On Writing In The Horror Genre
For seasoned horror writers, most of this post is going to be a bit of a "duh" - but for writers who have never written horror before, hopefully it will help to give you some idea of what the horror genre is, and how it is both distinct from and cross-overable with other genres.
So, What Is Horror?
Really, horror as a genre is all about what you want to try and make the reader feel. Horror writing community "Sharp Teeth" has an article that goes into this far better than I ever could. That said, to tl;dr it - it's mostly about "terror" and "horror". My personal take on it is:
- Terror is a word that's used to describe the anticipation of horror. It's the dread you feel at hearing the phone ring for the third time, in the middle of a series of harassing calls. It's how you feel when a creepy guy is walking behind you at night, and seems to make every turn that you do. It's the paranoia of wondering if everyone in the world really has been brainwashed, and you're the only one who sees what's really happening - or if you're just crazy. It's what you feel when the hero fumbles with the vial of deadly apocalypse-virus and tries not to drop it.
- Horror is a word that's used to describe the reactionary fear when an object of terror is revealed to be...just as bad as you thought it would be, or worse. It's also the fear of what could happen next, the knowlege that things will not get better. It's the feeling you get when the 911 operator says "Get out! The calls are coming from inside the house!" It's the feeling you get when you realize that the guy walking behind you actually is following you, and he has a knife. It's realising that everyone is brainwashed, you don't have an ally left in the world; and if they find out that you're not One Of Them, you're going to end up brainwashed too. It's the vial of apocavirus hitting the ground and shattering, killing everyone in the building, and spreading all over the world.
Both feelings are essentially just "fear" - but different kinds. These aren't definitive explanations/examples, of course - everyone has their own thoughts on what horror is, and YMMV widely. My experience, however, has been that a horror writer aims to manipulate both terror and horror in your average scary story. One way to do this is to start with a tiny bit of terror, keep building it up to a breaking point, and then exposing the true horror that has been lurking beneath the terror all along. Conversely, you could take something that most of humanity is just a little bit terrified about (bugs, sickness, losing people) and push it to a horrifying extreme (giant bugs, plague, the only person left alive). Which is another element of horror - it tends to work best when you manipulate a fear that is shared by many people (clowns) or a part of the human condition (loneliness). Really, though, the ways in which these two elements can be used is only limited by your imagination.
For further clarity, here are some quotes from famous writers/critics, about the genre:
“[Horror fiction] shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that at every moment we teeter on the edge of chaos and oblivion.”
Clive Barker
“Horror is the removal of masks.”
Robert Bloch
"There's nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight."
Lon Chaney
"Unlike Fantasy, Supernatural Fiction and Science Fiction - terms which describe generic structure - Horror is a term which describes an effect. A horror story makes its readers feel horror."
John Grant
"Terror is the desire to save your own ass, but horror is rooted in sympathy.”
Joe Hill
“The shortest horror story:
The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door.”
Frederic Brown
“We ask only to be reassured
About the noises in the cellar
And the window that should not have been open.”
T.S. Eliot
“I think good horror tackles our darkest fears, whatever they may be. It takes us into the minds of the victims, explores the threats, disseminates fear, studies how it changes us. It pulls back the curtain on the ugly underbelly of society, tears away the masks the monsters wear out in the world, shows us the potential truth of the human condition. Horror is truth, unflinching and honest. Not everybody wants to see that, but good horror ensures that it's there to be seen.”
Kealan Patrick Burke
“Here is a list of terrible things,
The jaws of sharks, a vultures wings.
The rabid bite of the dogs of war.
The voice of one who went before.
But most of all the mirror's gaze,
Which counts us out our numbered days.”
Clive Barker
"There is a lovely little horror story about the peasant who started through the haunted wood-the wood that was, people said, inhabited by devils who took any mortal who came their way. But the peasant thought, as he walked slowly along:
I am a good man and have done no wrong. If devils can harm me, then there isn't any justice.
A voice behind him said, “There isn't.”
Fredric Brown
“The three types of fear - The Gross-out: The sight of a severed head tumbling down a flight of stairs, it's when the lights go out and something green and slimy splatters against your arm. Horror: The unnatural, spiders the size of bears, the dead waking up and walking around, when the lights go out and something with claws grabs you by the arm. And the last and worst one: Terror: When you come home and notice everything you own had been taken away and replaced by an exact substitute. It's when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around, there's nothing there...”
Stephen King
“Write me a creature that thinks as well as a man or better than a man, but not like a man.”
John W. Campbell
"The basis of all true cosmic horror is violation of the order of nature, and the profoundest violations are always the least concrete and describable.”
H.P. Lovecraft
“Writing about the unholy is one way of writing about what is sacred.”
Clive Barker
“A horror writer is one who is not only willing to look into the darkest of shadows, but to reach into them too.”
Thomas Scopel
"Sometimes human places create inhuman monsters."
Stephen King
"We are fascinated by the darkness in ourselves, we are fascinated by the shadow, we are fascinated by the boogeyman."
Anthony Hopkins
"I've always felt that the real horror is next door to us, that the scariest monsters are our neighbors."
George A. Romero
"The thing under my bed waiting to grab my ankle isn't real. I know that. I also know that if I'm careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle."
Stephen King
How Do I Write Horror?
The only tip I can give without feeling like a total hack is: plug into your own personal nightmare fuel, and use it as a source. You'll write about something scary in a more vivid, realistic and enthusiastic way if you are actually terrified of it yourself.
Otherwise, the following pages have some great tips on horror writing:
An Excellent Set Of General Tips
More General Tips On Writing Horror
Advice On Writing good Gore
How To Create An Atmosphere of Terror/Fear
Some Great Examples of Horror Tropes In Action
On "Leaving Your Monster In The Closet"
More General Horror Writing Tips
A Very Brief/Efficient Set Of Horror Writing Tips
A Guide To Sub-Genres
Um, do I have to do all this stuff?
Of course not! This page is just meant as a general guide for those who are unfamiliar with this particular genre, but want to try their hand at it. It's definitely not a rule book for the challenge. All the prompts on the prompt list are open to interpretation, and you can apply them as you see fit. Keep in mind that horror crosses over with many other genres, too - comedy, sci-fi, fantasy, etc - often to excellent effect. As said before: it's only limited by your ability to come up with new ideas.
Feel free to comment with any questions you may have!
So, What Is Horror?
Really, horror as a genre is all about what you want to try and make the reader feel. Horror writing community "Sharp Teeth" has an article that goes into this far better than I ever could. That said, to tl;dr it - it's mostly about "terror" and "horror". My personal take on it is:
- Terror is a word that's used to describe the anticipation of horror. It's the dread you feel at hearing the phone ring for the third time, in the middle of a series of harassing calls. It's how you feel when a creepy guy is walking behind you at night, and seems to make every turn that you do. It's the paranoia of wondering if everyone in the world really has been brainwashed, and you're the only one who sees what's really happening - or if you're just crazy. It's what you feel when the hero fumbles with the vial of deadly apocalypse-virus and tries not to drop it.
- Horror is a word that's used to describe the reactionary fear when an object of terror is revealed to be...just as bad as you thought it would be, or worse. It's also the fear of what could happen next, the knowlege that things will not get better. It's the feeling you get when the 911 operator says "Get out! The calls are coming from inside the house!" It's the feeling you get when you realize that the guy walking behind you actually is following you, and he has a knife. It's realising that everyone is brainwashed, you don't have an ally left in the world; and if they find out that you're not One Of Them, you're going to end up brainwashed too. It's the vial of apocavirus hitting the ground and shattering, killing everyone in the building, and spreading all over the world.
Both feelings are essentially just "fear" - but different kinds. These aren't definitive explanations/examples, of course - everyone has their own thoughts on what horror is, and YMMV widely. My experience, however, has been that a horror writer aims to manipulate both terror and horror in your average scary story. One way to do this is to start with a tiny bit of terror, keep building it up to a breaking point, and then exposing the true horror that has been lurking beneath the terror all along. Conversely, you could take something that most of humanity is just a little bit terrified about (bugs, sickness, losing people) and push it to a horrifying extreme (giant bugs, plague, the only person left alive). Which is another element of horror - it tends to work best when you manipulate a fear that is shared by many people (clowns) or a part of the human condition (loneliness). Really, though, the ways in which these two elements can be used is only limited by your imagination.
For further clarity, here are some quotes from famous writers/critics, about the genre:
“[Horror fiction] shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that at every moment we teeter on the edge of chaos and oblivion.”
Clive Barker
“Horror is the removal of masks.”
Robert Bloch
"There's nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight."
Lon Chaney
"Unlike Fantasy, Supernatural Fiction and Science Fiction - terms which describe generic structure - Horror is a term which describes an effect. A horror story makes its readers feel horror."
John Grant
"Terror is the desire to save your own ass, but horror is rooted in sympathy.”
Joe Hill
“The shortest horror story:
The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door.”
Frederic Brown
“We ask only to be reassured
About the noises in the cellar
And the window that should not have been open.”
T.S. Eliot
“I think good horror tackles our darkest fears, whatever they may be. It takes us into the minds of the victims, explores the threats, disseminates fear, studies how it changes us. It pulls back the curtain on the ugly underbelly of society, tears away the masks the monsters wear out in the world, shows us the potential truth of the human condition. Horror is truth, unflinching and honest. Not everybody wants to see that, but good horror ensures that it's there to be seen.”
Kealan Patrick Burke
“Here is a list of terrible things,
The jaws of sharks, a vultures wings.
The rabid bite of the dogs of war.
The voice of one who went before.
But most of all the mirror's gaze,
Which counts us out our numbered days.”
Clive Barker
"There is a lovely little horror story about the peasant who started through the haunted wood-the wood that was, people said, inhabited by devils who took any mortal who came their way. But the peasant thought, as he walked slowly along:
I am a good man and have done no wrong. If devils can harm me, then there isn't any justice.
A voice behind him said, “There isn't.”
Fredric Brown
“The three types of fear - The Gross-out: The sight of a severed head tumbling down a flight of stairs, it's when the lights go out and something green and slimy splatters against your arm. Horror: The unnatural, spiders the size of bears, the dead waking up and walking around, when the lights go out and something with claws grabs you by the arm. And the last and worst one: Terror: When you come home and notice everything you own had been taken away and replaced by an exact substitute. It's when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around, there's nothing there...”
Stephen King
“Write me a creature that thinks as well as a man or better than a man, but not like a man.”
John W. Campbell
"The basis of all true cosmic horror is violation of the order of nature, and the profoundest violations are always the least concrete and describable.”
H.P. Lovecraft
“Writing about the unholy is one way of writing about what is sacred.”
Clive Barker
“A horror writer is one who is not only willing to look into the darkest of shadows, but to reach into them too.”
Thomas Scopel
"Sometimes human places create inhuman monsters."
Stephen King
"We are fascinated by the darkness in ourselves, we are fascinated by the shadow, we are fascinated by the boogeyman."
Anthony Hopkins
"I've always felt that the real horror is next door to us, that the scariest monsters are our neighbors."
George A. Romero
"The thing under my bed waiting to grab my ankle isn't real. I know that. I also know that if I'm careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle."
Stephen King
How Do I Write Horror?
The only tip I can give without feeling like a total hack is: plug into your own personal nightmare fuel, and use it as a source. You'll write about something scary in a more vivid, realistic and enthusiastic way if you are actually terrified of it yourself.
Otherwise, the following pages have some great tips on horror writing:
An Excellent Set Of General Tips
More General Tips On Writing Horror
Advice On Writing good Gore
How To Create An Atmosphere of Terror/Fear
Some Great Examples of Horror Tropes In Action
On "Leaving Your Monster In The Closet"
More General Horror Writing Tips
A Very Brief/Efficient Set Of Horror Writing Tips
A Guide To Sub-Genres
Um, do I have to do all this stuff?
Of course not! This page is just meant as a general guide for those who are unfamiliar with this particular genre, but want to try their hand at it. It's definitely not a rule book for the challenge. All the prompts on the prompt list are open to interpretation, and you can apply them as you see fit. Keep in mind that horror crosses over with many other genres, too - comedy, sci-fi, fantasy, etc - often to excellent effect. As said before: it's only limited by your ability to come up with new ideas.
Feel free to comment with any questions you may have!