English Language AS- The Horror Genre

1. THE HORROR GENRE
By Megan Jones

2. ORIGINS OF THE
HORROR GENRE
• The genre was brought to light in the 18th century as
Gothic horror, which is now a sub-genre of Horror, with
the publication of the Castle of Otrantoby by Horace
Walpole in 1764.
• It began with Folk law and religious traditions, with its
primary focus on death, the afterlife, evil, and demonic
possession.
• This was then displayed through stories of witches,
vampires, werewolves, mummies, and ghosts.

3. CHARACTERISTICS & QUOTES
• Horror intends to provokes a response; emotional,
psychological or physical, within readers that causes them
to react with fear.
• Elizabeth Barrette - “Sometimes a story intends to shock and
disgust, but the best horror intends to shake us out of our
complacency. It makes us think, forces us to confront ideas
we might rather ignore. Horror reminds us that the world is
not always as safe as it seems.”
• H.P. Lovecraft - "The oldest and strongest emotion of
mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is
fear of the unknown’’

4. Horror Fiction Conventions
Setting
• Conventionally set in isolated towns/villages, more specifically
located in desolate mansions in the rural countryside, typically with
a dark and disturbing past which conventionally forebodes the
narrative.
• Horror conventionally includes pathetic fallacy such as a winter
scene including darkness and foul, miserable weather in order to
connect the reader with the mood of the novel.

5. Horror Fiction Conventions
Plot and Characters
• The semantic field of any horror novel is fear. The main
character can be either adult or child, but should begin as a
victim and should be a good person.
• There is a supernatural or unexplained mystery in the narrative.
The evil should begin as an invisible force, as that then creates
enigma surrounding the plot, enticing the reader to learn more.
• The protagonist, conventionally male, should develop some
power in order to conquer the evil entity, which is put to use in
the final, climatic showdown at the conclusion of the novel.

6. Horror Fiction Conventions
Plot and Characters
• The antagonist is conventionally not revealed until the just before
the end of the narrative, but appears to be one step ahead of the
protagonist throughout.
• The narrator is omniscient, which helps the reader learn more
about each villainous act committed, as well as the narrator
seeing the story unfolding from the perspective of the reader.

7. SALEM’S LOT – STEPHEN KING

8. • Unearthly – Adverbial
This adds a sense of unease and a supernatural element suggested to the reader.
• Quiet – Adjective
Creates a remote and isolated atmosphere, conventional of horror
• Few planes; no turnpikes; even that [the radio] was noise without meaning;,
no one owned… - Semantic field of misery
The persistent downcast attitude of the language creates discouragement and a
gloomy mood, a typical convention seen throughout the genre.
• Setting/plot - The characters have diverted themselves from an urban area
and moved to a desolate area that is out of touch with society

9. • Faded (Stative verb) in and out – Adjective
The use of a stative verb allows a more emotive bond with the reader, allowing the
omniscient narrator to connect with thoughts and feelings. The actual action of
fading in and out is conventional as it adds a sense of unease and a ghostly
presence.
• The only motor within hearing distance –
This implies isolation and a total cut of from the real world, a highly common
characteristic of the genre as it gives the sense that no one is there to hear a cry
for help/come to aid.
• Irregular [Adj.] Faintly [Adv.] Uneasy [Adj.]
All create a semantic field of agitation and anxiety, stirring fear within the reader.
• Uneasy spirit – Noun
A spirit is a highly conventional non-physical character occurring in a horror
novel in order to create a fear into the reader, relating back to the origins of
horror (supernatural and unearthly creatures)

10. • Characters – Predominantly male, which conforms to the typically character
type, as well as the age range of a young ‘boy’ and then a grown ‘man’.
• Setting – Church
This is highly conventional as it links with the religious aspects of the horror
genre which date back to its origins, and is also used throughout many horror
texts as it carries a juxtaposed demonic stigma with its otherwise Godly outlook.
• Drowsing, suffocating – Verbs (dynamic)
The use of a dynamic verb paints a more realistic and almost palpable for the
reader.

11. • It was not over in ‘Salem’s Lot yet –
Enigmatic and mysterious, used to entice the reader and forebode the plot
• Ghost Town –
Conventional setting for the narrative to take place, also foreshadowing the events
that could take place in the future of the town, or revealing the dark history of the
town, which are both conventional.
• ‘Scared’ – Stative verb
This stative verb is used as an emotive technique on the reader, as it connects with
them on a personal level, causing them to envision a frightful image and feel in a
particularly uneasy way.
• The boy being scared is not unnerving for the reader, as children are often
timid, yet the ‘tall man’ also being frightened is unsettling as it proves that this
is no feeble matter.