Elements of Horror Fiction

Short Stories

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Highly improbable and unexpected sequences of events that usually begin in ordinary situations and involve supernatural elements

“Hey, that person is just like me!”

Contrast the oddness of these events with the minutiae of daily life so readers identify with the characters.

Life Can be Soooo…Scary! Ah!

Explores the dark, malevolent side of humanity.

Malevolent-”wicked”

“I Think I’m Mad!!! AHHHH!!!!”

Main characters are people we can understand and perhaps identify with.

Although often these are haunted, estranged individuals.

“I hope Johnny makes the right choice” Lives depend on

the success of the protagonist.

“Wow! I feel scared.”

Mood is dark, foreboding, menacing, bleak and creates an immediate response by the reader that matches the feeling.

“This place haunts me…”

Setting may be described in some detail if much of the story takes place in one location

“This Movie is Rated R (why?)”

Plot contains frightening and unexpected incidents

Violence, often graphic, occurs and may be accompanied by explicit sexuality

Writing Style Most stories are told in

the third person.

What is third-person?

The third person point of view is a form of storytelling in which a narrator relates all action in third person, using third person pronouns such as "he" or "she”.

The style is plain.

KEY INGREDIENT The key ingredient in

horror fiction is its ability to provoke fear or terror in reader

HOW? something demonic. should be a sense of

dread, unease, anxiety, or foreboding.

experiencing horror fiction is like reading about your worst nightmares.

Archetypes Associated with Horror

ARCHETYPES: a universally understood symbol, term, or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated.

Demons Witches Ghosts Vampires

What other characters do you associate with horror stories?

FIN