How Can We Survive? Horror fiction is full of tropes. The invincible or unkillable monster is one of them. Although in fairness, this is more prevalent in horror movies and video games. The characters reach the point of the final confrontation with the monster. They are frightened but toughen up from all the trauma from […]
Horror Stories Out of the Headlines A cult refers to a small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister. Doomsday cults, also called apocalyptic cults, believe the world will end soon. Doomsday cults also have unusual habits and rituals. How is this different than Christians preaching the […]
The Self Versus the Other Otherness refers to the quality or fact of being different. Horror literature refers to fiction meant to provoke fear and disgust in the reader. Horror fiction is not just for cheap thrills. Indeed, it can be highly allegorical. And more often than not, the monster in horror is an allegory […]
About Horror and Temptation Temptation is defined as persuading someone into doing something bad, or morally questionable. An old trope of horror fiction is the misguided individuals who go out of their way to summon forces they do not understand and cannot control. But why? Shouldn’t people know better? Temptation is a big part of […]
About Insects and Horror Horror fiction seeks to provoke fear and disgust in the reader. Is there anything scarier than insects? Or more repulsive? Spiders and insects are part of Halloween decorations. Unsurprisingly, they feature in horror fiction and films too. An insect is a creature that has six legs and two antennae. They also […]
Death Does Not Discriminate Is there anything more universal to the human condition than death? We all die, sooner or later. Some of us too soon. Everyone; no exceptions. Death is defined as the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. Whether biological or brain death, once we are gone, it is […]
Fear Does Not Lie Honesty and horror both begin with the letter H. But do they have more in common than that? I heard several authors at conventions claim horror is the most honest genre there is. Fear and terror do not lie. Survival is no pretending. And with the horror genre experiencing a revival […]
This Happen to a Friend of a Friend… Urban legends are modern folktales and myths. They are transmitted orally and they serve the same function of old folktales from centuries ago, to warn people about dangerous situations, to entertain, or both. These stories are oral narratives in which something really bad or really embarrassing happens […]
Why are Masks Scary? Halloween and masks go together. You cannot go trick or treat without one. Your costume would feel incomplete. Granted, you could use makeup. The point of a mask is to conceal or hide your face. You cover it with the expectation to terrify someone. Fear of masks and masked people is […]
What are Primal Fears? A primal fear is an unpleasant feeling humans get whenever they think they are in danger. This type of fear is neither logical (rational fear) or illogical (irrational fear). It is primal as in relating to an early stage of evolutionary development. Thus, primal fear is a natural response to dangerous […]
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