The forms of Horror, by Owen Welsh

In English class, we're reading the book Frankenstein which many people attribute to having defined the Gothic Horror genre. Which got me thinking, if this book defined the genre, how did it progress into what we know today as Horror? There must be a progression, I reasoned, that led the genre down it's more dramatic past to the more quiet, psychological horror we enjoy today. Some claim there are four main periods of Horror, which each led the way to the more subtle and delicate fear we experience in modern Horror tales.

Folklore Horror:

A drawing of the Green Children of Woolpit

The first period of horror isn't really organized like the others, as it is just horror elements in generic folktales. Some of the notable stories include, but are not limited to; The Pied Piper, Black Annis, The Princess of Colchester, and The Green Children of Woolpit. There is no real connecting feature between these tales, other than the use of horror to attempt to convey a lesson to the listener. Yes, listener, as these tales were orally told and were most likely accompanied by various motions and dramatic effect.


Gothic Horror:
Originating around the 18th century, this movement is much more organized and is characterized by its dark settings, castle backdrops, and menaced women. The Gothic horror revolved around the idea of a singular supernatural element that throws the world around it into chaos, in the case of Frankenstein, this would be the monster. Interestingly, this is around the time that famous female authors such as Mary Shelley and Ann Radcliffe first starting writing with critical acclaim.

The Call of Cthulhu

Horror Literature or 20th Century Horror:
It is around this time that several other branches of horror spiral out and become their own set genres with their own defined rules. Each of these genres were started when a book was so influential that a significant amount of others followed suit, for instance when H.P. Lovecraft pioneered the Cosmic Horror genre with his greatest work: The Call of Cthulhu. Generally, Horror as a whole moved further towards the Psychological, with many great thrillers such as Unknown Worlds and Weird Tales being written and progressing the genre away from it's traditional Gothic roots.

Modern/Contemporary Horror: 
No one definition exists that properly encapsulates every genre that has been born and killed in recent years, it is easier than ever to write a book and publish your own personal take on the genre. Because of this accessibility, there is an over saturation of books on the market, leading to several authors churning out books that consistently deliver on what they say they will without extending past preset boundaries. These writers such as Stephen King, churn out books that may be considered classics, but never defining new genres, leading to this time period being open to be truly defined. Although to break this mold, the book would have to be amazingly popular and the author likable enough to propel their book to fame in this ever increasingly image dependent society.

One of the key things I've noticed about Horror is that while originally it was supposed to 'scare' people straight and to teach lessons, but now it has developed into a form of entertainment. There's just something about our hair standing on end, being unable to sleep, or coat racks turning into ax wielding manics in the middle of the night. It is my belief that the reason we like this, is that we're all naturally adrenaline junkies. We all crave that rush pumping through us even if what were running from is as harmless as a sack of potatoes that's missing all of its eyes. Even if we love this feeling there is, of course, no reason to actually put yourself in harm's way, so we look for the next best thing. You could read a book or watch a movie or play a video game to get the same rush, but without any of the actual danger from the exercise. It makes sense that Horror books are used for these purposes especially as they heighten the sense of danger by adding in seemingly unbeatable adversaries, such as Frankenstein's monster or by adding in other supernatural elements that would be impossible in the real world. Above all else that people claim to want, deep down inside we're all just animals, seeking whatever makes us feel best overall, a primal urge may draw us to Horror books. However, I prefer to believe that we choose these things out of free will rather than some guy in the back of our head saying "Do it, you know you want to." but that's just me.