Section <strong>On</strong>e BY AUTHORS “Every person has a trigger. In other words, every person is scared of something. But just like no two people are alike, no two triggers are alike”
INK DRIFT MAGAZINE <strong>Writing</strong> Horror Aindrila Roy Of the many genres present in the literary world, horror is probably the one that fascinates me the most, followed closely by fantasy. However, in this write-up, I would be focusing exclusively on horror, what it entails and the challenges faced while writing in the genre. To begin with, let us understand what is horror? Wikipedia defines horror as a genre of fiction which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten, scare, disgust, or startle its readers or viewers by inducing feelings of horror and terror. It is a genre that relies extensively on the sensory perceptions of the reader, through the protagonist’s experiences. What the protagonist sees, feels, smells or tastes becomes the weapons that the horror writer wields to bring out the primal emotions of fear and terror within the reader. Sub-genres of horror Just like any other genre, there are sub-genres that involve various folklores, myths and tropes which become the defining point of the said sub-genre. There are primarily four types or sub-genres of horror. • Killer: Probably the most popular horror genre, it is a horror movie/book that involves a murder. Sometimes the term “slasher” is also used to describe this kind of stories. This genre mixes thriller, crime and psychological horror. Typically the story would involve a demented killer, a chosen victim and/or an investigating officer. It is the depiction of gruesome deaths and the depravity of the killer that are the primary reasons for these stories to be dubbed as a horror sub-genre. Some examples include: Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris), From Hell (Alan Moore), Maya’s New Husband (Neil D’Silva). • Monster: This is a vast sub-genre which can blend into other literary genres like comedy, fantasy or science-fiction. Originally, they were intended to be adaptations or retellings of folklore which over the time has evolved into a significant and popular genre in itself. Vampires, werewolves, Big Foot, Zombies- all of these can be clubbed under this vast sub-genre. While some may argue that Zombies can be a sub-genre unto itself, I personally club it under the umbrella of Monster horror. Some of the most famous examples include: Frankenstein (Mary Shelley), Dracula (Bram Stoker), Beowulf, Cujo (Stephen King). • Paranormal: The paranormal and the fear of the unknown is naturally a classic topic of horror. Gathering everything from ghost to demons and even witches, it is usually the part of horror that gets the scariest. This is where the horror writer can twist the reality and introduce certain creepy elements to make it scarier. This genre relies heavily on the power of suggestion (I will delve into greater detail of this particular tool in the writer’s arsenal later in the article) to deliver its scares. Humans as a collective are scared of the unknown and that’s why this sub-genre works the best. It banks heavily on that fear and exploits that universal weakness to deliver its scares. Examples include: The Shining (Stephen King), It(Stephen King),The Exorcist (William Peter Blatty) • Psychological: Psychological Horror & Thriller is the part of horror that feels the most real since it features the work of humans, either ones that have lost their sanity or those stranded in exceptional situations. Often linked with the thriller genre, these stories build most of their horror around PAGE 1 www.inkdrift.com
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