Appreciating Horror: A Genre Discussion

A discussion piece by Kate O’Brien. 

The month of October is one of my favourite months of the year. I am a cliché. I love autumn. 

I love seeing the leaves change colour and cover the ground in layers of orange, red, and gold. 

I love crisp October days that are filled with blue skies and air that is fresh and cold. 

I enjoy #spookyseason. I think October lends itself to creativity. People are embracing the vivid, rich colours of the season. People are discussing some scarier books, some spookier short stories, and we celebrate and discuss the eerie, the spooky, the mysterious. It is fun. 

It is not everyone’s cup of tea, but what is? 

I’ve been thinking a lot about horror as a genre lately. I’ve always been very honest and I’ve spoken a lot about how I scare easily. I am squeamish. Blood and gore is not for me, however over the last three years, I’ve had a different experience with horror. Before I would avoid it completely, but over the last few years I’ve found that even if there is one or two scenes that I have to look away from, I can still enjoy and appreciate horror. There are some aspects of horror that I do really enjoy. 

I’m a fan of gothic literature and there are certain gothic tropes that will always intrigue me. 

A great example is how the idea of a safe space is often subverted in gothic literature. 

One’s home is often presented to readers and to audiences as the safe space. It is the outside that is scary, however gothic literature tends to subvert this idea. Home becomes the place where the darkness lurks. The place where, in theory, you should be the safest, becomes the place where the danger lies. I’ve always found this concept fascinating. I’ve also always loved the contrast between what is often visually a beautiful house, clashed against the darkness that is happening inside behind the facade. 

At this year’s CBI Conference, the theme was Risk and Reward. Obviously horror is a genre that requires characters to take a lot of risks, and there are not always rewards for everyone. 

Something that really fascinated me and inspired me to write a discussion piece about horror was something that Amy Clarkin said. 

She was speaking about her book What Walks These Halls. Amy was a brilliant speaker. She spoke a lot about her chronic illness and isolation. Something that stood out to me was when she described horror as a safe space. I’m sure others have said this too, but at the time, I almost laughed because it is so ironic. Horror being a safe space, I still think it sounds funny even though I completely understand what she is saying. I have not read What Walks These Halls yet, but it is next on my list. 

I am very excited to dive in as I believe it is a ghost story and if you have followed me for a while then you know that I love ghost stories. 

Amy’s description of horror as a safe space really inspired me. I’m new to the genre. I am not a lifelong horror fan, so there are many more people who are much more qualified to speak about it than I am, however I’m fascinated by it because I feel like it is similar to children’s literature because of the way it is often dismissed as “just horror.” 

Children’s literature is so much more than “just for kids,” and I feel that horror is so much more than “just horror.” 

The two things that I’m reflecting on in this discussion piece are the ideas of horror as a way to experience fear in a safe, controlled way, and the ideas of horror being a way for people to express their fears in a way that can be really beneficial for them. Horror as a safe space to discuss what scares us and using horror as almost a coping mechanism or as a comfort are ideas that just intrigue me so much. I want to engage with those ideas and I want to continue to become more familiar with and appreciate horror. 

Horror as a Safe Space, Horror as a Teacher. 

I am linking this thought to children’s literature because that is my area of study. 

When we talk about scarier moments in children’s literature, we talk about the way that fear can benefit kids. It is good for younger readers to experience a scary situation in a safe way through books. It is empowering to see that scary situations can be overcome. I’m always fascinated when I see the idea of happily ever after being criticised as unrealistic, but then scarier moments are also challenged. Happily ever after is not the most realistic concept, sure, but a life with absolutely no scarier moments is also extremely unrealistic. I think there is a need for both. The pure escapism of a happy ending can be lots of fun, and hopefully real life is somewhere in between. Not unrealistic but not full of strife either. Age appropriate scares are very important. 

Reading a book that is a bit darker does several things. Firstly, it is a step upwards. It is more challenging, literally and figuratively. Explaining a scary concept or describing danger to a young reader will mean that the author is being quite descriptive and expressive. So the reading level has become more advanced. We’ve taken a step upwards. We’ve also taken a step upwards emotionally, because reading something that may temporarily scare or upset you is how you become a broader reader. How do we expect people to grow up and be moved by literature if they’re never given material that will push and pull on their emotions? 

Reading about a scary situation in fiction can also help us develop empathy. Reading in general helps us develop empathy, but reading about fear does so on a more advanced level I think. 

When reading, we fear for the character and we worry for the other characters in the book who are also impacted. Something scary happening to someone else allows us to develop empathy for that person, and books can also teach real life lessons too. Be careful with strangers, don’t trust someone you don’t know, don’t do something that feels off or wrong …

One of the greatest lessons I remember learning was how to trust my gut. If a character is describing the feeling of not being sure, of not wanting to do something but feeling pressured, of something feeling not quite right but you can’t say for sure what’s wrong, I remember reading and wishing that the character would just stay put. Just wait. Don’t do that, because that’s dangerous. You don’t know why it is dangerous, but it just is. 

Recognising that feeling in books made me more aware in my real life. I became much more aware of my feelings and my surroundings, and if something did not feel right, even if I could not fully explain why, I just didn’t do it. 

I definitely believe a bit of fear is needed. Even the most simple of plots need stakes of some kind, otherwise what is the point? Where is the motivation? Fear can be brilliant in many ways. It challenges readers to heighten their reading level, it challenges them emotionally and helps people develop empathy for others. Fear in books can also help readers sharpen their skills in real life, as fear can teach readers lessons about looking out for themselves and others without having to learn the hard way. The more you know, the more power you have. Fear can also be immensely satisfying in books and film, especially if that fear is conquered. There is no better feeling than the happiness and joy that can be found when a protagonist finally conquers their fear. It is a great moment and it shows young readers that we can do hard things and we can conquer fears. It may not be easy, but it also may not be impossible. 

Horror as an Escape, Horror as a Form of Expression. 

This is an idea that I’m intrigued by and I would love to hear more writers and authors speak about this, but the idea of using horror as a way to deal with something “real,” fascinates me. 

Horror as a metaphor is not a new concept, I’m not reinventing the wheel by discussing this, but I do want to highlight the idea because of how it has helped me develop a new appreciation for horror. 

One of my favourite books is A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. In the book, the young protagonist Conor must come to terms with the fact that his mother is dying. In his grief, he is visited by a monster who tells him stories and helps him face his true fear. Conor is truly afraid to admit that he is ready for his mother to die. He has watched her suffer for a long time. He knows she is not getting any better. He wants her to be at peace. He will miss her, but he is ready. He is afraid of admitting this because he is afraid that admitting he is ready for her to die will make him a horrible person. He fears that feeling this way makes him a monster. 

This book is incredibly moving. There are so many interpretations. Some say that the monster represents the stages of grief, others say a monster is a great way to articulate grief because a young teen may not be able to express grief clearly. They may just be able to say that they’re scared and monsters are stereotypically scary. The book is ambiguous because it never confirms whether or not the monster is a figment of Conor’s imagination or if he is a real figure who does exist somewhere and he shows up for children when they need him. Regardless of which interpretation you prefer, this book is poignant and so deeply moving. 

Patrick Ness expanded on the late Siobhan Dowd’s idea. Some have questioned if perhaps the book was more personal when you consider Dowd’s perspective. Did this story help her face any fears or come to terms with her own diagnosis? I won’t elaborate further on that point as I believe that it was not officially stated by Dowd or Ness that this was the case, however it is a reasonable interpretation. 

Grief being the real monster is a popular idea. We see it again in The Babadook, and I believe that John Krasinski stated that for him, A Quiet Place was all about how parents fear for their children and he wanted to explore the lengths that one would go to so they could protect their family. 

I’m not an author so it is something that I cannot discuss from personal experience, but I am fascinated by the idea of turning to horror as a genre and using it as a way to express a personal fear. 

I love looking at what that personal fear may be, and how it was portrayed in horror, and thinking about why those choices were made. To return to fairy tales, Little Red Riding Hood is a story about being cautious and wary of predators. The predator lurking in the dark, off the beaten track in the story is a wolf and it can function as both a straightforward story and as a metaphor for safety. If you’re alone, be aware of your surroundings. Do not get lured into unknown territory. Stay in public spaces, and always be aware of those lurking in the dark because they may wish you harm. The wolf can be both an actual wolf and the wolf can also represent a predator. 

Final Thoughts

Horror is a genre that I have previously taken for granted. It is not “just horror.” 

There are many different kinds of horror film or book. Horror can be extremely nuanced and complex. It can also be about the sudden thrill of a jump scare. Horror can be extremely metaphorical and the genre can be used as a lens to teach about fears, but it also can be used to cope with fears. Scares here and there can enhance our reading skills, broaden our horizons, and help us be more informed. If you are easily scared or squeamish like me, but you’re curious, know that there are still ways to enjoy things on the scarier side. You can look away from specific scenes if you need to and I’ve found that reading is much easier than watching a scary film because the visuals can scare me more than just reading about something. I’ve found some spooky short stories that I really love and I’m so glad that I didn’t miss out on them. This could be an option for you too! 

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