The Ultimate Guide To Horror stories



Horror stories are fictional tales that are written with the purpose of creating suspense and tension in a narrative that’s considered scary. This includes stories that feature ghosts, vampires, witches or werewolves. There are often elements of fear, shock and a buildup of ‘wicked’ or ‘evil’ characters. The setting is usually one that’s considered spooky, such as a castle, graveyard or haunted house. Horror stories are famous for their sense of mystery, suspense, and taking their readers into the depths of the unknown.

As part of the speculative fiction genre, which also includes science fiction, alternative history and fantasy fiction, horror stories have often been written to represent wider, collective fears. In other words, horror stories are used as metaphors.

For example, Mary Shelley’s famous fictional tale of Frankenstein, which was written in 1817, tells the story of a science experiment gone wrong. Victor Frankenstein creates an artificial man and brings his invention to life. However, this creature isn’t what Victor desired it would be and rejects it due to its hideous and frightening appearance. Throughout the novel, we learn that Frankenstein the monster is rejected by everyone in the world around him. The monster gets angry, and then seeks revenge. When Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, science and medicines were advancing rapidly, and scientists of the time were exploring if those who had died could be brought back to life. Her novel, Frankenstein, is a reflection of Shelley’s fear that science was going too far and was becoming less natural.

Where do Horror Stories come from?
Horror stories have been around since the times of the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans. These scary stories existed through forms of tales and folklore, often including ghosts.

However, the specific genre of horror wasn’t developed or acknowledged until the 18th Century when literature began to be mass-produced. The first published horror story was Horace Walpole’s 1764 novel titled The Castle of Otranto, which takes place in a fictional gothic-style castle in the medieval times. This became known as the first gothic-horror book for this new genre, which features are defined as a combination of horror, romance and the passing of life.

In the 20th century, horror fiction saw a ‘boom’ in publications due to popular writers such as Stephen King who wrote Carrie, The Shining and It. The writing of books were turned into pictures in films that brought the horror genre to life.

What are the key features of website horror stories?
The first element of horror stories is that they take the imagination of the reader on a journey that creates a sense of fear. This doesn’t mean that the reader is constantly scared, but rather a sense of fear that can be enjoyed. Ironically, gaining that experience of fear is the very reason people choose to read horror stories. It creates the same sensation of relief and excitement that you feel when you ride a rollercoaster, meaning that horror stories are stimulating and gripping.

Secondly, horror stories have many plot twists that keep the reader on edge. This creates suspense, and surprises that help take the reader further into the unknown. This means that nothing is impossible, and that things may not always be what they appear to be…

Thirdly, horror stories tend to feature scary situations. This could include an encounter with a zombie, staying in a haunted house or meeting a werewolf. These situations grip the reader to find out more, including what happens to the characters they’ve been following and how the horror story ends. In the world or horror, anything is possible.

Horror Stories for Children
Horror stories written for children aren’t designed to scare young learners, but rather fascinate and ignite curiosity into the unknown.

Children are drawn to horror stories for the same reasons adults are, to read a spooky story. In other words, it’s fun! This is great for getting children excited and interested about reading. It’s exploring a territory of literature that feels out of bounds, and creates an extra sense of interest and curiosity.

Horror stories for children also feature an important message for children to learn. For example, the popular children's horror story Caroline by Neil Gaiman comes with the moral message to be careful what you wish for.

Most importantly, however, horror stories for children teach young learners that these scary characters and creatures are just fiction. Once the book is put away, you see that they’re not a part of the real world, and therefore nothing to worry about.

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