly climb out of bed and make my way to the hallway. As I make it to the door there is a sudden scream from downstairs and I know that it is Mommy. I fall to my hands and knees and begin to crawl to the stairs that would lead me to where Mommy was. I am halfway down when I hear Mommy scream, “Don’t you touch him!” I can not see them, but I could hear them. Mommy and Big Brother were screaming while he yelled at them angrily.
In Tell-Tale Heart, the short story took place in an old house but, most likely an
I would like to start this off by saying this is my American Gothic Oscar winning movie and I know you will want to produce it. Have you ever felt like something or someone is following you? Well that is one of the main points in my story line cause you have this man who is always being followed or well at least he thinks he is. But my main point is the suspense of the story, because we do not if he is actually being followed or it is all just in his head. The plot to my story is this man lives by himself in a very large plantation house out in the middle of the woods on a old Indian burial grounds and he hasn’t left in a couple of years due to the tragic death of his wife, and he always thinks he is being watched and followed but we will not know what is actually happing till the end.
Horror originated, in books. It was the Gothic Horror (literature) genre that gave the ideas to newly found film producers, prior to 1910 is when the first Horror film production was this was “the manor of the devil” this was in 1898. In 1910 is when it really began with Frankenstein being the big one. This movie is till around to this day, this has been re made several different times and is one of the most well known. Since the beginning of time people have been trying to scare each other, this is most likely where the horror popularity came from. Horror is extremely unique because it seems to be the only movie that is a repetitive story line. It has the monster/ villain and the victim yet we still get scared and surprised by new movies too. The
What if one day some mysterious and horrifying event happens to you? American Horror Story has this as a theme, terrorizing normal people in such a dramatic way. It is one of the most popular and well-received TV series in the world now a. Directed by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk since the 2011, and the same cast in all the seasons. This series’ plot is always about paranormal and psychic milieu which affects victims that are normal people which live unconventional events. Is perfect combination of a horror and suspense and has a bleak feeling. Every season has its own characters, places, plots, decade etc. But what makes every season special is that in every season the director uses de same cast of actors, such as Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters
believes he is bound to the honor of his word and cannot tell the secret that
The term Gothic is significant for the understanding of the origins and development of the horror genre. Both of these genres differ, whilst Gothic literature is the text that explores the frightening extremes in mankind, horror focuses more on the unknown. The Gothic horror genre has changed over time and retains importance because it is the antecedent of the horror genre. Factors such as the definition of the word Gothic, the archetypes of the genre, and its social and historical contexts, have altered considerably as time progressed. The value and popularity given to the gothic horror genre has also varied during the past few centuries. As a result, in order to understand the horror genre’s foundations, it is important to observe the
The Literary fiction genre of Gothic, including Crime and Horror, usually features a figure of Otherness as either the protagonists of antagonists of the story. The noun Otherness is used in this context to describe a being that is different from the norm. This could be a creature that is not human at all or an individual as representation of a minority group in the human society, in either race, class, sexuality or gender. These figure often have the function of discussing issues, such as homosexuality or gender inequality. “Gothic fiction of the nineteenth century specifically used the body of the monster to produce race, class, gender and sexuality within narratives about the relation between subjectivities and certain bodies.”
An essay on different genres including the Ghost genre and the Fantasy & Adventure genre I have chosen two completely different genres to base my essay on. Firstly, I have the mysterious and gripping Ghost Genre; the books I have studied are “The Woman in Black”, “The Langoliers” and the spooky film, “The Others”. The second genre is Fantasy & Adventure. The book I am studying is “Lirael”, a recent book written by Australian author Garth Nix.
It was as if you were able to create your own little world, other lives, and you were the one who was in control of how they ended.
The 1940s was a horrible way to end the 1930s. World War II started and that was an awful thing to open the new decade with, but unfortunately, that was what happened. All homes in the United Kingdom had to paint the windows black and drape dark sheets over the windows. They were only allowed small amounts of light at certain times. My great- grandma was just a young girl when World War II was taking place. At just the age of 6, she and her family were being taken to air- raid shelters. There was one shelter just a few miles away from the one my great- grandma was taking shelter in that was blown up. The people were killed instantly from the shock and heat. The German Nazi’s didn’t surrender until 1944, and the war ended a year later in 1945. The 1940s was the most horrific and
I wandered casually home on the sidewalk across from my house. I glanced both ways and then crossed the street and walked into my house. No one was home, so I dropped my pink-chevron backpack onto the floor. The next second the phone ran. I love the mesmerizing sound that it makes. I picked up the old beige phone, and I recognized the immediately.