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1Lesson 15: Horror Fiction
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4>>> Characteristics of Horror Fiction
5Fear is a powerful emotion everyone experiences. Many children experience fear when they are alone in the dark. They are afraid that monsters could hide under the bed, come out of the closet at night, or are the cause of noise in the attic. While noises and darkness may startle many adults, fear is most often the result of feeling powerless. Real-life situations like violent acts, facing death, or the loss of control in general are common fears for most adults. Fear of the unknown can be terrifying.
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7H. P. Lovecraft, one of America’s most influential horror writers once said, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”
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9Authors will use both terror and horror to stimulate fear responses in a reader. Terror is defined as the feelings of dread and panic experienced prior to something happening. The word has not deviated from its Latin origin, terror, which means ‘to frighten.’ Horror is defined as the emotions of revulsion and shock felt after something has occurred. Horror comes from the Latin word horrere, meaning ‘to shiver.’ Writers can weave both terror and horror into normal situations to stir up feelings of panic or fear. Authors may even introduce supernatural elements and unbelievable events or circumstances to enhance the emotional reaction.
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11To create a good horror story, writers use literary elements in specific ways to help them develop the plot of a story, create an atmosphere of apprehension, and manipulate an emotional response. 
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13Common characteristics of horror fiction include:
14Uneasy mood and eerie setting
15Graphic violence
16Use of humor
17Uncontrollable characters
18The bad guy
19Unforeseen events
20Suspenseful ending
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22The time, location, and most importantly the right atmosphere, should be established. The best horror fiction creates an uneasy mood and eerie setting. Perhaps the setting could be an old abandoned cabin isolated deep in the woods. Details of spider webs, thick dust, creaky floorboards, and boarded-up windows blocking out light add to the creepy surroundings. Complicating the situation are things such as strange noises coming from the woods, an odd pungent smell, no electricity, and a lack of cell phone signal.
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24These types of details establish an unsettling mood by stimulating the imagination. Readers begin to question: What is lurking in the woods? Where is that bad smell coming from? Will the characters survive the night?
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26Violence is used in many horror stories to arouse fear, anxiety and tension. In years past, most violence was only implied, but today’s standard for violence has become sensationally graphic.
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28For instance, The Shining by Stephen King has many examples of graphic violence as terrifying events unfold when a young family stays at the Overlook Hotel. Danny, the family’s son, has extrasensory perception, or “shining” as it’s called in the novel. The boy has an uneasy feeling about the hotel from the beginning. As the family first tours the facility, Danny sees blood and gore on the wall of a room. The hotel seems to be haunted by supernatural forces that begin to affect the father’s behavior. As the story progresses, one character is smashed in the face with a wine bottle. Later, the father attacks his wife with a mallet so violently he breaks several of her bones. The father even beats himself with the mallet to the point that his own son does not recognize him.
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30Horror and humor often go hand-in-hand. Both horror and humor stimulate an emotional gut-response that automatically happens but cannot easily be explained. Horror writers use humor in their stories to take their readers on an emotional roller coaster. Humor provides momentary relief from the scary parts and causes the reader to connect with the characters.
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32For example, in Stephen King’s The Shining, the family is on their way to the old hotel. The young son basically asks the classic family road trip question, “Are we there yet?” because he is hungry. His father quips, “Well, you should have eaten your breakfast.” When characters make us chuckle or we are able to see them as ordinary people, we begin to care about them. This actually heightens the fear response because we do not want anything bad to happen to the characters we care about.
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34Horror writers provide suspense by supplying just enough detail about characters without giving away ‘too much, too soon.’ Earlier works of horror often used monsters, vampires, or some type of supernatural creature to create the ‘uncontrollable character.’ For example, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein’s obsession with science and the secrets to life drive him to create a monster. Unfortunately, he neglects the monster and the monster in turn grows angry towards his creator and a society that he can never fit into. This anger ultimately causes the uncontrollable monster to kill.
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36Modern horror writers still use monsters or ‘science gone wrong’ to create uncontrollable characters, but they are just as likely to use human evildoers. Most human evildoers in horror stories have been affected by an evil supernatural force, genetic mutation, or form of psychosis that compels them to do unimaginable things beyond their control.
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38In most literary works it is easy to point out the bad guy. The main purpose of the bad guy, or antagonist, is to create turmoil and conflict for the protagonist, or main character. The horror antagonist is evil, cold-hearted, and has nothing but cruel intentions. Perhaps the antagonist is a vampire, school bully, debt collector, the devil, or even a car.
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40For example, in the novel Christine, written by Stephen King, Christine is the antagonist. Christine is a 1958 Plymouth Fury that Arnold Cunningham has his heart set on possessing. When he finally owns the car, it consumes all of his time. It alienates him from his family and friends. When Arnie attempts to have a relationship with a girl from school, Christine is determined to get rid of her, even if it means killing her.
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42Unforeseen events are added to keep the readers on edge. Providing an unforeseen event increases the level of tension and keeps the reader guessing as to what will happen next. Typical examples of unexpected events include a vehicle breaking down, falling objects, an unexpected visitor, or an animal darting out in front of a car.
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44One example of an unforeseen event is in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Unexpected mutant animals suddenly appear to hunt down the final three participants in a death game. These creatures resemble previous participants that were eliminated earlier in the game, causing the remaining participants to question whether real body parts were used in their creation. The reader is now engrossed and unable to put the book down.
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46First-rate authors of horror fiction always save the best for last. Most horror writers leave the ending somewhat unresolved. This makes the story even more unsettling because it indicates a continuation of the story. It adds to the suspense by implying that the horrid situation can occur again, and again, and again.
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48In Cell by Stephen King, a signal is sent out worldwide turning cell-phone users into zombie-like killers. People attack each other, break things, and behave like monsters. Clay is the protagonist who is searching for his son. Eventually, he finds his son who has been corrupted by the signal. He believes he can heal his son by giving him another dose of the signal. The story concludes with Clay dialing a number and placing a phone to his son’s ear. This is a suspenseful ending because the main question is left unanswered. Will his plan work or make matters worse?
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51>>> “Legend of Sleepy Hollow”
52Washington Irving’s “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” was published in 1820. It is a story from his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. This collection reflected regional culture during a time when the American Revolution was relatively fresh in the minds of Americans. “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” became very popular because of this connection to the war. Battlefield sites, whether real or imaginary, often became the inspiration for ghost stories because of an association with blood, suffering, and death. By today’s horror standards, “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” will seem very tame. Yet, Irving’s work was the beginning of the American horror story.
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54Literature in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was part of a movement called Romanticism. Literary works of the Romantic era favored imagination and emotions over reason and intellect. They often included exotic and mysterious locations, as well as elements of the supernatural. This is true of the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The story is based on the myths, legends, folklores, and ghost stories of its time. It is set in a gloomy, isolated village called Sleepy Hollow, located in the hills of rural New York. The land is believed to be filled with sorcery and spirits.
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56Read the quotation from James Thomson’s poem, “The Castle of Indolence” at the beginning of the story. Notice how it introduces a mystical ambiance. The lines give the impression that the story to come is like a lazy afternoon daydream.
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58Irving was obviously inspired by James Thomson’s poem “The Castle of Indolence” when he wrote “Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
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60Read the full stanza surrounding the poem’s lines to see more clearly its significance—Irving’s borrowing of mood and setting. What appears to be a quaint valley in the hills actually has a darkness hovering over it that sends “sleepy horror thro’ the blood.”
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62It does not take Irving long to begin morphing the sleepy setting into a nightmare.
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64Q: At what point in the story does Irving shift from a dreamy mood and setting to an uneasy mood and eerie setting?
65A: Irving shifts from a dreamy mood and setting to an uneasy mood and eerie setting early on in the exposition of the story, even before he introduces the characters of his tale. He first hints at the shift in the line:
66“A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere. Some say that the place was bewitched…”
67Irving goes into more detail a few lines later in the section that reads:
68“…the place still continues under the sway of some witching power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people, causing them to walk in a continual reverie. They are given to all kinds of marvelous beliefs; are subject to trances and visions, and frequently see strange sights, and hear music and voices in the air. The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions; stars shoot and meteors glare oftener across the valley than in any other part of the country, and the nightmare, with her whole ninefold, seems to make it the favorite scene of her gambols.”
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70One common characteristic of horror that is missing from “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is graphic violence. Yet, graphic violence is not required. There are plenty of great horror stories without blood and guts. Instead, Irving uses language and imagery to paint a picture of the unknown possibilities of horror. The true horror or threat of graphic violence is only in the imaginations of the inhabitants of Sleepy Hollow, especially Ichabod’s greatest fear of the ghosts that haunt the area.
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72Until the very end of the story, nothing resembling the graphic violence often associated with horror actually happens. The closest example is Ichabod’s encounter and horse chase with the Headless Horseman. Again, the horror of graphic violence is left to the imagination and left in doubt that it even occurred.
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74Q: What is Irving’s first use of imagery connected to graphic violence? 
75A: The description of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow (pages 3-4) is the first imagery used that is directly connected to graphic violence.
76“The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannon-ball, in some nameless battle during the Revolutionary War, and who is ever and anon seen by the country folk hurrying along in the gloom of night, as if on the wings of the wind…the ghost rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head…”
77There is no question that this imagery is gruesome and directly reflects the graphic violence of a bloody battlefield littered with limbs, bodies, and at least one severed head.
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79Q: How does Irving set up a potential threat of violence?
80A: Irving uses language and imagery to paint a picture of the unknown possibilities of horror and potential threat of violence in the following passage (page10):
81“What fearful shapes and shadows beset his path, amidst the dim and ghastly glare of a snowy night! With what wistful look did he eye every trembling ray of light streaming across the waste fields from some distant window! How often was he appalled by some shrub covered with snow, which, like a sheeted spectre, beset his very path! How often did he shrink with curdling awe at the sound of his own steps on the frosty crust beneath his feet; and dread to look over his shoulder, lest he should behold some uncouth being tramping close behind him! and how often was he thrown into complete dismay by some rushing blast, howling among the trees…
82All these, however, were mere terrors of the night, phantoms of the mind that walk in darkness; and though he had seen many spectres in his time, and been more than once beset by Satan in divers shapes, in his lonely perambulations…”
83This passage reflects Ichabod’s paranoia of evil supernatural forces that seek to cause harm.
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85It is not unusual for horror stories to have humor. “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is often considered a parody of English gothic horror, romance, and Romanticism. Gothic horror typically combines elements of horror and romance by surrounding the characters in mysterious or grotesque situations. Romanticism often idealizes the past and heroic courage, but is set in a melancholy present. All this sounds serious, but much of the humor in “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is making fun of these ideals.
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87For example, neither Ichabod Crane nor Brom Bones resemble brave heroes. Irving metaphorically refers to them as knights’ errant—knights behaving badly. Both men pursue the same woman. Ichabod, being motivated by gaining her inheritance, tries to woo Katrina by showing off. Brom is focused on sabotaging Ichabod’s attempts. This story parodies romanticist ideals. Irving purposefully exaggerates plot and character by giving us an absurd example of a heroic knight. Ichabod is a coward and does not slay the ‘dragon’ or get the girl.
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89Q: When does Irving use humor to directly parody Romanticism and gothic romances?
90A: Irving uses humor to parody Romanticism and gothic romances most directly in his description of Gunpowder and Ichabod as they depart for the Van Tassel party. Read the following excerpt from page 19:
91“That he might make his appearance before his mistress in the true style of a cavalier, he borrowed a horse from the farmer with whom he was domiciliated…and, thus gallantly mounted, issued forth like a knight-errant in quest of adventures. But it is meet I should, in the true spirit of romantic story, give some account of the looks and equipments of my hero and his steed. The animal he bestrode was a broken-down plow-horse, that had outlived almost everything but its viciousness. He was gaunt and shagged, with a ewe neck, and a head like a hammer; his rusty mane and tail were tangled and knotted with burs; one eye had lost its pupil, and was glaring and spectral, but the other had the gleam of a genuine devil in it…”
92“Ichabod was a suitable figure for such a steed. He rode with short stirrups, which brought his knees nearly up to the pommel of the saddle; his sharp elbows stuck out like grasshoppers'; he carried his whip perpendicularly in his hand, like a sceptre, and as his horse jogged on, the motion of his arms was not unlike the flapping of a pair of wings. A small wool hat rested on the top of his nose, for so his scanty strip of forehead might be called, and the skirts of his black coat fluttered out almost to the horse’s tail.”
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94Q: How is this parody scene an example of grotesque humor?
95A: The image of Ichabod and his run-down horse is the opposite vision of a virile hero and his powerful steed. The fact that Ichabod is completely unaware he is a ridiculous sight makes him all the more grotesque.
96The last comment of the narrator serves as Irving’s punch line:
97“Such was the appearance of Ichabod and his steed as they shambled out of the gate of Hans Van Ripper, and it was altogether such an apparition as is seldom to be met with in broad daylight.”
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99While the purpose of parody is humor, the purpose of satire is criticism. Irving uses satire in “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” not in a harsh political sense but as a means to expose human folly in a playful and witty manner. It is the exaggeration of Ichabod’s character as a foolish man that ends up qualifying him as an uncontrollable character.
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101Ichabod depicts a lack of control on several levels. He is completely driven by his own self-interests. He has a huge appetite for food and scary stories. But it is his vivid imagination that complicates his life most. He has a particular fondness for Cotton Mather’s writings on the history of witchcraft and routinely walks home in the dark. Combined, these habits churn all kinds of wild thoughts in Ichabod’s mind. The power of his imagination eventually takes over to the point that he not only believes the ghost story of the Headless Horseman, but also believes the fantasy that he will own the Van Tassel farm with all its edible bounty. Irving is satirizing the selfishness in human nature through Ichabod’s lack of control.
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103While Ichabod is not a monster or purely evil, and does not have supernatural powers, he becomes uncontrollable with fear by believing in such things. It is his imagination of an evil supernatural force that ultimately is his downfall.
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105Q: What is the significance of Ichabod’s surname and how does it symbolically represent his tendency to be easily frightened?
106A: Ichabod Crane is described as “tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs.” The narrator compares Ichabod to a crane, a long-necked and long-legged bird. He states how Ichabod’s last name is ironic and fitting in the line:
107“The cognomen of Crane was not inapplicable to his person.”
108The word cognomen is an old term meaning surname or a person’s last name. Ichabod’s last name and his bird-like appearance parallel his flighty personality and easily spooked mental state.
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110Q: What is the final complication to Ichabod’s plan to marry Katrina and how does it facilitate Ichabod’s loss of control?
111A: When Irving describes Ichabod Crane’s dancing with Katrina at the Van Tassel’s party, he states:
112“…you would have thought St. Vitus himself, that blessed patron of the dance, was figuring before you in person.”
113Legend tells that Saint Vitus was sentenced to death for his religious beliefs. Before his execution, he was placed in a dungeon where his father witnessed him dancing with angels. Ichabod dances in confident belief that he has won Katrina’s affections. By the party’s end, she rejects him and Ichabod leaves for his lodgings in the dark in a low emotional state. At this point he is even more susceptible to his fears. The further he rides on the old borrowed horse, the more he loses control and his grip on reality.
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115The Headless Horseman fills the role of a ‘bad guy’ in “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” because Ichabod fears him the most. The horseman is based on a conglomeration of legend, history, superstition, and religious fear. According to the legend, the Headless Horseman is a Hessian soldier who was decapitated by a cannonball during the revolution. Supposedly his vengeful ghost haunts Sleepy Hollow as he searches for his head each night.
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117The horseman is also a biblical allusion. In the book of Revelation, four horsemen are mentioned. The scripture says that these horsemen will appear towards the world’s end, just like the headless horseman appears towards the end of “Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” In either case, their presence is not good. The “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” was written during a time when there was a literary fascination with mystical experiences and a devotion to biblical symbolism and language. It was a time when most writers were well-read and particularly well-versed in the Bible.
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119Just who is the Headless Horseman? Is he really the ghost of a fallen soldier looking for his missing head? Is he really the ‘bad guy’ in the story? This is one of the most interesting questions in the entire story.
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121Q: Who is really the antagonist or ‘bad guy’ of the story? Why?
122A: 1. The Headless Horseman is the antagonist because he is Ichabod’s greatest fear. His ghost, or at least the belief in his ghost, brings about Ichabod’s final downfall.
1232. Ichabod is his own antagonist. His fear and imagination are his own self-destruction.
1243. Brom Bones is Ichabod’s antagonist because he is what directly stands in Ichabod’s way to marry Katrina and possess the Van Tassel farm. He outwits Ichabod by preying on his fears. He poses as the Headless Horseman to drive Ichabod away from Sleepy Hollow.
1254. All of the above are true.
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127The narrator, Diedrech Knickerbocker, tells the story from an unreliable point of view. It is hard to tell if Knickerbocker is a mysterious historian who is fine-tuned to details or a master storyteller in full knowledge of a fictional tale. As Knickerbocker tells the story, he presents the reader with unforeseen events as a means to provide suspense.
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129After setting up the rivalry between Brom Bones and Ichabod, it is a surprise that Ichabod is so confident in his chances to compete with Brom for Katrina’s affections. This leads up to the first unforeseen event. A messenger is sent to the schoolhouse to announce that a party is to be held that evening at the Van Tassel farm. It causes all kinds of disruption in the classroom as everyone prepares for an early release to get ready for the party.
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131Q: What unforeseen event takes place during the Van Tassel party?
132A: One unforeseen event is alluded to by the narration of the Van Tassel party. After the party breaks up at the Van Tassel farm, Ichabod apparently stays behind and gives some kind of proposal to Katrina. She obviously refuses because why else would Ichabod leave so dejected? The narrator tells us that Ichabod leaves the house “with the air of one who had been sacking a henroost, rather than a fair lady's heart.” It is a surprise because Ichabod is basically a chicken and yet finds the confidence to think he can win a lady who is beyond his social standing.
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134Q: What unforeseen event takes place during Ichabod’s confrontation with the ghost of the Headless Horseman?
135A: One unforeseen event that takes place during Ichabod’s confrontation with the ghost of the Headless Horseman occurs just after Ichabod crosses the bridge. Ichabod makes the mistake of assuming the ghost cannot cross the bridge and that he is now safe. However, the ghost throws his severed head at Ichabod and knocks him off his horse. The narrator tells us Ichabod is sent “tumbling headlong into the dust.”
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137At the end of the story, the narrator is vague about the final outcome of Ichabod Crane. Many of the townspeople presume Crane had been spirited away by the Headless Horseman and possibly killed. All they know for sure is that he disappeared overnight and all that was found of him the next morning was his hat and a smashed pumpkin nearby.
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139Ichabod’s fate is unresolved, but the narrator provides additional speculation.
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141Q: What are the townspeople’s general speculations of Ichabod’s fate?
142A: At first the townspeople suspect Brom Bones and his gang had something to do with Ichabod’s disappearance. The narrator says, “The stories of Brouwer, of Bones, and a whole budget of others were called to mind; and when they had diligently considered them all, and compared them with the symptoms of the present case, they shook their heads, and came to the conclusion that Ichabod had been carried off by the Galloping Hessian.”
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144Q: What is a later report of Ichabod’s fate?
145A: Several years later, an old farmer who was visiting Sleepy Hollow reported that:
146“Ichabod Crane was still alive; that he had left the neighborhood partly through fear of the goblin and Hans Van Ripper, and partly in mortification at having been suddenly dismissed by the heiress; that he had changed his quarters to a distant part of the country; had kept school and studied law at the same time; had been admitted to the bar; turned politician; electioneered; written for the newspapers; and finally had been made a justice of the ten pound court.”
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148Q: How does Irving leave the reader in suspense of another such event reoccurring?
149A: Irving sets up the possibility of another such spooky tale reoccurring in Sleepy Hollow by having:
150• The townspeople maintain that Ichabod was spirited away by supernatural means.
151• The bridge, or site of Ichabod’s disappearance, has become an “object of superstitious awe.” So much so, that the road has been altered to bypass it.
152• The schoolhouse soon fell into decay and was said to be haunted by Ichabod’s ghost.
153• People have heard the spirit of Ichabod singing psalm tunes in his distinctive voice on “a still summer evening.”
154The townspeople are left in suspense that the next horrific event may be Ichabod Crane’s ghost exacting revenge.
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156The importance of Irving’s “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” can be determined by two main factors; the appeal of the story has stood the test of time and it was instrumental in developing a distinctly American horror genre.
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158The “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” continues to be enjoyed by people of all ages, especially around Halloween. The folktale has been adapted many times for stage, film, and television. In 2013, Irving’s story inspired the television series Sleepy Hollow, which thrusts an 18th century Ichabod Crane into a modern-day Sleepy Hollow.
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160Irving’s work also prepared the way for future writers and the development of the horror genre. Irving’s writing influenced even the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, who most people associate with early horror.
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163>>> Early Horror Writers
164Horror fiction continued to emerge throughout the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Some of the most ground-breaking American writers of horror fiction during this time include:
165Edgar Allan Poe
166Charlotte Perkins Gilman
167Ambrose Bierce
168Howard Phillips Lovecraft (more commonly known as H. P. Lovecraft)
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170Edgar Allan Poe is believed to be the creator of modern horror. His work is best described as ‘macabre’ because it is gruesome, with details of death and decay. Most of Poe’s works reflect his fascination with death and the reoccurring themes of murder, torture, premature burial, the power of love and hate, and the dark side of human nature. Some of his most read horror stories include “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Black Cat.”
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172Poe’s short story “The Black Cat” was published in 1845. The narrator begins the story by writing down the series of events that have led up to the death sentence he is facing. It is a tale that reflects Poe’s common theme of the power of love and hate.
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174The narrator and his wife own a black cat which is a treasured companion. As the years pass, the narrator grows to hate the cat. He begins to drink heavily, abuse the animal, and devises a twisted way to get rid of the ‘beast.’ When he finally kills the cat, it returns to haunt him—alluding to the superstition that black cats are familiar spirits associated with witchcraft. Like many of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, “The Black Cat” includes the death of a loved one. This is a reoccurring theme that is believed to reflect Poe’s own losses, including the death of his young wife, Virginia.
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176Q: How does “The Black Cat” fit the definition of gothic horror/Romanticism?
177A: Poe’s “The Black Cat” fits the definition of gothic horror/Romanticism because it combines elements of both romance and horror. For example, the narrator starts out idealizing his past characteristics of being kind in nature as a youth, especially in his love for animals. He then grows up to live in an ideal domestic situation with a nice house, nice wife, and the companionship of many loving pets. Over time, the narrator’s perception changes from ideal to dark. He begins to be consumed by his emotions, imagination, drinking, and his relationship to Pluto, the large mysterious black cat he adopted years ago.
178There is also a connection to the supernatural with the possibility that Pluto is not exactly what he seems. Might he be a familiar spirit often associated with witchcraft, black magic, or sorcery? Does Pluto have some kind of evil hold over the narrator? Does Pluto really come back from the dead? The possibilities add to the eeriness of the mood and to the level of suspense. Anything could happen when the supernatural is involved.
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180Q: What are examples of Poe’s use of graphic violence in “The Black Cat”?
181A: Obvious instances of graphic violence that cause a reader to shiver in horror when first reading Poe’s “The Black Cat” include:
182When the narrator gouges out one of Pluto’s eyes:
183“I took from my waistcoat-pocket a pen-knife, opened it, grasped the poor beast by the throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket ! I blush, I burn, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity.”
184When the narrator kills his wife:
185“Uplifting an axe, and forgetting, in my wrath, the childish dread which had hitherto stayed my hand, I aimed a blow at the animal which, of course, would have proved instantly fatal had it descended as I wished. But this blow was arrested by the hand of my wife. Goaded, by the interference, into a rage more than demoniacal, I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the spot, without a groan.”
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187Q: What is one explanation of why the narrator turns into an ‘Uncontrollable Character’ often found in horror?
188A: The Narrator turns into the “Uncontrollable Character” often found in horror fiction. He is a perfect example of how a darker side of human nature can take over reason and intellect. The narrator describes how it is an alcohol-induced emotional state that first compels him to commit a horrific act of violence:
189“One night, returning home, much intoxicated, from one of my haunts about town, I fancied that the cat avoided my presence. I seized him; when, in his fright at my violence, he inflicted a slight wound upon my hand with his teeth. The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from my body; and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fibre of my frame.”
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191Q: How does the narrator’s reaction to his own violent acts change over the course of the story?
192A: The narrator first seems to feel bad about having gouged out one of Pluto’s eyes. Yet, once he has succumbed to violence, he is easily provoked to repeat it and feels less remorse each time. He transforms from a gentle, kind man, into a human monster. The narrator himself explains this just prior to hanging his own cat:
193“And then came, as if to my final and irrevocable overthrow, the spirit of PERVERSENESS…I am that perverseness is one of the primitive impulses of the human heart -- one of the indivisible primary faculties, or sentiments, which give direction to the character of Man…This spirit of perverseness, I say, came to my final overthrow. It was this unfathomable longing of the soul to vex itself -- to offer violence to its own nature -- to do wrong for the wrong's sake only -- that urged me to continue and finally to consummate the injury I had inflicted upon the unoffending brute.”
194The narrator’s reaction to killing his wife is that of calm deliberation and focus on getting rid of her body rather than remorse for having killed her. Several times he even refers to his wife’s body as “it.”
195“I resolved to dig a grave for it in the floor of the cellar. Again, I deliberated about casting it in the well in the yard -- about packing it in a box, as if merchandize, with the usual arrangements, and so getting a porter to take it from the house. Finally I hit upon what I considered a far better expedient than either of these. I determined to wall it up in the cellar…”
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197Q: What reoccurring symbol of violent death is used throughout “The Black Cat”?
198A: The reoccurring symbol of violent death that Poe uses throughout “The Black Cat” is a hanging noose. This reflects the horror characteristic of graphic violence.
199• The narrator awaits his execution by hanging at the beginning of the story
200• The narrator kills his cat by hanging it in a tree
201• An image of a cat with a rope around its neck is on the wall of the narrator’s bedroom after his house burns down
202• The narrator adopts a new cat which looks just like Pluto except for a white spot that grows into the shape of a gallows (hanging platform)
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204The influence and relevance of Poe’s life work is evident by how often it is studied for literature classes and the multiple times his work has been adapted for film and television. Over 150 years later, Poe continues to draw attention such as with Showtime’s Masters of Horror 2007 adaptation of “The Black Cat.”
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206In 2012, The Raven, was a film that wove many of Edgar Allan Poe’s famous stories together into a fictional plot involving a serial killer who copies murder scenes from Poe’s horror stories. Edgar Allan Poe is the central character who must help detectives solve the case.
207
208Charlotte Perkins Gilman is most often thought of as an activist for women’s rights. Most of her stories reflect the socio-economic issues surrounding women during the late 19th century and early 20th century. Her views on the role of women in society and the importance of being independent caused quite a stir. She firmly believed women should be equal participants in society and have a full life outside the home. Her feminist views are most apparent in her most well-known work, “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Published in 1892, this short story is considered a gothic horror, but is usually analyzed from a feminist angle. Some of her other gothic horror works include “The Giant Wistaria” (1891) and “The Rocking Chair” (1893). Like many women writers at that time, most of Gilman’s works have remained obscure, with the exception of “The Yellow Wallpaper.”
209
210“The Yellow Wallpaper” is one of Gilman’s stories where a house is featured as an important symbol. It supports the theme of the home as being the center of a woman’s existence. The irony of the setting parallels Gilman’s view of the negative psychological impact of women’s lives being regulated by men. The story was inspired by Gilman’s personal experience of suffering from postpartum psychosis, or ‘hysteria’ as it was called at the time. Gilman wrote the story as a response to the rest cure that was prescribed as treatment for her condition. The story unfolds like a journal of the protagonist’s most private thoughts. Thoughts that she must keep hidden because her physician husband does not believe there is anything wrong with her. He thinks she just needs a good rest and all will be well.
211
212Notice that the narrator begins by detailing the grand house she and her husband, John, have rented for the summer. It does not take long for her to share her uneasiness about the house, especially the bedroom where she must spend most of her time.
213
214Q: How does the atmosphere and setting fulfill the characteristics of gothic horror?
215A: The house has been empty for years because of some legal issues about the beneficiaries. To the narrator the house appears haunted. She is amazed at how cheap it was to secure and perplexed by the fact that the house has not been rented for so long. She also has a strange feeling about the house. This establishes an uneasy mood and sets up the possibility that either something terrible has happened in the past that still haunts the house or foreshadows that the house will play a big part in something bad happening to the protagonist in the future.
216The atmosphere and the setting of “The Yellow Wallpaper” reflects the characteristics of gothic horror by focusing a grotesque situation in the trappings of an old house and keeping the reader guessing about what is really happening. Is there a supernatural force at work? Is what the narrator sees in the wallpaper really there or is it her imagination? Is there some type of ancestral curse on the house that is taking control of the narrator?
217
218Q: How does John’s character contribute to the psychological horror of the story?
219A: John is described as very practical. He does not believe in faith, superstition, or anything that is not concrete with observable proof. While he may have good intentions, John’s medical and marital authority is suffocating. He increases the level of anxiety by forcing his wife’s confinement, and the reader feels just as frustrated by the narrator’s lack of control. John is the antagonist, or ‘bad guy’ because he refuses to consider the concerns and needs of his wife. He is the greatest obstacle to his wife’s improvement.
220
221Q: What is the symbolism of the yellow wallpaper? Does it change? How is it a reflection of horror?
222A: Overall, the yellow wallpaper symbolizes the social constraints that women faced in the late 19th century and the importance of personal freedom.
223The symbolism of the wallpaper changes as the story develops. At first, the narrator’s reaction to it is because it is ugly. She describes it as an “unclean yellow” and notices how it is torn in places, has smudges, and does not seem to have a distinct pattern. The narrator becomes more and more obsessed with the wallpaper’s significance as if it is a riddle that she must decipher. As the narrator stares at the wallpaper, it begins to transform into more sinister imagery.
224The narrator begins to see a trapped woman trying to escape. The horror escalates as the narrator then sees multiple heads of women strangled in cage-like bars. The imagery parallels the narrator’s own imprisonment and a mental state spiraling towards insanity. In one sense the protagonist becomes an example of an ‘uncontrollable character’. Yet ironically, it is her falling into complete madness that finally frees her.
225
226Ambrose Bierce was a prolific writer whose life work would fill massive volumes if it were ever compiled and published as a complete collection. Yet Bierce is best remembered for three things. He earned the nickname ‘Bitter Bierce’ because of 21 years worth of criticism as an editorialist and journalist for the Hearst Press. He became a legend as an erratic adventurer when he went to Mexico at the height of the Mexican Revolution and mysteriously disappeared around 1913. Literary scholars today often refer to Ambrose Bierce as a “Master of the Weird Tale.”
227
228Two of Bierce’s most revered weird tales are “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (1890) and “The Damned Thing” (1893). Both of these short stories display Bierce’s distinct writing style as dark, blunt, yet detailed in realism. Both stories also harbor many characteristics of gothic and horror fiction.
229
230Ambrose Bierce’s “The Damned Thing” plays on the fear of the unknown. The story is structured into four short chapters and begins with a coroner and small group of local men holding an inquest into the death of Hugh Morgan. The inquest takes place in the cabin of the deceased and Morgan’s corpse is lying on a table in front of the group. The coroner is silently reading Morgan’s journal as William Harker enters to give his testimony. Harker was with Morgan when he was killed and testifies to the events that led up to the man’s death. Harker explains how he and Morgan were out hunting in the fields when Morgan was violently attacked by an unknown entity. The rest of the story details the remainder of the inquest, the jurors’ verdict, and provides fragments of journal entries from Morgan’s diary, the contents of which the coroner keeps hidden from the others.
231
232Q: How does Bierce use dark humor in “The Damned Thing”?
233A: Ambrose Bierce uses dark humor in each section subtitle of “The Damned Thing:
234• Chapter I: ONE DOES NOT ALWAYS EAT WHAT IS ON THE TABLE—ironically, what is on the table is not food, but a corpse laid out for a murder inquest.
235• Chapter II: WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN A FIELD OF WILD OATS—foreshadows the unexpected and unimaginable events that are about to be described by an eyewitness, on what otherwise would have been an ordinary day in an ordinary field.
236• Chapter III: A MAN THOUGH NAKED MAY BE IN RAGS—“rags” does not refer to shabby clothes, but is a play on words to describe the shredded skin and throat of the naked corpse of Hugh Morgan.
237• Chapter IV: AN EXPLANATION FROM THE TOMB—this section mysteriously gives the reader insight into the truth of Morgan’s death through snippets from his diary.
238
239Q: What is an example of an unforeseen event in Chapter 2? 
240A: Chapter 2 presents an unforeseen event by detailing an eyewitness account of Morgan’s death. Harker tries his best to describe not only what he saw on that fateful day, but what he could not see. This is an unforeseen event because it comes as a complete surprise that there could be a creature that is capable of being invisible. It goes against human understanding of natural law and physics.
241
242Q: What does Bierce seem to be saying about the common horror theme of the ‘fear of the unknown’ and society’s reaction to it?
243A: The fear of the unknown is the main theme that runs through “The Damned Thing.” The story portrays society’s need for explanations to be in terms of observable concrete evidence (things that can be seen or heard) regardless of whether or not it is the truth. Harker was not able to see the creature that killed Morgan and could not describe it because it was invisible to the human eye. Most importantly, Harker is an outsider to the community and the locals cannot accept his account. This prevents the jury from understanding what truly happened and they blame the attack on a mountain lion.
244
245Q: How does the ending of “The Damned Thing” reflect the horror characteristic of a suspenseful ending?
246A: “The Damned Thing” is the perfect example of a suspenseful ending. Review the description of this characteristic of horror:
247“Most horror writers leave the ending somewhat unresolved. This makes the story even more unsettling because it indicates a continuation of the story. It adds to the suspense by implying that the horrid situation can occur again, and again, and again.”
248The most horrifying aspect of Bierce’s story is that by the inquest squelching the existence of an invisible killing beast roaming the countryside, there stands a good chance of more people needlessly dying. Perhaps it could even be one of the jurors, a close loved one, or an innocent child.
249
250H. P. Lovecraft specialized in horror and science fiction short stories from the viewpoint that the human mind was incapable of fully understanding life, and that the universe is against mankind. His work is so definitive of the development of 20th century horror fiction that no one piece of work can fully give a representation of his work. 
251
252Literary scholars have distinguished general categories of Lovecraft’s horror fiction including:
253Poe-like Stories
254Dream Stories
255Cosmos Stories
256Cthulhu Mythos
257
258Lovecraft himself called some of his short stories his “Poe stories.” These stories imitate Poe’s slow unraveling narration that relates past events in an almost detached manner. One example is “The Outsider” which was published in 1926.
259
260The title alone reveals a theme of isolation for the mysterious narrator who tells how he has lived in an old, dark castle as far back as he can remember. He has no memory of human contact, speaking aloud, or seeing sunlight. He only knows about such things because books have been his solace. Desperate to see natural light, the narrator climbs a tall dark tower and sees a familiar castle nearby. He manages to escape the tower, goes to the other castle, and sees a merry party through the open windows. When he enters, everyone is terrified of him and flees. He sees what has scared them away and reaches toward the apparition. When he does his hand touches the cold, hard surface of a mirror reflecting his own decayed corpse.
261
262Lovecraft has several stories where dreams play a significant role. The narrator is able to travel to an alternate dimension that can only be accessed while dreaming. Often this dream travel symbolizes a journey towards death. One example is “Dreams in the Witch-House” written in 1933.
263
264Walter Gilman, the protagonist, is a college student who moves into an old house believed to be cursed by a witch. Keziah Mason disappeared from jail during the Salem witch trials in 1692. Since then, every occupant of her old house has died prematurely. Gilman begins to have nightmares and see strange images in the night. Soon these nightmares become reality as Keziah unleashes her evil on Walter Gilman and takes him on nightly journeys in his dreams. After one such dream, Gilman wakes to find evidence he was not just dreaming and has even been an accomplice to kidnapping an infant that is to be sacrificed. On Gilman’s last dream journey he tries to stop the sacrifice and ends up just like all the other previous occupants of the Witch-House.
265
266“The Colour Out of Space” (1927) is considered one of Lovecraft’s best works. It is also one of his ‘cosmos stories’ which combines science fiction and horror and depicts just how complex the cosmos is and how insignificant mankind is in relation to it.
267
268The story is about a meteorite crashing to the Earth’s surface. The meteorite begins to contaminate and distort every living thing nearby, including people. Like most of Lovecraft’s stories, this story discredits modern science. The events caused by this meteorite are things that “only God knows about” or could explain. Lovecraft’s depiction of the behavior of the meteorite is said to have been inspired by the “thunderstones” in The Book of the Damned, Charles Fort’s study of paranormal phenomena.
269
270Lovecraft’s short story “Dagon” (1919) introduces what would later be called Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft first gave the creature ‘Cthulhu’ a name in “The Call of Cthulhu” and further defined the myth in other stories. Cthulhu refers to an ancient, octopus-like alien creature which is imprisoned on Earth in a sunken city in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. “Dagon” is about a shipwrecked man who happens upon an island that has mysteriously risen up out of the ocean. Getting a glimpse of a hideous monster drives the man insane because he is unable to live with the horrific images. This reflects Lovecraft’s ongoing theme of forbidden knowledge. Many of his characters regretfully learn things that destroy them. Some scholars include Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos stories as a part of his cosmic tales.
271
272Many of Lovecraft’s short stories still make the “best of horror” list including “The Outsider,” “The Colour Out of Space,” “Dreams in the Witch-House,” “The Case of Charles Dexter,” “At the Mountain of Madness,” “The Call of Cthulhu,” “The Dunwich Horror,” “Herbert West: Reanimator,” and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.” Lovecraft’s stories would prove to be imitated for decades through television series such as The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. Films such as The Thing and Re-animator are both based on short stories by Lovecraft.
273
274H. P. Lovecraft has continued to be an inspiration for modern writers and filmmakers, including John Carpenter's The Thing and Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim. Both writers have been outspoken about how multiple works of Lovecraft have had a direct influence on their own work.
275
276
277>>> Modern Horror Writers
278Since the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, American horror fiction continued to develop and even expand into new sub-genres. Some of the most influential modern horror fiction since the 1940s includes:
279Shirley Jackson
280Richard Matheson
281Robert Bloch
282William Peter Blatty
283Stephen King
284Robert R. McCammon
285Dean Koontz
286R. L. Stine
287
288Shirley Jackson established an international reputation as a horror writer with her short story “The Lottery” in 1948. The piece was first published in The New Yorker and caused such a public outcry that the magazine received hundreds of letters expressing confusion and anger. The reaction was so strong that many people canceled their magazine subscription. Jackson was always proud of the fact that “The Lottery” was banned by the Union of South Africa because it brought into question the brutal tradition of apartheid. To her it was proof that people understood the story. Americans criticized the story because it seemed to be an attack on small-town values. It also was an uncomfortable parallel of the power of Cold War-era social fears. By 1985, Jackson’s work made the top list of literature most often censored from schools and libraries. “The Lottery” is now considered by many literary critics to be Jackson’s best work. It has also been called one of the best short stories of the 20th century.
289
290“The Lottery” is about a community that has the tradition of holding an annual lottery. As the town prepares for the drawing, Jackson paints a realistic picture of a quaint little town where everyone knows one another by their full name. Everyone appears enthusiastic; even the children are busy running around and curiously gathering stones into piles. It is not until the very end that it becomes clear this is not your typical lottery. Its aim is to lose, not win. The whole community takes part in the ritual murder of stoning the chosen one to death. What is most chilling about this story is how everyone just accepts the ritual and easily turns on the one chosen.
291
292“The Lottery” covers themes of the danger of blindly following tradition and the randomness of persecution. There are many speculations as to Jackson’s inspiration for “The Lottery.” Some say that because of Jackson’s interest in witchcraft and magic, she did not fit into a socially acceptable role as a college professor’s wife. Jackson was often criticized for not being a traditional wife or mother. It has even been rumored that children from her community had thrown stones at her because they were afraid. If that is true, Jackson herself knew all too well the randomness of persecution. In “The Lottery,” Jackson “suggests that a secret, sinister underside” exists in the idyllic small-town America.
293
294Richard Matheson will go down in infamy as an author and screenwriter who crossed the boundaries between horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Most avid film-goers are familiar with the movies Somewhere in Time, The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Legend of Hell House, What Dreams May Come, The Box, or I Am Legend. All of these films are based on novels or short stories by Richard Matheson. Matheson was also a major contributing writer for the television series The Twilight Zone, for which he wrote over a dozen episodes including the classic “Nightmare at 20,000” (1963). Many of Matheson’s short stories were also adapted for episodes of Night Gallery, The Outer Limits, and Masters of Horror. Matheson’s life work has had a huge impact on many other horror writers. Anne Rice said that her interest in vampire lore was piqued at an early age after reading Matheson’s short story “A Dress of White Silk.” Matheson also had a strong influence on Stephen King, so much so that his novel Cell is dedicated to Matheson.
295
296I Am Legend is one of Matheson’s novels where he combines horror and science fiction.
297
298The story is about a research scientist named Robert Neville who may be the last surviving human on Earth. He has yet to make contact with any other person who hasn’t been infected by a mysterious virus which turns humans into mutant, vampire-like creatures. His home is boarded up and powered by a generator. He has lost family and friends and is now determined to destroy the vampires before they infect him. He sets out to research the cause of this virus and finds that both the living and the dead can become infected. He learns of ways to kill vampires and successfully kills many. Three years pass and he meets a woman named Ruth who does not seem to be infected. However, Ruth does not like the idea of killing vampires. Soon Neville learns that Ruth is infected and was sent as a spy by the others. She warns him of the vampires’ plan to capture him, but he does not run. Eventually, the vampires capture him. Neville believes he is now a legend to this new vampire race.
299
300Robert Bloch was a prolific horror and science fiction writer whose career spanned from the 1930s to the 1990s. Bloch was inspired and encouraged as a young writer by H. P. Lovecraft and started his writing career imitating Lovecraftian cosmic horror. He later focused on psychological horror and crime stories. He was fascinated by exploring a dark twist to the inner workings of the human mind. His most famous psychological horror novel is Psycho, which was published in 1959.
301
302Bloch also had a great sense of humor, which is evident by his use of puns in titles. Some of his collections of short stories include “Tales in a Jugular Vein,” “Such Stuff as Screams Are Made Of,” and “Out of the Mouths of Graves.” Other works that Bloch lists as his own favorites were The Star Stalker, The Kidnapper, Night-World, Strange Eons, and of course, Psycho.
303
304Bloch’s horror novel Psycho begins with a young office worker named Mary stealing a large sum of money from her workplace, then driving off to meet up with her boyfriend. A storm hits and she is forced to find shelter in a small roadside motel. While checking in, she meets Norman Bates, the motel manager. Norman is a loner with the exception of caring for his demented mother, Norma. Soon Mary regrets stealing the money and decides to go back and make things right. While in the shower, she is brutally murdered by “Norma.” Norman cleans up the mess and covers for his mother.
305
306“Norma” strikes again weeks later by killing the private investigator that comes looking for Mary. Again, Norman cleans up the mess. Soon it becomes clear to the reader that Norman’s mother has been dead for years. The real killer is Norman dressed up as his dead mother. In Psycho, Bloch focuses on the inner workings of the human mind through the moral struggle of Mary, Norman’s past relationship with his mother, and Norman’s struggle with a diseased mind.
307
308Many readers may not realize that Psycho is loosely based on a true story. The character of Norman Bates was inspired by the true story of Ed Gein who was arrested for two murders in Wisconsin in 1957. He was also responsible for digging up the graves of several women who reminded him of his mother. He removed the skin from the corpses to create a “woman suit” so that he could become like his mother. Gein was tried for murder, pronounced insane by the court, and spent the remainder of his life in a mental institution.
309
310The similarities between Gein and Bates are obvious: both are psychologically disturbed, have delusions about their mothers, try to ‘dress’ to become their mother, and end up committing murder.
311
312William Peter Blatty wrote one of the scariest novels ever, The Exorcist. Yet, he began his writing career in the late 1950s writing humorous novels such as John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1963) and Twinkle, Twinkle, “Killer” Kane (1966). Critics found him to be extremely funny and Blatty continued his success in comedy, writing several screenplays for director Blake Edwards. Though Blatty eventually switched to writing horror, he continued using a darker humor in many of his works.
313
314In 1971, Blatty found his niche when he wrote The Exorcist, which continues to make the list of the top ten scariest novels ever written. He followed this success with The Ninth Configuration (1978) and Legion (1983). His more recent works include Elsewhere (2009), Dimiter (2010), and Crazy (2010). Blatty’s later novels are considered both physiological and supernatural horror. Major themes addressed in these novels include demonic possession, the nature of religious beliefs, faith and love, sin and forgiveness, vengeance and compassion, miracles, and madness.
315
316The Exorcist is a story of a 12-year-old girl named Regan who is the daughter of a successful actress living in Washington, D.C. After experimenting with a Ouija board, Regan begins to exhibit disturbing behaviors. She complains of her bed shaking, constantly argues, fights, and curses. One evening, Regan urinates on the floor in front of her mother’s party guests and tells them she is going to die. Regan’s mother consults a psychiatrist with no results. Desperate, she calls a local Jesuit priest for help even though she is an atheist. Father Karras determines that Regan is possessed by an ancient demon. Regan becomes more aggressive and pushes her mother’s movie director from a bedroom window. Father Karras seeks the help of an experienced exorcist, Father Merrin. Merrin joins the fight, but suddenly dies of a heart attack during an exorcism attempt. Father Karras is then left to face the power of evil alone, even if it means sacrificing himself to save Regan. Blatty purposefully unfolds the horror of The Exorcist with the most disturbing violence, profanity, and pure evil imaginable.
317
318Blatty was inspired to write The Exorcist after reading a 1949 Washington Post news article while attending Georgetown University. The article reported the exorcism of a 14-year-old boy that was performed earlier that year. Details of the case later revealed that the boy was Ronald Hunkeler from Cottage City, Maryland and the exorcism was performed by Jesuit priests at the University of St. Louis. One of the assisting priests kept a diary of the boy’s three month ordeal. Although Blatty never revealed how he got a copy of the diary, he did say he was able to read it and based much of his book on it. 
319
320The main similarities between Blatty’s novel and the boy’s experience include:
321Both concerned a young adolescent exhibiting behaviors of demon possession
322Both possessions were precipitated by the youth playing with a Ouija board to communicate with the spirit world
323
324After graduating with a B.A. in English from the University of Maine, Stephen King began his career teaching, and writing in his spare time. King left teaching after a few years to focus on writing full time. By 1978, King had written Salem's Lot, Carrie, The Stand, and The Dead Zone. His prolific career includes 50 novels and over 200 short stories, many of which are set in his home state of Maine. Many of his works have been adapted for film and television.
325
326King’s earliest inspiration for what would end up as his life’s work began when he discovered a collection of stories by H. P. Lovecraft in the family attic. He once said in an interview that he was captivated by the book’s cover depicting a yellow-green demon hiding behind a tombstone. He said “I knew I’d found home when I read that book.” King also credits Richard Matheson, Shirley Jackson, and Joseph Payne Brennan, as well as H. P. Lovecraft as having major influences on his writing.
327
328In 1978, Stephen King and his family rented a home on a busy street in Orrington, Maine. In a field near the home was a pet cemetery created by the neighborhood children. The events King faced while living there inspired him to write Pet Sematary, which was published in 1983.
329
330In the novel, Louis Creed and his wife, two children, and a cat, move into a house in rural Maine. The neighbor, Jud, warns them about the dangers of the high-traffic road near their new home. One day Jud shows Louis a pet cemetery nearby where children have buried their pets killed on that busy road. Soon, strange events begin to happen. Louis Creed is visited by a corpse that warns him never to step foot in the graveyard located just beyond “Pet Sematary.” The next morning Louis believes it was all just a dream. Eventually, Louis visits the forbidden graveyard, learns all about the evil it possesses, and attempts to use its supernatural power to resurrect the dead.
331
332Robert McCammon published his first novel, Baal, in 1978. After publishing many horror novels such as Bethany’s Sin, The Night Boat, They Thirst, Usher’s Passing, and Swan Song throughout the 1980s, McCammon’s focus shifted to historical fiction, mystery, and fantasy. After another decade of novels in this vein, he published the vampire novella I Travel By Night, in 2013. It is common for writers to cross literary genres throughout their careers and horror, mystery, fantasy, historic fiction, and science fiction all tend to blend well together. McCammon continues to have a loyal following in all his work. Still, Baal is his most well-known novel.
333
334McCammon refers to Baal as his “Angry Young Man” novel because he wrote it when he was only 25-years-old and at a time when he was working a dead-end job at a department store. Baal is about a character with absolute control. McCammon said that when he wrote the novel, “I was an electric plug and I couldn’t seem to find the right socket, until I began writing.”
335
336McCammon’s horror novel Baal is based on the book of Revelation, which is Apostle John’s revelation from God about the end times. It is the final war between good and evil. Baal starts out with a woman being raped in New York City. This woman soon gives birth to a demon child who kills her. The child ends up in an orphanage, where he begins to call himself Baal. When Baal leaves the orphanage he begins a cult and plans to destroy the world. Soon, three men unite to hunt down Baal and stop him. The setting of Baal is on a global scale that stretches from New York, to California, to the Middle East, to Greenland. McCammon wanted to take the reader on a
337far-reaching journey “to the very edge of Armageddon.”
338
339Baal, like The Exorcist, is one of many novels during the 1970s that explored horror through religious overtones often connected with biblical prophecy, demonology, an anti-Christ figure, or mystical aspects often tied to the Catholic Church.
340
341Dean Koontz always had a passion for writing. Even as a child he wrote stories and sold them to family members. Koontz won a fiction contest for the Atlantic Monthly as a senior in college and has been writing ever since. He has written dozens of novels since the 1960s, many under pseudonyms. It was his 1973 novel Demon Seed that truly launched his writing career under his own name. Koontz has written over 76 books and many bestsellers, including Phantoms, Watchers, Lightening, Strangers, Whispers, Fear Nothing, Odd Thomas, The Taking, and Velocity.
342
343Koontz has sold over 450 million books and has found a huge following, especially with his Odd Thomas book series. The character of Odd Thomas has struck such a chord with readers that Koontz has also created a series of graphic novels featuring the protagonist. Odd Thomas was adapted for film in 2013.
344
345According to the Boston Globe, “Koontz is a master of melding the supernatural with the commonplace, and in Odd Thomas he's created a world that defies logic yet seems real.” Odd Thomas is one of Koontz’s most beloved protagonists. The 20-year-old short-order cook is both odd and painfully ordinary. Odd is blessed, or cursed, with being able to communicate with the dead. They come to him for help in solving the mystery surrounding their deaths. Few know of Odd’s gift because he likes to keep a low profile. Those that know play reoccurring roles in most of the Odd Thomas series and include: Wyatt Porter, the chief of police in Pico Mundo; Stormy Llewellyn, Odd’s soul mate; and Little Ozzie, a 400-pound writer who is Odd’s closest friend. They provide legal and moral support for Odd’s fight against the most evil of criminals and supernatural creatures. The Odd Thomas books address two of the deepest themes that plague human existence—the power of love and the nature of evil.
346
347R. L. Stine began his writing career in the 1970s under the pen name “Jovial Bob Stine” creating humor books for children. In 1986, he shifted to writing juvenile horror fiction with his novel Blind Date. It quickly became a bestseller and Stine’s writing career soared throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Stine once said that he loved his work because “My job is to give kids the CREEPS!” Part of Stine’s success is his ability to gear horror for a younger audience without the graphic violence of blood, guts, and gore. Stine’s work focuses on a combination of common childhood fears, mystery, and supernatural elements such as ghosts, monsters, and aliens.
348
349R. L. Stine is often called the “Stephen King of children’s literature.”
350
351R. L. Stine is best known for his Goosebumps book series which he calls “scary books that are also funny.” Each book features a different young protagonist that is usually an outsider by being new to a neighborhood or school. The protagonist is then put into frightening situations or encounters with the supernatural. The child characters never end up in grave danger or involved in death. The two most common themes addressed are children being able to triumph over evil and children being able to use their imagination and intelligence to escape the scary situation.
352
353From 1992 to 1997, Stine published 62 Goosebumps books and many were adapted to film and television.
354
355R. L. Stine said that an early influence for his writing was reading horror comic books such as Tales From the Crypt, and Vault of Horror, as a child. It is interesting to note that Stine’s writing process always starts with the title. Once he has come up with a great title, the full story flows from it. Then he works on a chapter-by-chapter outline, character descriptions, and he always knows the ending before he writes the entire story.
356
357To date, Stine has written over 300 books and has received numerous awards including Disney Adventures Kids’ Choice Award, Champion of Reading Award, and Nickelodeon's Kids’ Choice Awards. Stine has sold over 400 million books worldwide, making him one of the bestselling authors in the history of children’s literature. As of 2013, Stine has revived both his Fear Street and Goosebumps series with a continuation of new books.