We’ll see how Horror is unique from other genres in several ways and how it stands up to rigorous analysis as a genre all its own. It puts a single victim (even if there are multiple characters) against impossible odds and a monster (antagonist) possessed by evil and intent on annihilation. The monster can be supernatural, scientifically explainable, or ambiguous–see the subgenres for more on this. The Horror story is an arch-plot (single protagonist) or mini-plot (multiple characters) external genre. Let’s look at another way Shawn explains the genre: The power gap between the monster and the victim is immense, and thus the victim who raises the courage to confront the force with all of their inner genius to their last breath inspires us to do the same.
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It serves as a prescriptive or cautionary tale about how to best metabolize our darkest fears and survive. What Exactly is a Horror Story?Īccording to Shawn Coyne, “The Horror Story is an allegory for the horrific world we presently or could soon inhabit. (Battle me in the comments if you like, but Evil Dead II was better than Evil Dead) For the purpose of illustrating the elements of Horror, I’ll use the 1987 Horror classic Evil Dead II. So what does it take to create a Horror story?Īs a Story Grid Editor, I recommend writers study the masterworks in the genre to inform their work.
It turns out that you can’t just sling a bucket of intestines around and expect the reader to feel anything other than revulsion. Here, you’ll learn the basics of the Horror Genre so you can provoke terror and a sense of dread within your readers.īy far, Horror is the most difficult genre I’ve studied in my Genre Secrets blog series.
Do you want to wedge your Horror idea into the nightmares of readers but don’t yet know how to structure your story? Got some scattershot scary scenes that don’t really work together or entertain? Want to slice moments of heightened danger, plot twists, and reversals into your writing? You’re in the right place.
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