The Consequences Of Suspense In Horror Stories And Literature

"Every story would be another story, and unrecognizable if it took up its characters and plot and happened somewhere else... Place is the crossroads of circumstance, the proving ground of, what happened? Who 's here? Who 's coming?” Eudora Welty stated this, emphasizing the importance setting has on a story. Authors of all kinds, young and old, famous and not famous, boy or girl—they all have at least one thing in common: setting. In every story a setting is described, sometimes in exceeding detail. Some authors make an attempt to give their audience full understanding of the setting their story is taking place. Many do this by describing the smells, colors, textures, sounds, and sometimes even tastes, to the reader. In many early-American writings, authors go ‘above and beyond’ to help their reader understand the setting, so as to feel what the writer is feeling. Setting often stirs a sense of empathy in the reader’s mind if the descriptions are well-written and captivating. Authors such as Joyce Carol Oates and especially Edgar Allan Poe are well-known for their use of description in the setting. Two very successful stories, written by these authors, are excellent examples of setting. Furthermore, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” by Poe, and “Where is Here?” by Oates both display how the author uses setting to help the reader visualize the situation, create

A person begins to read, their body submerged in goose bumps. The description of the setting makes them fear for the protagonist. Their head fills with the anticipation of what what might happen next. They start to wonder if the protagonist is going to live. Their eyes read the page as fast as they can but then the page stops, leaving them with a head filled with fears. This is an example of how a horror story should compel the reader. A compelling horror story needs to have a scary setting, lots of suspense, and a horrifying monster. One story that has the key components is "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl.

    There were many ways suspense was created in  “ The Right Kind Of House”. First of all, foreshadowing is one of the suspense elements created in “ The Right Kind Of House.  One example is, Mrs. Grimes states, “ I knew someday the killer would return”, “All I had to do was find the one willing to pay too much for the old woman's house”(4). Which set up,  Mr. Waterbury saying, “Ugh this lemonade is bitter”. This means that she thinks he is the killer of her son and poisoned him to show her dark side of revenge which show suspense. In “The Right Kind of House” the other element of suspense was through characterization of the old woman. According to the text, the old woman stated, “I’ll think that lemonade is cold enough”. “I’ll bring you out some and tell you something else about the house”.(4) This is relevant because the lemonade was later to be known as the reason in the killing of Mr. Waterbury which proves the old woman will strike at any moment. Through the story the “Right Kind of House” the elements of foreshadowing and characterization show suspense throughout the story.

Horror is the genre that keeps the reader on their toes for nights upon end. It keeps them thinking. Thinking about how cruel and disturbing someone, or something, could possibly be. Thinking about what in the world happens to a character after the story drops off in a cliffhanger. Thinking about the probability that the events in the narrative could transpire in real life. Thinking about how likely it is for those things to happen to the reader. Refusing to look out their window in fear of seeing the glimpse of a murderous face, and listening to every sound with acute accuracy, praying that the noise is not one of a stranger creeping up the stairs. Scary accounts make the reader live in fear whenever the

People develop multiple reasons to why they like to receive these odd and fear emotions, which now in society we call insanity. In the “Why We Crave Horror Movies” by Stephen King, whose main argument is that we watch horror movies to satisfy our curiosity. In the “How Tabloid Train Wrecks Reinventing Gothic Literature” by Carina Chocano, whose main argument is to prove how gothic literature is very similar to gossip; for example, gossiping makes people turn into ghosts, unnatural. It’s tempting to see Gothic tales as escapism, but these stories will sum up during times of trouble. Fascination with fear or Gothic stories satisfies some emotional need of individuals and of society by making people feed on their inner childhood that is inconstantly needed of satisfaction. People can do that by watching horror movies or reading tabloids and that is why they enjoy scaring themselves.

Suspense is a crucial ingredient in the making of horror and thriller films. The significance of suspense in horror films is to bring out the “twist or unexpected moment of realization that makes someone scream and one's heart race. In the film industry, there are various types of genre, but as different as films may seem, they all have one element that links them all together. That element is known as Mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene is a French phrase that means “putting into the scene.” Mise-en-scene includes elements such as setting, lighting, costume, and figure movement and expression (acting).

The authors words of choice adds a serious and suspense on his tone. It makes the scene more suspenseful and keeps you on the edge of your seat to see what happens next.

Why does gothic horror even matter in literature? Gothic horror can create many things in a novel more interesting or suspenseful of what will happen next. These stories use different characteristics to create a gothic atmosphere in the story. During the Victorian era, the idea of gothic literature grew in popularity. It is influenced by many ideas, including religious themes around this time period, and usually reflects on the characteristics of the people living in the Victorian era. For example, many people would like to be surrounded in a world containing plenty of mystery and suspense. Then again, a supernatural force can show what someone might or might not want to become. On top of that, a doppelganger in gothic literature definitely represents who the reader should avoid being. As a result, gothic horror is important to a reader because of how it can connect to their lives in a certain way. In the novel Dracula, author Bram Stoker focuses on multiple elements of gothic horror which apply to the many characters in the novel and can compare to contemporary works that have gothic elements, as well.

While not everybody has seen the iconic thriller Psycho, most people will recognize its now infamous, chilling theme. Though, how exactly does a music piece like it or other horror film pieces, the Jaws theme for example, succeed in making its audience uneasy and thrilled? It’s easy to tell when a song is meant to be scary or creepy because of the way it is executed. Horror or creepy music is unlike other genres in the sense that its instrumentation, tempo, and such things, when put together, produce an eerie tone and trigger a feeling of fear in its listeners. By using non-linearities, noises that alert the human brain, and specific techniques in their music, horror films create suspense and fear in viewers.

Throughout mystery genre books there is a feeling given off to the readers. Feelings that can be stimulated by what is happening or even the kind of people that are around in a specific scene. However the most influential is the geographical setting of the story. This allows the author to create suspense and allow the readers to think or react in any way from feeling fear to wanting to know more about the situation. All of this is done by the fact that the geographical setting can create the mood, imagery and as stated before suspense. One series of mysterious stories that use the geographical setting to play a role in the mysterious feeling is “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” by Arthur Conan Doyle. Arthur Conan Doyle uses the setting to

Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most well known directors of all time bringing murder and mystery to a new light. His films, starting in 1925 with "The Pleasure Garden" and ending in 1976 with the film "Family Plot", set a precedent for all other directors in the film industry. Many story lines and techniques within the cinematography of Hitchcock are common standards for films of today.

Horror Stories are a very popular genre of books. Some can be exceptionally malicious and gruesome in nature while others are tamer and rely on suspense. People tend to read these stories for the adrenaline rush, to explore the unknown, and to conquer their own adversities. Studies show that us as humans like to experience fear. We read and view scary stories so we can experience artificial situations of “fight or flight.” These scenarios, whether real or imagined, get your body ready for action by giving you an extra dose of adrenaline. The thrill and suspense that hangs over us while reading, is a welcomed feeling. Scary stories also allow us to explore the unknown. In books there are boundless supernatural realms, where wonder and horror walk side by side- realms were people rise from the dead, and fight their own

Insidious, a 2010 horror film that is based around a paranormal idea of astral projection and the astral dimension was targeted towards older adolescents and adults that enjoy the horror genre. Due to Insidious being reliant on the sound, editing and camera shots and angles to create suspense in an attempt to scare the audience, this film will be targeted towards people who enjoy suspense in a horror

In literature, gothic novels and movies are very popular. There are different aspects and elements to these novels and movies, that allow the genre to stay relevant. One of the trademarks of the genre is the suspense that is used in it. Suspense is one of the most pivotal aspects of gothic, and has a strong effect on the reader/viewer. Each author uses human curiosity to some extent, to build the suspense needed. While analyzing the film The Shining, and the two stories “The Toll House,” “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” and “Frankenstein,” one may notice the strength of the suspense and the toll it has on the audience. Overall, the suspense in this film and the stories is very important, and creates the horror that is normally captured in the gothic genre.

“The art of creating suspense is also the art of involving the audience, so that the viewer is actually a participant in the film.” Francois Truffaut is an influential filmmaker who is a sought-after film critic. If the audience does not feel like they are apart of a film or book, then the author of suspenseful story will not be as successful as other authors or filmmakers. Author Conan Doyle in The Hound of the Baskervilles, Roald Dhal in “The Landlady,” and W.W Jacobs in “Monkey’s Paw” become masters of suspense by weaving complicated story lines intertwined with literary devices. To make a successful suspense story, the author needs to have tone, mood and imagery but somethings such as setting is not as important as other elements.