The Damned Thing

The horror genre in today’s world is one of the most popular genres around but some may think that it is bad for young eyes o see. Although many other students think that the horror genre gives them this suspenseful type of feeling.

What is horror? Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives the primary definition of horror as "a painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay." It stands to reason then that "horror fiction" is fiction that elicits those emotions in the reader. An example of a horror film is "The Shining", directed by Stanley Kubrick. Stanley Kubrick was a well-known director, producer, writer and cinematographer. His films comprised of unique, qualitative scenes that are still memorable but one iconic film in his collection of work is The Shining. Many would disagree and say that The Shining was not his best work and he could have done better yet, there are still those who would say otherwise. This film was not meant to be a “scary pop-up” terror film but

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.

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

Horror, what is it, according to literary historian J.A. Cuddon, it is “a piece of fiction in prose of variable length…which shocks or even frightens the reader, or perhaps induces a feeling of repulsion or loathing.” This sets the guidelines for how the generic horror piece is written, as long as it can scare the reader in one sense or the other, or cause them to loath a certain part or character, then it can be called horror. The horror today has roots stemming from old folklore and religious traditions which had elements that dealt with death, the afterlife, and the demonic, along with the things or thing that embody a person. Horror during the 18th century was called gothic horror and this particular type of horror was invented in the

Firstly, the authors all aim for a more intellectual audience that find horror stories entertaining. These articles were written for The New York Times and The Atlantic Monthly, which are both papers for very intelligent people. The New York Times and The Atlantic Monthly are both known for being very complex reads, so people must be very intelligent to understand them. Authors Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan use high vocabulary words such as “enthrone,” “pandemic,” and “archetypal” to show the difficulty of this reading. This

The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell is about a talented hunter named Sanger Rainsford who gets stranded on an island. On the island he meets General Zaroff who is also an extremely talented hunter who has hunted over hundreds of animals, but now has a new hunting interest. Rainsford finds out that General Zaroff’s new hunting interest is hunting men who get stranded on this island. General Zaroff gives the man a head start on hiding and when midnight comes he starts to find them. If the man last 3 days on the island without being seen by General Zaroff he wins, but if he finds him he gets hunted.

It was the summer of 1983; I was reading my first Horror novel by Jay Anson “The Amityville Horror”, it was the scariest thing I had ever picked up. Despite the late hours I continued to read into the early morning hours until my eyes burned for relief. Whenever I got up to use the rest room I would stand on the end of my bed lean over and open the door and jump so not to be grabbed by monsters that might be laying in wait under my bed. This started a long love affair for horror stories.

Guy de Maupassant and Ambrose Bierce are linked through the ambiguity of the monster of their stories. “The Horla” and “The Damned Thing” involve a hunt of sorts. “The Horla” is a subtler hunt, where the creature does not seek out opportunities to harm the narrator. “The Damned Thing” is a tangible hunt, as the reader witnesses the recounting of Hugh Morgan’s death. While both stories are both plausible and implausible, “The Horla” is about a creation of the mind, which is inherently scarier, while “The Damned Thing” is, in fact, a tangible monster.

“Hunting?What you speak of is murder.”The story is called “the most dangerous game”. The author's name is Richard Connell.The story I am writing about I am basing it around Rainsford, and he demonstrates adventurous, attentive, and clever skills. He mainly demonstrates these traits in the story against his “rival” Zaroff.

Horror books have been a favorite amongst many people. In Will Hill’s Department 19 The Rising multiple literacy tools to express fear and uncertainty. Hill uses imagery of sight, sound, and smell to spread fear through the reader. “Whether fiction or nonfiction, imagery is what provides the color, or what a reader can see in his or her mind’s eye about a particular written work.” (Examples of imagery) Since the book is about hunting vampires the setting is often dark and mysterious which adds to the horror. Will Hill Exercises sight, sound, and smell to display the horror of the book, applying imagery to add a feeling of uncertainty and fear.

Both “Knocking” by Rick Hautala and “The Road Virus Heads North” by Stephen King are masterfully crafted horror stories that lead readers on a psychological rollercoaster. The authors are able to generate such a detailed and in-depth atmosphere that it causes readers to picture themselves in the terrifying situations that they have devised for those reading. Through the evolution of “monsters”, point-of-view and atmospheric conditions which help to create a mood that engulfs readers both King and Hautala are able to write brilliant horror stories.

If an author were to write a horror story what should they include in it to make it effective? Imagery? Repetition? Foreshadowing? This is a question that has been floating around for many months now, and there is no right answer to it, it is all opinions. In my opinion, there are many contributing factors to the effectiveness of horror, but the two most effective to the feel of horror are imagery and the noting of the passing of time.

Horror is designed to scare, cause alarm and dread, while also entertaining the audience at the same time in a cathartic experience (Dirk, 2016). Horror films are meant for a specific type of audience that enjoy scary films. Dirks (Tim, 2016) approach to genre horror, is that films went back as 100 years ago, from the earliest days our vivid imagination in seeing ghosts in the shadows to be connected emotionally of the unknown, and fear things that are improbable. You watch a horror film, it makes you aware of the scary surroundings, the essence of fear itself, without actually being in any sorts of danger. Dirks argues that there is a fun and thrill factor in being frightened, or watching something disturbing. It gives you that feeling of an adrenaline rush, as well as having that feeling someone is actually next to you lurking in the dark (Dirk, 2016).

Many people enjoy a good book or film that sends a shiver down your spine and makes you question reality. This may seem crazy to others, who do not see a single reason why you would stay up watching a film that will make you unable to sleep for days, but to others it is a hobby. The question is, what is horror really, and what makes it so good?