The Horror Story Unit

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The Horror Story Unit

• October 7, 2011

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Your Task

• Create an original horror story
• The short story must be 2-3 pages in length.
• The short story must be typed using Arial or
  Times New Roman font
• The short story must include dialogue,
  characterization, theme, and suspense, BUT no
  gore.
• This is not an experiment in how much bloody
  violence you can write about. It is a piece
  about fear, suspense, and terrornot blood and
  guts.

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The Goblins Will Get You if You Dont Watch Out
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre XXV Freddie Meets
Norman on Elm Street on Friday the 13th

• Why do gory movies (a more precise term than
  horror movies) attract so many viewers today?
• Why do people like the gory special effects?

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Horror or just Gore?

• Before the days of Freddie Kruger, Hollywood made
  many suspense/horror movies, some cheapie
  thrillers (I Dismember Mama), and some that
  became classis for chilling the blood of the
  audience. The master of these movie-makers was
  Alfred Hitchcock, who built suspense slowly and
  subtly, usually without blood or overt violence.
  The original Psycho was a masterpiece of subtle
  horror as were Rear Window and The Birds.
• Todays master of the horror novel is Stephen
  King, whose books (often made into movies) are
  true spine-chillers that use suspense to terrify
  readers.
• Do horror movies of today scare viewers or merely
  excite them?

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Whats so great about fear anyway?

• Do you feel moments of terror? Do you hold your
  breath? Do you laugh? Why do you react as you
  do?
• How do you explain the desire of people to be
  terrified?
• As children, we delight in ghost stories told in
  the dark. As adults, we read books or see movies
  that we know will scare us. Why?

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Elements of Horror

• Setting

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• a deserted (or sparsely inhabited) castle or
  mansion in a state or ruins or semi-ruins
• labyrinths/mazes, dark corridors, and winding
  stairs filled with dusty cobwebs
• castles or mansions which have hidden
  tunnels/staircases, dungeons, underground
  passages, crypts, or catacombs
• if set in a broken down modern house, the
  basement or attic becomes the place of terror
• threatening natural landscapes, like rugged
  mountains, dark forests, or eerie moors,
  exhibiting stormy weather

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Elements of Horror

• Lighting/Mood

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Blackout

• limited lighting such as moonlight (usually a
  full moon), candles, flashlight, lantern
• often the light disappears clouds hide the
  moon, candles go out, flashlights/ lanterns are
  dropped and broken
• if electric lights exist, they usually
  mysteriously go out

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Other Elements

• dark secrets surrounding some tormented soul who
  is left to live in isolation
• ominous omens and curses
• magic, supernatural manifestations, or the
  suggestion of the supernatural
• a damsel in distress
• the damsels rescuer usually a lover
• horrifying (or terrifying) events or the threat
  of such happenings

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Elements of a Short Story

• http//www.flocabulary.com/fivethings/
• Listen to and follow along with the song about
  the five major elements of a story. A copy of
  this song has been given to you for your
  information.

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Dialogue
Definition a conversation between
characters Example Annina asked, Monsieur
Rick, what kind of a man is Captain
Renault? Oh, he's just like any other man,
only more so, Rick replied.(Joy Page and
Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, 1942)
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Short Story Maps

• Due Friday, October 7, 2011 at the beginning of
  class.
• Remember, this is a working rough draft, which
  means it can be subject to any changes that you
  see fit.

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Victorian Horror Novels

• Classics of the horror genre written during the
  Victorian Era
• Frankenstein
• Dracula
• The Hound of the Baskervilles
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• The Picture of Dorian Gray
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The Invisible Man

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Elements of Classic Horror of the Victorian Age

• Psychological terror not physical terror
• Not a lot of bloodshed
• Suspense, Suspense, Suspense
• The object was to let the imagination go wild!!!!

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Restraints of the Victorian Age

• Firm moral values.
• Suggest the sins. Dont than name them.
• Class conscious
• Age of change
• Age of great poverty and great riches

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How Proper were the Victorians?

• Ankles as sex symbols?
• Draping of furniture?
• The euphemism of the drumstick
• Private dinner partiesscandalous!!!