Fascinating! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on it. Several of those are things that I like about horror/terror as well. The one that really leaped out at me was the imagination, which ties pretty close to what you call romanticism. It's the idea of the whole world being different that I like. A sweeping view of things, a broad vista where *everything* is different (or is going to become different because of X) - those are the tales I love.
About imagination and the unknowndancingdragon3October 14 2011, 04:24:40 UTC
First, let me say how much I agree with your points.
Second, what you said about using one's imagination and the unknown got me thinking.
You don’t know what is out there, and the possibilities stretch out before you, horrible and unknown and I love it.
I love it too! Lately, I have been watching shows that feature the threatening and enchanted forest, and creepy small town more. Like True Blood, X-Files, and Lovecraft. I think what you say about using your imagination applies here. We are so familiar with cities, but there are still areas of thick forest and wetlands out there. There are still isolated, rural areas that could hide many things. Anything could be lurking in the ancient woods or in that old run down rural house. That's what used to draw me to Stephan King, too. Something impossible or silly in the city becomes more than possible and even more perilous in the unknown wild.
Re: About imagination and the unknownzoemathemataOctober 14 2011, 18:13:22 UTC
Thank you! And it doesn't even have to be overly 'supernatural' or other-ly in those old rural places. Could be an animal we don't know about or a pack of feral dogs. Or something old that has been sleeping for a long long time.......
I like earlier Stephen King more so than contemporary. The Stand,IT, 'salem's lot, The dark half, The langoliers.
Haven't read him much lately.
Good horror, I think, is tough to write because it does depend on psychology and the characters, whereas gore is simple - start slashing people.... sigh. Hollywood.
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Second, what you said about using one's imagination and the unknown got me thinking.
You don’t know what is out there, and the possibilities stretch out before you, horrible and unknown and I love it.
I love it too! Lately, I have been watching shows that feature the threatening and enchanted forest, and creepy small town more. Like True Blood, X-Files, and Lovecraft. I think what you say about using your imagination applies here. We are so familiar with cities, but there are still areas of thick forest and wetlands out there. There are still isolated, rural areas that could hide many things. Anything could be lurking in the ancient woods or in that old run down rural house. That's what used to draw me to Stephan King, too. Something impossible or silly in the city becomes more than possible and even more perilous in the unknown wild.
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And it doesn't even have to be overly 'supernatural' or other-ly in those old rural places. Could be an animal we don't know about or a pack of feral dogs. Or something old that has been sleeping for a long long time.......
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Haven't read him much lately.
Good horror, I think, is tough to write because it does depend on psychology and the characters, whereas gore is simple - start slashing people.... sigh. Hollywood.
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