Horror: The Big Picture

Why is Horror Not a Common Genre

Horror is a genre that is shied away from quite often. It makes sense; why would anyone possibly want to scare themselves on purpose?

The answer is simple. Adrenaline. It is the same reason that people ride roller-coasters. The hormone that makes you jump higher, run faster and react faster. It is a naturally occurring, super-power inducing drug, with a rush like no other. Adrenaline is naturally released when scared or angry, to give you an edge when fighting, hunting or protecting yourself or others.

The Classics

If you like horror you must read the following books/authors works from the following list.

Carrie - Stephen King (who is correctly referred to as the king of horror)

The Shining - Stephen King

Edgar Allen Poe - various short stories/passages (my personal favourite story being The Tell-Tale Heart, and my favourite poem is The Raven)

Dracula - Bram Stoker

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

The Woman In Black - Susan Hill (book, film and play)

School Project: The Small Hand, Susan Hill. Judging a book by its cover

To me, this is not scary. Sorry to be blunt but looking at ponds is not scary. The publishers had so many options for scary covers. This is not scary. If the boy could have been under the water but staring directly at you, that would be scary, it could have been a photo where you see a man standing alone by a pond then you look closer and there is a boy holding his hand but only in the reflection, that is scary, you at least need something to indicate he is not just a boy looking at pond-life (a little blood pouring from the eyes never hurt anyone). I'm going to stop ranting now because they say don't judge a book by its cover for a reason.

CURRENT SCARE LEVEL: 0/10