Horror Aficionados discussion

For you, what elements need to come together to make a great horror story? Is it the situation? Gore? Does it have to be scary? Is it about the characters themselves?

In your opinion, what's the difference between a good horror story and a great one?

Scott wrote: "As in everything, a sense of wonder, and/or an emotional connection."

Exactly. If you don't share some sort of bond with the characters, who cares what happens to them?

Funny you should just start up this discussion. I just finished a short story, a teaser for a series, where I got absolutely no emotional connection or bond with the character in the story. And, as you say, I really didn't care what happened to her. She could have died at the end of the story and it wouldn't have concerned me at all.

Characters, of course. The story won't be exciting enough to read if you don't care.

Atmosphere, too. If the author can create a scene that the reader can see in their mind then half the job is done. The reader has to believe the setting, be there with the characters, in order to feel the emotion that anxiety or fear can bring.

Dylan wrote: "Atmosphere, too. If the author can create a scene that the reader can see in their mind then half the job is done. The reader has to believe the setting, be there with the characters, in order to feel the emotion that anxiety or fear can bring."

Good point. Characters are the most important aspect for me, but atmosphere is absolutely vital.

I have to agree, it's gotta start off with characters I can understand or relate to at least, if not necessarily like. Then the rest is up to what happens to them, what stuff do they have to face. And it's gotta be written well enough that I can picture the settings and events in my mind.

Brandon wrote: "In your opinion, what's the difference between a good horror story and a great one? ..."
Honestly gore doesn't frighten me, it might gross me out some but disgust and fear are not the same thing. The characters have to interest me, love them or hate them when you feel indifferent then it's not a good story.

For me, horror should save some of its best shocks for the end, and that end should come unexpectedly. Not gonna say I'd never do it in my own work because every story is different, but I am not a big fan of falling action in a horror story. Happy endings are also iffy. Bittersweet maybe, but save happy for the Disney movies.

Character development is first and foremost, because if I don't care for the characters do I really need to care what any horror situation holds for them? I have to be scared FOR them to be scared myself.

I hate obvious horror: monsters hiding in closets; a group of people coming together at the end of the story to kill a monster, especially with some "magical" device a person has had all along but didn't know it would work. Lame!

What scares me the most are the throwaway things that may not scare other people. Build these up in a story and I'm yours. An example that comes to mind is in Seed when Charlie's mother is bent over tying her shoelaces and feels air on the top of her head and looks up to see Charlie bent down right on top of her. It was unexpected and in one quick scene spelled out just how frightening it was to be around the girl.

That's a good example, Tressa!
I always thought that I had to like the characters to enjoy the book. Then I read We Need to Talk About Kevin. I didn't like any of those characters and but I enjoyed the hell out of the book.

I like the building sense of dread and unease in horror stories. I find that very few authors are able to keep those feelings up throughout a story-but I've found a few that I believe do that very well.

Thanks, Charlene and Kyle. I agree with Charlene that I don't have to like a character to enjoy a book, but there's usually some flawed person in the book that I do care enough about to be anxious about the outcome of the story. I agree with you about We Need to Talk. I think the person I cared for in that book was society itself!

Keeping the sense of dread up in a horror story is difficult to do, and when a writer can do that, I praise him/her to the heavens for a job well done. To not only scare me but to make me want to flip to the end because I just can't take it any more is admirable to this jaded horror fan.

"To not only scare me but to make me want to flip to the end because I just can't take it any more is admirable to this jaded horror fan."

Again, well said Tressa!

Good writing that draws you in, a palpable sense of threat and tension, and characters you care about or feel some sort of empathy for. I want to feel at least a bit thrilled or spooked, if not downright scared. I prefer supernatural horror, personally.

I think there should be a point where you realize that things can no longer be "fixed" for the main character(s)--that whatever is happening is, at least to some significant extent, irreversible.

I agree. I have to like a char to feel horror over what happens to them.

I dislike books that one nasty thing after another happens to the cars. I want the build to the scream at the end. If too much too soon the last scare losses its punch

My car once screamed when I didn't change the oil for a year and a half...

I would say certain elements of horror are reached, whether it be gore or undead,etc you alwys want to scare, shock or gross out when writing horror if it doesnt have that style then it needs more. also a good storyline is always good and making sure the intended audience gets their horrors worth

One thing I really love in horror is exploring what rational people would do when suddenly dropped into an irrational, supernatural situation. I find that stories that explore this deeply really interest me. It seemed like a lot of King's stories in Everything's Eventual dealt with this, almost like a theme. Of course, I don't think that was intentional based off of King's writing style.

I also like it when there is a feeling of dread present throughout the book like Tressa talked about. That doesn't mean it has to be all horror though, I like it when the horror goes to the back burner for a few chapters for the author to focus on the characters' lives outside the greater story and show us their personalities.

"One thing I really love in horror is exploring what rational people would do when suddenly dropped into an irrational, supernatural situation. I find that stories that explore this deeply really interest me."

I totally agree, Matthew. I think that's quite possibly the most fascinating thing about horror for me.

What would happen to a rational person who discovered vampires are real? After that, nothing is off the table. You hear a dog howling in the distance and immediately wonder, "Could that be a werewolf?"

You go by a cemetery and suddenly you think of zombies.

When reality is shifted for a person, it would change absolutely everything.

Brandon wrote: "When reality is shifted for a person, it would change absolutely everything. ..."

It's funny how humans in these stories don't go insane when met with an alien or vampire or four-story octopus. Their whole world has been picked up and turned inside out, yet they act like it's business as usual, they just now have to battle this alien, vampire, or four-story octopus before they can go back to their schools or their jobs.

Yeah...I hate when I see 4 story octopi.
Messes up my whole day.

Charlene wrote: "Yeah...I hate when I see 4 story octopi.
Messes up my whole day."

Remain calm and carry on. That's what you should do. Not have your hair turn white and go stark raving mad, like people would do in the real world.

People are pretty adaptable. If this stuff really happened, I think most would carry on, psychologically scarred but not destroyed. It's interesting to speculate about, either way!

You're probably right.

Just saw the movie Perfect Sense.
the premise of the movie is following some physical/emotional reaction a sense is lost. 1st smell, then taste, then hearing and finally sight. BTW this is a worldwide epidemic it is happening to EVERYONE.

The movie is classed as: drama, romance, sci-fi.

My question just like facing the 4 story octopi knowing the fact that a person KNOWS that this will happen to him, how does he handle it? Does it constitute horror? It does to me I think this would be terrifying.

I'd rather face a 4-story octopus! I recently learned about a blind man who was also slowly going deaf. This person told me that the guy may develop a suicidal tendency because of it. Can you imagine living inside your own head with touch being the ONLY outside communication stimulation? That sounds like a true horror story, Michael.

Michael wrote: "Just saw the movie Perfect Sense."

I saw it about a month ago. I thought they did a good job of predicting what might happen with lost of smell and taste, but it helped that one of the main characters was a chef. Those two senses were the majority of the film, as things go downhill quickly after loss of hearing and sight...

Overall, I liked the premise more than the execution, but it was a decent film.

There was a similar film a few years ago, Blindness, which just dealt with a pandemic of the loss of sight.

I absolutely could not stand that. I'd much rather be chased by monsters or some guy with an axe or whatever. However, somehow, I want to say that although it's horrifying, that premise isn't horror.

What do you think? Is every story that deals with subject matter that's scary to contemplate automatically horror? If not, what is the difference?

Randy wrote: "Michael wrote: "Just saw the movie Perfect Sense."

I saw it about a month ago. I thought they did a good job of predicting what might happen with lost of smell and taste, but it helped that one of..."

agree wholeheartedly Randy the way the loss of smell and taste was handled well.
The romantic and heart tugging sequence before the loss of sight was contrived. Hence the romantic tag put in just to appeal to a certain demographic.

I did enjoy the emotional "tic" that would occur before each loss was interesting.

I haven't seen the movie yet, hadn't even heard of it. It sounds interesting, looks like I'm going to have to check it out. Thanks for the heads up guys!

Cathy, are you talking to me and my "true horror story" comment? I wasn't defining the book by genre, just saying something to the effect of "what a horror of a predicament."

Tressa wrote: "Remain calm and carry on. That's what you should do. Not have your hair turn white and go stark raving mad, like people would do in the real world."

I think I'd be cool with it if vampires or aliens or whatnot would come out in public, and be for real. I don't think I'd go mad, I'd be like, ok, what have I learned from reading/movies, and go with it. Granted, as I'm not in shape or anything, and probably couldn't run very far to save my life, I'm sure I'd be one of the first casualties, but hey, I'm cool with it :)

I also think I would be (maybe could be?) ok in a giant octopus situation. Maybe even in a zombie situation.
I would NEVER be ok blind and deaf. No books or music?
Please shoot me or hand me a gun so I could do it myself.

Charlene wrote: "I would NEVER be ok blind and deaf. No books or music?..."

Just you for company, 24/7. Hope you like yourself!

I think I'd rather be blind and deaf than be attacked by a giant cockroach, though.

No, it was more a general musing. To me, it seems like many things are horrific without being "horror" and I'm wondering where the boundaries lie and if they're the same for other people.

Blind and deaf? Terrible thought -- at least you could learn braille, I guess. The absolute worst fate seems to me to be locked-in syndrome, where you're conscious but can't move or communicate. No way to occupy yourself or even get that itch on your nose scratched ... GAAAH! Isn't that what The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was about?

Matthew wrote: "One thing I really love in horror is exploring what rational people would do when suddenly dropped into an irrational, supernatural situation. I find that stories that explore this deeply really i..."


Please don't laugh at this. I am a Cancer Survior. I was once told I would not still be alive today. I think the reason I like reading about people overcoming horrors is it kind of mirrors what I went through.

LOL I think I have finnally figured out my love for a good zombie story

Suspence,but without boring me.
Lots of descripion,about the gory stuff though,i don't need to know about the main characters great great grandfather's home town.
Of course the most important is a good ending,no one likes to rave about a book and have to say "the ending sucked though..."

A neurological response that reminds us we are far too mortal.

I'm a character-orientated gal, so while it has to have a good story, I like to care about who it's happening to, especially if they're good with the psychological richness of the horror, making it much more effective.

I agree with all of you about characters. I think Stephen King has said that he let's his characters go through and THEY determine the plot. Pretty cool. I also need vivid description so I can believe what is going on. Not just the characters, but the place, especially "pre horror" so I can really see the place (setting) change. Psychological horror is big for me as well. I love when there are monsters or supernatural and I also have to wonder about the character. I did NOT like Jack in The Shining at all, but he was a compelling character facing his own demons. Love that kind-of stuff!

Does anybody else think a winter at a huge NON-HAUNTED hotel sounds like a grand idea? I think I was going through some bad times when I saw the movie and thought how great it would be to get away from the world for several months. No bustling crowds, no bullshit from bosses, just peace and quiet.

I'ed take hostages to get a job like that.

That would be the perfect job for you, Jon. And maybe a newlywed couple, lol. Not so sure about an old married couple who fights all the time. Could be some axes in play on down the line.

It would.
I'm not so sure.
You don't hear about many domestic homicides in senior citizen communities.

Well, I didn't mean elderly married couple. They're too tired by that time to bother to pick up an ax.

Jon Recluse wrote: "You don't hear about many domestic homicides in senior citizen communities."

Do you think they look at the deaths very closely? When my dad died at one, it was the funeral home that picked up the body, not the coroner.

I've read quite a few stories lately about elderly men and women killing their SOs.

So, an old married couple is what?
50?
Senior citizen communities are usually 55+.....

Most of the old married couples in this senior community are in their 90's. Some have been married for over 60 years.