What makes a good Horror novel?

myownself · Jan 31, 2014

I want your opinions!

I personally like when it's a story that isn't too farfetched. It freaks me out when I'm reading something and I think to myself, "Whoa, this shit could actually happen!"

alleycat · Jan 31, 2014

You might enjoy reading Danse Macabre by Stephen King. It was written some time ago, but much of what he has to say still has relevance.

myownself · Jan 31, 2014

alleycat said:
You might enjoy reading Danse Macabre by Stephen King. It was written some time ago, but much of what he has to say still has relevance.

Thanks! I'll check it out.

alleycat · Jan 31, 2014

There is also an audio version. If your local library uses Overdrive it's a simple download.

myownself · Jan 31, 2014

alleycat said:
There is also an audio version. If your local library uses Overdrive it's a simple download.

I'm not sure if they do but I'll check it out.

seun · Feb 1, 2014

Same thing (for me) that makes a good novel in any genre. Interesting people involved in interesting things. Personally, I love the clash between real life stuff we all know about with the supernatural and horrific. Probably why my characters always end up in a pub at some point.

oxygentent · Feb 1, 2014

Horror works if you have excellent characters in interesting situations in a setting that works.

Stephen King is probably one of the greatest examples of that. He develops his characters, puts them in an engaging situation, and then is able to really pull it off. The Shining is scary because you understand the characters, where they came from, and how they act; it's a great way of developing suspense, and when something bad happens, or something isn't quite right, that's where the horror comes in.

For me, that's what makes a good horror novel. If you care about the characters and the situations they're in. If I read a horror novel (or any genre for that matter) with a bunch of cardboard cutouts doing things I don't care about, how am I expected to be scared or have any sort of emotional response? It's like watching a really awful horror film that depends on cheap scares to satisfy its audience.

RuneMorgan · Feb 3, 2014

I think what makes a horror novel great is the same thing that makes any other novel great. As oxygentent said, the characters have to be good... even the bad ones. Without characters that the reader cares about, the writer won't be able to generate fear in the reader that a character might die.

I agree that the plot needs to be possible. That is not to say that the plot needs to actually be able to happen. Instead, I mean that it needs to fit within the confines of the world created by the author. H.P. Lovecraft's monsters are so far fetched that they're almost cartoonish. Yet, they fit within the world he created and they are utterly terrifying in it.

In the end though, with these two things combined to create a believable world filled with characters we care about, the true horror comes in the human story behind the monsters. It's Victor Frankenstein digging up bodies to fulfill his obsession; it's Abraham van Helsing helping put his friend's beloved Lucy to final rest; it's Rick Grimes waking up in the hospital with the world gone to shit and not knowing where his wife and son are. These are the things that draw a reader in and keep them on the edge of their seats while reading and hiding under the covers when they're not.

myownself · Feb 4, 2014

RuneMorgan said:
I think what makes a horror novel great is the same thing that makes any other novel great. As oxygentent said, the characters have to be good... even the bad ones. Without characters that the reader cares about, the writer won't be able to generate fear in the reader that a character might die.

I agree that the plot needs to be possible. That is not to say that the plot needs to actually be able to happen. Instead, I mean that it needs to fit within the confines of the world created by the author. H.P. Lovecraft's monsters are so far fetched that they're almost cartoonish. Yet, they fit within the world he created and they are utterly terrifying in it.

In the end though, with these two things combined to create a believable world filled with characters we care about, the true horror comes in the human story behind the monsters. It's Victor Frankenstein digging up bodies to fulfill his obsession; it's Abraham van Helsing helping put his friend's beloved Lucy to final rest; it's Rick Grimes waking up in the hospital with the world gone to shit and not knowing where his wife and son are. These are the things that draw a reader in and keep them on the edge of their seats while reading and hiding under the covers when they're not.

Well said.

oxygentent · Feb 4, 2014

RuneMorgan said:
I think what makes a horror novel great is the same thing that makes any other novel great. As oxygentent said, the characters have to be good... even the bad ones. Without characters that the reader cares about, the writer won't be able to generate fear in the reader that a character might die.

And it's not just the fear of those characters dying, it's the fear in general that something bad is about to happen. The characters should flow naturally and together with an interesting story, the suspense should feel natural.

It does annoy me when characters are disregarded as something second best. The cheap scares aren't the focal point. Character is everything.

Wilde_at_heart · Feb 4, 2014

Atmosphere is more important for me in horror than in any other genre. Then, caring about what happens to the characters.

Haggis · Feb 4, 2014

To me, horror has always been visceral, not visual. That's why blood, guts, vile creatures and bleeding body parts flying around the room are not things I find horrific. In other words, it's not watching the monster chew your character's head off that's horrific. Your character's impending and growing fear of that happening is the real horror.

LearningCurve · Feb 4, 2014

Like what wilde said, atmosphere is very important. A good horror book can create a sense of dread in the reader as he/she is starting to figure out where the story is headed.

sdewar83 · Feb 4, 2014

It's a pretty subjective question. Not all things are objectively horrific, because different people will find different things horrific. I have friends who didn't find Mama by guillermo del toro scary.. but that movie scared the living shit out of me. Horror, in the end, is an emotion .. not a genre. Write something that would scare you, and you've got about 6 billion chances of finding someone else whom it'll also scare.

Wormwood · Feb 14, 2014

I agree one hundred percent about the "relate-able characters" thing. If you don't care about the characters how can you care about the approaching horror. The EVENT also has something to it. If it's something coming that I'm creeped out by that helps, or even something that I have no idea about.

-Micah

Dancre · Feb 16, 2014

Haggis said:
To me, horror has always been visceral, not visual. That's why blood, guts, vile creatures and bleeding body parts flying around the room are not things I find horrific. In other words, it's not watching the monster chew your character's head off that's horrific. Your character's impending and growing fear of that happening is the real horror.

Haggis, I'm wanting to add scary scenes into my fantasy novel. I did it with my first novel and everyone loved it. (I hope my publisher likes it, we'll see.) But I want to add more horror to my novels. So the best way to do it is to make sure that the character is afraid? That does make sense.

When I watch Friday the 13th movies and the poor girl is freaking out and running through the woods, I get scared. But if the girl is running through the woods and ambushes poor Jason, I'm not afraid. So is that really the key? Make the character fearful of the situation? When I remember The Shining and the moving animal bushes, I remember Jack's horror of them moving. If Jack hadn't been afraid, then maybe I wouldn't be so scared also? IS this why King makes us afraid of bushes, clowns, old cars and what else is out there? B/c something odd happened and the character was afraid, so I get scared along with them? If the character hadn't been afraid, would I get afraid?

Dancre · Feb 16, 2014

So if I add elements into my novel that are pretty unexplainable or if the reader knows that the bad guy is the center of the unexplainable scarey stuff which scares me, then add that to a relatable character who is scared stiff that could bring fear into the reader, right? I love bringing in the unexplainable fear/suspense into my novel. So this would be the best way to do it? I ordered Mama from Netflix as I want to see for myself.

sdewar83 said:
It's a pretty subjective question. Not all things are objectively horrific, because different people will find different things horrific. I have friends who didn't find Mama by guillermo del toro scary.. but that movie scared the living shit out of me. Horror, in the end, is an emotion .. not a genre. Write something that would scare you, and you've got about 6 billion chances of finding someone else whom it'll also scare.

Dancre · Feb 16, 2014

Rune, I read your story on your website, Incident on Church Road, http://runemorganhorror.wordpress.c...miller-church-road/comment-page-1/#comment-42 and I think I see what everyone means. YOu created this creepy scene of the writer walking along the road at night and his imagination gets the best of him. But it did seem 'real' as if someone or something was following him. I cared about the guy b/c as a writer, I understand it. I also noticed you used 'dark' words, there wasn't any happy, happy, joy, joy throughout the entire story, just 'dark' words that did set up a creepy atmosphere. I think I'm beginning to get the spooky stuff.

What makes a good Horror novel?

myownself

alleycat

Still around

myownself

alleycat

Still around

myownself

seun

Horror Man

oxygentent

RuneMorgan

myownself

oxygentent

Wilde_at_heart

υπείκωphobe

Haggis

Evil, undead Chihuahua

LearningCurve

sdewar83

Wormwood

Hoping to grow up one day

Dancre

Just have fun.

Dancre

Just have fun.

Dancre

Just have fun.

What makes a good Horror novel?

Still around

Still around

Horror Man

&#965;&#960;&#949;&#943;&#954;&#969;phobe

Evil, undead Chihuahua

Hoping to grow up one day

Just have fun.

Just have fun.

Just have fun.

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