What are the Essential Elements of a Horror Story

“Have you run your fingers down the wall,

And have you felt you neck skin crawl,

When you’re searching for the light?

Sometimes when you’re scared to take a look,

At the corner of the room,

You sense, there’s something watching you”

(Lyrics to “Fear of the Dark” by Iron Maiden)

Let me first try to make the reader understand what horror is according to me. Horror or synonymously; terror is plain, pure undiluted fear. Often this can manifest in the form of a giant 8 legged monster or sometimes it can manifest upon reading something in the local newspaper.

The thing about a horror story is that it’s adaptable. What scares me, might be found laughable by my friends. As an example, I found “Frankenstien” to be a very sad story as opposed to a horror classic. However the way in which the doctor creates his monster was indeed spine chilling. The subsequent events were to an equal measure scary and at the same time sad. I re-read the book some time back, but again I found that I was upset at the tragic ending of the monster and the doctor. I think what I am trying to say is that I tend to look for believable things to be scared of such as say one day an artificial intelligence takes over our lives effortlessly. Or the accounts of crimes I read about in the paper on a daily basis.

On the other hand the movie “Psycho” by Alfred Hitchcock, scared me to no end; much of which I attribute to the brilliant acting on the part of Anthony Quinn. The suspense had my heart beating at twice it’s rate and the climax made my hair stand on end.

So, here are the elements of a horror story according to me:

Suspense- Keep the reader or the audience on the edge of their seats. Don’t allow them to think that there’s nothing more coming. Keep them guessing and if possible lull them into a sense of security, before smashing it to smithereens

Realism- As I mentioned in the introduction, something real terrifies me more as opposed to say a blob emerging from the sea and consuming New Jersey. I guess an element of realism helps to make things scarier; like say something akin to the Pied Piper who kidnaps all the kids from Hamlyn

Uncertainty- I will here refer to the story “Childhood’s End” by Arthur C Clarke, in which aliens come and basically take all the children away from their parents. I could not sleep for days after I finished said book. The thing is, we aren’t 100% sure what is out there in space yet. Exploiting this uncertainty will always scare the crap out of anyone if it’s done right, As it has been said, “Man believes in the improbable, but not the impossible”. And thereby, literally hangs a tale.

The Reader- Different people scare differently. I didn’t find “Dracula” by Bram Stoker scary. I found it funny. My friend said it gave him goosebumps. I think a horror story’s horror element depends a lot on who is reading it. It should appeal to the mind of the reader. It should stimulate that part of his brain that makes him feel afraid. It should make the aforementioned part afraid. Very, very afraid.

I may have given the impression that I don’t like horror stories. I love them. The thing is, I don’t scare easily I suppose. Either way, do let me know-what scares you? Ghosts, ghouls, things that go bump in the night?

The Bilge Master