Modern Good Reads discussion

So my dear horror lovers... what does it for you?

Vampires? Zombies? Werewolves? Or something else in the genre. Share and discuss.

I'm with you, Heidi, I don't get zombie romance at all! For humor, yes, but in any serious capacity? Sorry, that's just necrophilia.

My favorite horror creature is definitely the vampire, but a point that I would like to make is that I don't think vampires have to be an either/or proposition. What I mean by that is that when people talk about wanting to bring the horror back to the vampire, often they mean turning vampires into human-shaped sharks. To me, that's almost as bad as going the other direction to make them cuddly, because how interesting is a vampire when he's nothing but a zombie that doesn't rot?

To me, part of what makes a vampire so compelling is the fact that he's not a mindless, savage creature, but is instead a predator who has the capacity to identify and sometimes even empathize with his prey. Excuse the male pronouns, btw, it's just easier than using he/she every time.

That doesn't mean that a vampire should always be a tragic figure, wallowing in self-pity, but it means that there's a larger range of emotions for the author to explore. Good horror is all about emotion and, to me, a complex monster is far more interesting to read about than a one-dimensional force.

Agree? Disagree?

I agree. Great post, Brian.

Brian, definitely! It is something I briefly touch on in The Hunters, and will get into more as the series progresses. It is certainly easier to kill them if you believe that they are mindless creatures, evil incarnate, etc. But when you realize that (like tigers) they aren't the simple villain it becomes harder to take them down.... oh no, I gave away part of the plots for later in the series! But I grew up with Lost Boys and Anne Rice vampires. Complex is so much more alluring!

Thanks guys! Good topic! Okay, so what are everyone's thoughts on werewolves?

I'll go out on a limb here and say that the typical werewolf is somewhat boring to me. In a lot of the ancient folklore, a werewolf was a witch who used powers to transform into a wolf. To me, a thinking werewolf is a truly terrifying concept.

Stephen King's Silver Bullet was probably one of the scariest werewolf movies because the creature had savage strength and bloodlust, but also a man's cunning and strategy. That scene with the fog in the woods remains a masterpiece of suspense and terror! Robert McCammon's The Wolf's Hour was a great twist on the typical werewolf idea, highly recommended if you haven't read it!

A lot of people I know really love the traditional "Wolf Man" style werewolf where it's a curse and all that. Personally, I think that concept has been done about as well as it could be done by now.

Just as an aside, how awesome could a remake of The Howling be with modern FX makeup and CG?

I'm more a fan of Vampire Hunters. Peter Cushing springs to mind :) If I had to choose between vampires and werewolves, then it would have to be vampires due to their better dress sense!

I like werewolves. To me, the tortured soul approach is much more appealing with the werewolf mythos of having no control when you turn. Suffering from a bit of OCD, the thought of having no control absolutely terrifies me! But if werewolves are the villian, then definitely the ones with cunning are scarier. I also think the concept of them being larger than traditional wolves adds to the fear factor, but not big fluffy dogs (like some unmentionable YA books!)
There is something awesome, magestic, and even scary about regular wolves. That conflict with the psyche from something natural, then tapping into supernatural elements is a nice bonus!

I was a vampire freak until...you know what...spoiled it, lol. Werewolves have this forbidden, scare the crap out of me, sexiness to them that I love to see them as the bad guy, but have a redeeming quality to them.

I've never been into dogs as household pets, so werewolves are a bit meh. Vampires and zombies seem to be here there and everywhere these days, so they've lost a bit of what made them villainous.

I have been sick to my back teeth of zombies and werewolves together for years. Buffy, Underworld, Vampire Diaries, Twilight, Van Helsing and there's probably more... When I began writing my vampire novels I was determined there wouldn't be a wolf in sight...

Shane wrote: "So my dear horror lovers... what does it for you?

Vampires? Zombies? Werewolves? Or something else in the genre. Share and discuss."

Hi I'm Lucee, this will be my first time posting in this group. Although I've been with goodreads, since January, I'm still trying to feel my away around. I hope to find more time to explore this group and look at some of the books on the bookshelf. I look forward to sharing.

Shane wrote: "I have been sick to my back teeth of zombies and werewolves together for years. Buffy, Underworld, Vampire Diaries, Twilight, Van Helsing and there's probably more... When I began writing my vampir..."

But ... the children of the night ... what sweet music they make ... ;)

The day will come when they will combine all three into one mega monster...plus there will probably be an alien invasion and robots taking over thrown in as well!

I like just about all supes but have never really gotten into zombies. Vamps, were creatures, ghost are my favorites.

Ghosts are ok - except when it comes to getting them to help with heavy lifting :)

I love vampire romance but without the blood and gore. Its hard to get into the romantic parts with that in it. I've come across a really great vampire series, by Lorelei Bell, The Sabrina Strong series. Its full of mystery, suspense, and complexities when it comes to love.

Shelly wrote: "I love vampire romance but without the blood and gore. Its hard to get into the romantic parts with that in it. I've come across a really great vampire series, by Lorelei Bell, The Sabrina Strong s..."

Hey Shelly, you should head on over to the Urban Fantasy Paranormal Romance thread and give us some vampire romance recommendations (book cover links and stuff).

:)

I'm definitely a zombie fan, more than vampires and werewolves. I don't mind the latter, but they have to be done well and have a different take to things we've seen before.

Like Brian mentioned....zombie romance? Bit weird, though I'm a slight hypocrite in saying that because one of my own novels has some subtle zombie romance - no, nobody actually gets it on! But I do love this horor/supernatural genre and when something new is brought to the table I get quite excited.

I agree, Geoffrey. Sometimes you can't avoid putting something in for the sake of the story, even if you generally frown on that concept. When I have to do it, I take it as a challenge to put a new twist on it or I'll have one of the characters actually comment on the trope.

I like different werewolves as well. My were book isn't finished yet, but I went for the folkloric kind that use wolf pelts in a ritual to transform. That way, they retain their personality and intelligence in wolf-man form.

Travis wrote: "Shelly wrote: "I love vampire romance but without the blood and gore. Its hard to get into the romantic parts with that in it. I've come across a really great vampire series, by Lorelei Bell, The S..."

I'm off today and will be glad to do so later. I have my own writing to tend to. I know of two authors then to suggest to that group. I really enjoy reading them. Lorelei Bell and Lisa Olsen. Awesome stuff.

R.M.F wrote: "Ghosts are ok - except when it comes to getting them to help with heavy lifting :)"

Not unless your ghosts are tangible.

Hugs and chocolate. :)

I like monsters most of all. Otherworldly beings and dimensional horrors of strange and arcane description...those get me interested right away!

I kind of like werewolves and zombies too. But I'm not a big paranormal romance person.

Shane wrote: "So my dear horror lovers... what does it for you?

Vampires? Zombies? Werewolves? Or something else in the genre. Share and discuss."

Shane wrote: "So my dear horror lovers... what does it for you?

Vampires? Zombies? Werewolves? Or something else in the genre. Share and discuss."

Shane wrote: "So my dear horror lovers... what does it for you?

Vampires? Zombies? Werewolves? Or something else in the genre. Share and discuss."

I love shifters...sexy weres...could be werewolves, or werepantheres, weretigers, werecougars, basically big, strong and weresexy. I can get into vampires, but I really prefer the body heat of the were, as well as the flexibility; they aren't stuck into the cycle of the sun. Nor are they dependent on blood-sucking. And they are so sexy.

Zombies are gross. I don't like reading about them. They are boring boring boring. I do like ghosts, demons, and other supernaturals. I am just not interested in zombies unless it's in a secondary character format or for comedy effect (again, secondary character).

New horror antagonist: The Me-ak
Refreshingly horrific.

All great monsters must have a humanistic side. Frankenstein, Dracula, Lestat, etc. all had the quality of empathy, regret, & love. The hit Tv show Dexter is really about a monster a serial murderer that ruminates over what he is doing, what he will do, & what he has done. Whatever character an author creates, it is imperative that he remember that complete evil isn't all that interesting.

Tema wrote: "All great monsters must have a humanistic side. Frankenstein, Dracula, Lestat, etc. all had the quality of empathy, regret, & love. The hit Tv show Dexter is really about a monster a serial murd..."

Good point, Tema.

As a child, vampires frightened me the most. The thought of a creature being able to shrink into something much smaller or perhaps even turn into mist and slither beneath my door and appear at my bedside looming over me ready to "suck my blood" was horrifying. We all know the reality is that vampires don't need an invitation to enter...they can do what they want. And a cross? Get real! Vampires can be older than Christianity. And do you really think they would believe in Jesus?? Being from the South, with lots of nice fog to roll in on rainy nights added to the terror. So, for horror, vampires work. If we are talking about my favorite overall, I LOVE shifters. Especially weres. Of course, I don't want a were-otter or a were-mouse, I prefer a big were...sexy...I'm sure you know the type. I hate zombies. They are overdone, disgusting, and just boringly gross.

Michelle wrote: "As a child, vampires frightened me the most. The thought of a creature being able to shrink into something much smaller or perhaps even turn into mist and slither beneath my door and appear at my b..."
I think I fall right on the opposite end of the spectrum here. Shifters and Vamps have been too sexualized thanks to the boom in paranormal romance. For me, real horror goes in the Zombie vein, here we have a monster that is gross, rotting, but alive, hungering for our flesh. It isn't pretty, there is no attractive trade off of immortality, no zombies represent an existence more horrifying than death, you lose your mind, nothing but a rotting shell which hungers and is never satisfied. Do you feed to survive? No, you devour humans driven by a hunger that is pointless, violent, and brutal. Worse is zombies, (ignoring some recent incarnations) have no human redeeming qualities. You get bit, oh sucker you are done. What made zombie lit so terrifying was the inevitably the monster who win.
Take it back even further, the Voodoo Zombie represents a complete state of helplessness, you are enslaved to someone's will in a state of living death. Even if you take away the rotting flesh aspect of the zombie, it is still a terrifying state of existence.

You do make an excellent, and terrifying, point. I may be forced to have a newfound respect (but will still harbor my disgust) for zombies. Zombies' lack of redeeming qualities contributes to level of terror not found in the other monsters. In some cases, even a scratch leads to infection. So, I can clearly understand the terror here. There is no way (at least not for me) to sexualize a zombie. They are pure danger.

Tema wrote: "All great monsters must have a humanistic side. Frankenstein, Dracula, Lestat, etc. all had the quality of empathy, regret, & love. The hit Tv show Dexter is really about a monster a serial murd..."

Totally agree. I am a Gargoyle fan, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of that out there. The popularity of "sexy" vampires hits my "ick" button, as I have handled way too many dead bodies to want to mess with them. As monsters, though, they are facinating. Listening to a Russian take on vampires. It is really good.

I'm only now seeing anything on gargoyles. I do know that when I've seen them on buildings, they are quite spooky.

I adore them. Their whole history is amazing, and the artistic designs are fascinating.

There is a series with a gargoyle, I can't remember the name right now, but it is pretty good. Looking forward to more - hopefully soon!

Brian wrote: "Thanks guys! Good topic! Okay, so what are everyone's thoughts on werewolves?

I'll go out on a limb here and say that the typical werewolf is somewhat boring to me. In a lot of the ancient folklor..."

Okay, entirely not horror but in my paranormal series, The Secrets of Avelina, the werewolves are referred to as lycans and they're basically humans in an old Native American Indian style community. They turn into wolves because their blood has always made it so, and they're an older race than vampires. Other than being a wolf, they do have other powers, but more akin with the earth.

I've always found vampires/werewolves equally fascinating. That's why they're in my series, along with witches and seers. I think they're all capable of being intricately linked without it seeming far-fetched.

(I also studied vampires for a while, and loved the old stories from Poveglia Island in Italy, where real people had bricks placed in their mouths after they died because if they became a vampire, they couldn't bite anyone or get the brick out. Ingenious if you ask me.)