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| Photo Credit: The Horror Zine |
To close Women in Horror Month, I’ve asked editor and author Jeani Rector to be my guest blogger for this post. Jeani is the founding editor of the online literary journal, The Horror Zine. Her latest novel is Grave Events which released last September. She was elected Best Magazine/e-zine Editor by Preditors & Editors three times: once in 2012, again in 2013 and then in 2014. I’m proud to say she is a fellow Sacramentan and so resides in the Sacramento area.
Jeani presents us here with a very intriguing article that breaks the stereotype of horror as a man’s genre. And now heeeere’s Jeani . . . !
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WOMEN IN HORROR
by Jeani Rector, Editor
The Horror Zine
http://www.thehorrorzine.com
“What’s a nice girl like you doing editing and writing
horror?”
This is the reaction from some when I explain what I do.
“Women in horror” is a difficult concept for some. We are perceived as more
submissive than men, and…well…nice. And many do not view the horror genre as
“nice.”
In reality, women in horror have been a vital life force in
horror since its inception. Remember that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein.
And we all know the impact that Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House
had on the ghost story crowd.
The concept of horror has unfortunately been stereotyped for
many people by slasher and gore films.
I am not saying that slasher and gore are not horror. I am
saying that slasher and gore are only one sub-genre of horror.
So let’s ask: what is horror?
People are attracted to horror books and films because it is
similar to riding a roller-coaster: you get excitement and thrills, yet you
know deep down that you will land safely because it is all pretend. Horror is
fun without consequences.
There is something visceral and ingrained in people to seek
out the morbidly fascinating. Reading a horror story or watching a film often
makes us more appreciative of our own calm existence after vicariously
experiencing a protagonist’s fears.
According to Glenn Sparks, Ph.D, a professor and associate head of the Brian Lamb
School of Communication at Purdue University, one reason for the appeal is how
you feel after the movie or book. This is called the excitation transfer
process. Sparks’s research found that when people watch frightening films,
their heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increases.
“After the film is over, this physiological arousal lingers,”
Sparks said. “That means that any positive emotions you experience—like having
fun with friends—are intensified. Instead of focusing on the fright you felt
during the film, you recall having a great time. And you’ll want to come back
for more.” [1]
A misconception about horror is that some people erroneously
equate it with Satanism. While there are books and films that contain the
concepts of Heaven and Hell (think Blatty’s The Exorcist), in no way do
you see the horror genre promoting or endorsing devil worship. In fact, most of
the time, good triumphs over evil in the end (think Stephen King’s The Stand).
How did horror get its start?
Filmmakeriq.com states: “Monsters, murderers, demons and
beasts have been around since antiquity, and ghost stories have been told round
camp fires since we learned how to talk. But the roots of filmed horror were an
extension of a genre of literature that got its start in the late 1700s: Gothic
Horror. Developed by writers in both Great Britain and the United States, the
Gothic part of the name refers to pseudo medieval buildings that these stories
took place—think of a old castle on a dark and stormy night—gloomy forests,
dungeons and secret passage ways.” [2]
A good place to learn about how the horror genre came into
being is the film A History of Horror (also known as A History of
Horror with Mark Gatiss), a 2010 three-part documentary series made for the
BBC by
British writer and actor Mark Gatiss. It is a personal exploration of the history of horror film, inspired by Gatiss’ lifelong enthusiasm for the genre.
Horror is a genre in fiction, yet it comes with many
sub-genres.
Here are my preferred sub-genres of horror:
Ghost: This
is one of my favorites. Ghost stories depend upon atmosphere. Often in a film,
the ghost is never seen, but is replaced by tension. (Drummer Boy by
Scott Nicholson or The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson)
Monster:
Another favorite. The monster can be made to be sympathetic or evil. The
Bride of Frankenstein is a perfect example of a sympathetic monster. In my opinion, it takes more talent to make a
monster sympathetic than evil. (Jurrassic Park by Michael Crichton, Jaws
by Peter Benchley, and of course Frankenstein by Mary Shelley)
Alien: Horror
marries sci-fi. (The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury or the film Alien)
Zombies: Used
to be part of the monster sub-genre, but are now so popular, they have their
own category. Same with vampires. (anything by Joe McKinney)
Psychological:
Often contains the element of surprise. When done well, this category is very
effective in the tension and suspense elements. (Silence of the Lambs by
Thomas Harris or Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane)
The above sub-genres are why a nice girl like me does what I
do. These categories take talent to create good character development and an
effective plot-line. They do not rely on shock but require an actual story.
Here are other sub-genres that are not my favorites
but are popular nonetheless:
Splatter-punk:
Gore, gore, gore, and hardcore, hardcore, hardcore. Does not rely on plot, but
on shock.
Killer: Lots
of stalking and usually revolves around a female victim.
Slasher: Like
splatter-punk but without the hardcore. Slasher often revolves around teenage
victims and doesn’t need a plot, which is why they can re-make Friday the 13th
ten billion times.
What writers can be considered today’s “masters of the
macabre?”
Ranker.com lists Ramsey Campbell, Clive Barker, James
Herbert, Richard Matheson, and Robert McCammon as their top five. [3]
While those names certainly are deserving of the top five
(especially Ramsey Campbell), I would like to include some more modern horror
masters of my own:
Joe R. Lansdale:
Mr. Mojo writes in a folksy, southern voice that makes you comfortable before
he bites you with surprises. My favorites are The Bottoms and Lost
Echoes.
Joe McKinney:
McKinney is becoming the reigning King of the Zombies. Don’t miss his Dead
World series.
Scott Nicholson:
Just as McKinney is King of Zombies, Scott Nicholson is King of Ghosts. I loved
his authentic Drummer Boy and let’s not forget his best-selling The
Red Church.
Lisa Morton: This
Bram Stoker award-winner writes non-fiction about the history of Halloween, but
her new mystery series Netherworld is fiction at its finest; combining
19th century sleuthing with the paranormal.
John Farris: Oh my
god, you have to read Son of the Endless Night. Talk about good versus
evil. This one is probably the scariest book I have ever read. It is a mixture
of demons and psychological terror.
Susie Moloney:
No one does character development better than Susie Moloney. Her characters
feel like your neighbors, or worse, your own family. Try The Dwelling, A Dry
Spell, or if you like witches, The Thirteen.
Bentley Little:
The beauty of Bentley is that he takes average people and thrusts them into
not-so-average situations. That makes the reader think, “This could happen to
me.” I like his The Association and The Haunted.
Stephen King:
Well, of course, I have to include the King of Everything. I grew up on Stephen
King. Favs are The Stand and Salem’s Lot. I will always prefer
early King over his later stuff.
So there you have it: why a girl like me edits and writes
horror like that.
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Don’t forget to check out the neat work at
TheHorrorZine.com!
Until next time . . .
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