2. HISTORY AND BACKGROUND
• In this modern day, we can distinguish between the Supernatural horror and the Gothic
Horror. Yet, back in the 19th century of course they both meshed into one, and so there is a
relationship between them and historical relevance.
• All horrors attempt to provoke a response from audiences, whether that is emotional,
psychological or physical. Different techniques are used to elicit fear such as unreal figures
(phantoms or the living-dead) or more real situations and figures (serial killers). The main
characteristic of horror is that the viewer can relate to the narrative somehow; the whole
genre of horror is built up upon people’s fears of the unknown and anxieties. Supernatural
horror’s deal with the viewers nightmares, hidden worst fears, revulsions and terror of the
unknown. Plots written with the subgenre often involve the intrusion of an evil force, event
or personage of the supernatural origin, into the everyday world. Conversely, films about the
supernatural aren’t always horrors.
3. HISTORY AND BACKGROUND (CNTD)
• Supernatural horror came from folklore and religious traditions including death, the afterlife,
the demonic and evil and the principle of evil embodied in the devil. These were shown in
stories which had witches, vampires, werewolves and ghosts.
• In the eighteenth century, it was Gothic horror that drew on these sources producing the
works of “Vathek” (1786) by William Beckford, “The Mysteries of Udolpho” (1794). “The
Italian” (1797) by Anne Radcliffe and “The Monk” (1796) by Matthew Lewis.
• Horror fiction of this era was predominantly written by women and marketed at a female
audience. The typical scenario of the stories consisted of a female protagonist being menaced
and tormented by fiends in a gloomy castle. Fast forwarding to Supernatural horror of today,
using a female as the main character remains a convention of the genre.
4. HORROR IN THE 19TH CENTURY
• The Gothic tradition blossomed into the genre modern readers call horror
literature in the 19th century. Influential works and characters that continue
resonating with film and cinema today saw their genesis in such works as Mary
Shelley's Frankenstein (1818), the works of Edgar Allan Poe, the works of
Sheridan Le Fanu, Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr
Hyde (1886), Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), and Bram
Stoker's Dracula (1897). Each of these novels and novellas created an enduring
icon of horror seen in modern re-imaginings on the stage and screen.
5. HORROR IN THE 20TH CENTURY
• The proliferation of cheap periodicals, as early as the turn of the century, led to a
boom in horror writing. One writer who specialized in horror fiction for mainstream
pulps such as All-Story Magazine was Tod Robbins, whose fiction dealt with themes
of madness and cruelty. Later, specialist publications emerged to give horror writers
an outlet, including Weird Tales and Unknown Worlds.
• Influential horror writers of the early 20th century made inroads in these mediums.
Particularly, the venerated horror author H. P. Lovecraft, and his enduring Cthulhu
Mythos pioneered the genre of cosmic horror, and M. R. James is credited with
redefining the ghost story in that era.
6. CONTEMPORARY HORROR FICTION
• One of the best-known contemporary horror writers is Stephen King, known for writing
Carrie, The Shining, It, Misery and many more. Beginning in the 1970s, King's stories have
managed to attract a large audience, for which he was prized by the U.S. National Book
Foundation in 2003. Popular contemporary horror authors include Brian Lumley, James
Herbert, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell, and Peter Straub.
