Genre Talk: Exploring the World of Horror Fiction

Horror fiction is a genre that has captivated readers for centuries, from the Gothic tales of the 18th century to the modern psychological thrillers of today.

In this post, we’ll explore what makes the horror genre so popular, dive into its history, examine its key characteristics and common tropes, and look at some of the most iconic works that have shaped it. So, turn off the lights, curl up under a blanket, and prepare to be terrified as we journey into the heart of horror fiction.

What is horror?

Horror fiction is a genre that is all about evoking feelings of dread, fear, and terror in your readers. It explores dark, disturbing, and unsettling themes, and is often used to represent wider social fears. They often feature supernatural elements like ghosts, vampires, or monsters, or delve into the depths of human psychology, exploring the darker aspects of the human mind. It has historical roots in folklore and gothic literature, and has evolved to encompass various subgenres, like slasher fiction, psychological horror, and supernatural horror.

The enduring appeal of horror lies in its ability to confront us with our deepest fears and anxieties, where we can explore the darker aspects of human nature. Through the lens of fiction, horror lets us grapple with the unknown and the terrifying in a safe and controlled environment. As society develops, so too does the horror genre, reflecting the changing fears and concerns of each generation. In an increasingly complex and uncertain world, horror is a mirror, reflecting our collective anxieties and fears, providing a space to confront and process them.

The history of horror

Horror has ancient roots, with tales of demons, witches, and ghosts appearing in folklore and religious traditions across the world. The Ancient Greeks and Romans spread their folklore with their empire with tales of murder, ghostly apparitions, and monsters playing a fundamental part of their mythology. In fac, Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein was hugely influenced by the story of Hippolytus, who was revived from the dead. Many modern horror staples can also be found in Biblical texts, especially the Book of Revelation. Angels and demons, as well as monstrous creatures, can often be found in early religious texts, as both speak to contemporary fears and anxieties.

In the medieval period, werewolf stories became popular in French literature, and the cruel deeds of historical figures (even if their stories were propagandistic), like Vlad the Impaler and Elizabeth Bathory, inspired tales of vampires like those seen in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla. But the horror genre really grew into its own in the 18th century with the development of the Gothic novel. Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764) paved the way for works The Monk by Ann Radcliffe. In fact, a significant amount of horror fiction of this era was written by women and marketed towards a female audience.

The 19th century was a golden age for horror literature, with iconic works like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, H. G. Wells’ The Invisible Man, Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Grey. Many of the horror stories of this time created icon characters that are still reinterpreted and reimagined to this day.

The early 20th century saw a boom in horror writing, with pulp magazines and periodical like Weird Tales providing an outlet for writers like H. P. Lovecraft and his cosmic horror tales, and M. R. James’ ghost stories. Many horror stories were serialised through these periodicals before they became novels, with Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera being a notable example.

Shortly before, and following into the post-war period, horror fiction explored more real-world themes, like the psychology of serial killers. They were influenced by real-life criminals, like Jack the Ripper, or Ed Gein, who served as the inspiration for Robert Bloch’s Psycho. The Manson Family murders also influenced the slasher sub-genre.

Apocalyptic novels like I Am Legend by Richard Matheson bridged the gap between science fiction and horror, leading the way for the horror boom of the 1960s and 70s. With the success of novels like Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin and The Exorcist by Peter Baty horror works als began to work with more overly religious symbology, giving it a broader appeal.

Stephen King emerged as one of the most popular horror writers of the late 20th century, with novels like The Shining and It, and many short stories attracting a large audience. Writers like Anne Rice, Shaun Hutson, Graham Masterton, James Herbert, Dean Koontz, Richard Laymon, and Clive Barker found enormous success, producing many novels that sold in large volumes proving the lasting appeal of horror as a genre.

The 21st century has seen horror expand its scope across genres and age brackets, with new subgenres emerging. Works like Leigh Bardugoh’s Ninth House include horror elements into Dark Academia and Urban Fantasy settings, while series like James S. A. Corey’s The Expanse include horror elements into a science fiction setting. Horror has also made its way into Graphic Novels, like Dark Horse Comics’ Hellboy and Alternate History works like Dan Simmons’ The Terror. Horror is even a fundamental part of young adult and children’s literature with series like R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps and Fear Street introducing younger readers to the genre.

Key characteristics of horror fiction

Horror fiction evokes fear in readers by confronting them with the unknown and the menacing. Horror stories scare us by presenting menacing and life-destroying threats. We seek out horror to experience the thrill of being on edge and to confront ideas we might otherwise ignore. It challenges our preconceptions and reminds us that the world is not always safe.

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.

H. P. Lovecraft

The best horror stories create a sense of dread and unease through atmosphere and tension. They explore the darker aspects of human nature and explore the unknown, letting us look both within and without to the unexplored places. While many feature supernatural or monstrous elements that challenge our understanding of reality, some are more introspective and look at the absurdity of reality and how fallible we are in the face of the unknown.

Fundamentally, horror fiction is all about evoking a strong emotion response in the reader, whether that be fear, shock, revulsion, or even titillation. We can be both repulsed and attracted by the more horrific elements of our nature, which is why horror holds such an enduring fascination and appeal.

Common horror tropes

Tropes can be subverted or blended to create fresh takes on horror, but they remain staples that resonate with audiences’ fears and expectations. Here are some common examples:

• The Haunted House: A classic setting that often features ghosts, paranormal activity, locked rooms, or a sinister history.
• The Final Girl: The final girl is the last surviving female character who confronts the antagonist who often embodies purity or resilience.
• Creatures and Monsters: Includes vampires, zombies, werewolves, and other supernatural beings that symbolise various fears.
• Isolation: Characters are often trapped in remote locations, locked in rooms, or cut off from help, which heightens tension and fear.
• The Unreliable Narrator: A character whose credibility is compromised, creating doubt about what is real and what is imagined and whether their word can be trusted in the narrative.
• A Descent into Madness: Exploration of mental illness or paranoia, where the true terror comes from within the mind and can affect a character’s credibility.
• The Creepy Child: Children who possess unnatural abilities or knowledge, often embodying innocence that is corrupted by evil.
• Body Horror: The grotesque transformation or mutilation of the human body, exploring themes of identity and fear of physical harm.
• Cults: Groups that engage in dark rituals or worship of malevolent forces, often leading characters into danger and connecting to metaphysical or religious themes.
• The Mad Scientist: A character who pushes the boundaries of ethics and morality, often resulting in horrifying consequences.
• Urban Legends: Stories based on folklore and myths, often warning of dangers lurking in the shadows.
• The Monster Within: Characters grappling with their darker impulses or hidden monstrous sides, often leading to self-destruction.
• The Cursed Object: An item that brings misfortune or horror to those who possess it, often tied to a tragic backstory.
• Evil Doppelgangers: Characters who encounter their sinister look-alikes, leading to themes of identity and duality.
• The Sacrificial Lamb: A character, often innocent or unsuspecting, who becomes a victim to appease a greater evil.
• Tech Gone Wrong: The dangers of technology or science, like artificial intelligence or genetic experiments, spiraling out of control.

Common horror themes

Common themes in horror novels often delve into deep-seated fears and societal anxieties. Here are some of the most common:

• Good vs Evil: Moral conflicts between good and evil forces, exploring the nature of humanity and the potential for darkness within. Many horror stories explore whether the concepts even exist, and whether our idea of “good” is alway right, or is always triumphant.
• Mortality and Death: Exploration of death, the afterlife, and what it means to be alive, often invoking existential dread.
• Fear of the Unknown and the Uncanny: Anxiety surrounding the mysterious, whether it be supernatural forces, unexplainable events, the future, or things that just don’t feel quite right.
• Isolation and Loneliness: Characters face physical or emotional isolation, leading to heightened fear and paranoia.
• Madness and Insanity: The descent into madness, often blurring the line between reality and delusion, reflecting fears of losing control.
• The Corruption of Innocence: The loss of purity or innocence, often through exposure to violence or evil, affecting characters, especially children.
• Family and Betrayal: Tensions within families, including betrayal and secrets, highlighting how fear can arise from those closest to us.
• Societal Fears: Reflection of cultural anxieties, such as fears of technology, government control, or societal collapse.
• Revenge and Justice: The consequences of seeking revenge, often leading to cycles of violence and moral ambiguity.
• Identity and Transformation: Characters struggling with their identities or undergoing physical or psychological transformations, reflecting fears of self and change.
• Nature’s Fury: The natural world turning against humanity like in dystopian or apocalyptic scenarios when the environment becomes hostile.
• The Supernatural vs. Science: The conflict between supernatural beliefs and rational explanations, often questioning the limits of human understanding.
• Sexuality and Desire: Exploration of forbidden desires, often intertwined with themes of power, control, and the taboo.
• Survival and Human Instinct: The struggle for survival in dire situations, examining how fear can drive people to primal behaviour.

Subgenres of horror

Horror is a diverse genre with various subgenres that cater to different tastes and themes. They are also often blended with other genres of fiction to create fascinating works that blend different genre elements together. Here are some notable subgenres of horror:

• Psychological Horror: Focuses on the mental and emotional states of characters, exploring themes of madness, paranoia, and the fragility of reality.
• Supernatural Horror: Involves ghosts, demons, and other supernatural entities, often emphasizing the unknown and the afterlife.
• Gothic Horror: Combines elements of horror and romance, often set in eerie, atmospheric locations with themes of decay, madness, and the supernatural.
• Slasher: Features a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, often characterised by graphic violence and a final girl trope.
• Body Horror: Explores physical transformation or mutilation, focusing on the grotesque aspects of the human body and the fear of losing control over it.
• Zombie Horror: Revolves around the undead and apocalyptic scenarios, often exploring themes of survival and societal breakdown.
• Cosmic Horror: Inspired by writers like H. P. Lovecraft, this subgenre emphasises the insignificance of humanity in the face of incomprehensible, ancient forces.
• Folk Horror: Draws on rural settings, folklore, and pagan rituals, often featuring themes of isolation and the clash between modernity and tradition.
• Paranormal Horror: Centres on ghostly encounters and supernatural phenomena, often involving hauntings and psychic abilities.
• Teen Horror: Aimed at a younger audience, this subgenre often combines elements of coming-of-age stories with horror tropes.
• Alternative History: Set in specific historical contexts, blending actual events with horror elements, often exploring the darker aspects of history.
• Techno-Horror: Explores fears related to technology, such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and the consequences of technological advancements.
• Survival Horror: Focuses on characters struggling to survive against overwhelming odds, often in isolated or hostile environments.
• Dark Fantasy: Blends fantasy elements with horror, creating worlds where supernatural creatures and sinister forces coexist.
• Monster Fiction: Reflects on the darker aspects of humanity or serves as a metaphor for personal or societal struggles.
• Weird Tales: Combines elements of horror, fantasy, and science fiction, creating unique stories that defy traditional genre boundaries. They frequently involve bizarre occurrences, unsettling atmospheres, and elements that challenge the reader’s understanding of reality.

How to write horror fiction

When it comes to writing horror, there are several key elements to keep in mind:

Establish a strong, unsettling atmosphere

Create a sense of dread and unease through vivid descriptions of the setting, using sensory details to immerse the reader in the story’s world. Build tension gradually, hinting at the horrors to come and keeping the reader on edge.

Develop complex, relatable characters

Craft characters that readers can empathize with, making their struggles and fears more impactful. Delve into their psychological states, exploring how they react to the horrors they face. By creating multi-dimensional characters, you can heighten the emotional stakes and make the horror more effective.

Get your pacing right

Balance moments of tension and release, gradually building towards climactic scares. Use foreshadowing and misdirection to keep readers guessing and use cliffhangers and plot twists to cleverly keep readers engaged and surprised. You might employ non-linear storytelling techniques to create a sense of disorientation and unease. Vary the length and structure of your sentences to maintain a dynamic rhythm. Short, punchy sentences can heighten tension, while longer, more descriptive passages can build atmosphere.

Confront the reader with their deepest fears

Tap into universal fears and anxieties, such as the fear of the unknown, losing control, or the threat of bodily harm. By exploring these primal fears, you can create a visceral, emotionally resonant horror experience. Use the fear of the unknown to your advantage by leaving some aspects of the horror unexplained. This allows the reader’s imagination to fill in the gaps, often creating something more terrifying than what you could explicitly describe.

Consider psychological impact

Explore the psychological impact of horror on your characters, delving into their fears, traumas, and emotional responses and show how the horror affects their thoughts, feelings, and actions, and how they cope (or fail to cope) with the situation. Don’t forget the power of the unseen. Sometimes, the most terrifying things are those left to the reader’s imagination. Hint at the horrors lurking in the shadows, and let the reader’s mind do the rest, creating a truly personal and haunting experience.

Stick the landing

Craft a satisfying and memorable ending that lingers with the reader long after they’ve finished the story. The resolution should tie up loose ends while leaving room for interpretation and reflection. Consider subverting expectations or offering a final, haunting twist that recontextualises the entire narrative. Remember, the ending is your last chance to leave a lasting impact on your readers, so make it count by delivering a powerful, thought-provoking conclusion that resonates on a deep, emotional level.

Recommended horror books

Note: All purchase links in this post are affiliate links through BookShop.org, and Novlr may earn a small commission – every purchase supports independent bookstores.