The Development of Horror Fiction: Does It Reflect A Change In Society?

I love horror films, and horror/crime fiction novels. But despite my passionate for gore, murder and generally just frightening material, I am aware of how there might have been a decline in standards over the past few years in the horror genre, where the idea of horror has been abused into something less appealing. Is this simply writers and directors focussing on a more obvious, shocking style, or is it a result of something more? Here’s a thought piece from me, for you.

Even the most enthusiastic horror film fan here may begrudgingly admit that the genre has degenerated into films that rely more on gore and violence than an intricate plot and character development. Granted, there are many modern films (‘Silence of the Lambs’, ‘Carrie’, ‘The Shining’ and films such as ‘The Descent’ to name a few) that use the cinematic aspects alongside elements of gore to receive positive acclaim, but there are an increasing amount of new generation horror films that have been filed under the title of ‘Torture Porn’; films that depict nudity, torture, mutilation and sadism to graphic detail. But there is a demand for such explicit films; the popularity of the sub-genre is undeniable, with the ‘Saw’ series being the second highest grossing horror franchise and has, despite mixed critical reviews, generated high revenue at Box Office.

Film enthusiasts cannot get enough of Jigsaw’s solution to those unappreciative of life

This is due to the change in views of society, meaning more is needed to create the feelings of fear and fright in the audience.  Consequently some Producers seem to avoid the thought processes required in creating a frightening atmosphere and storyline and cut this short, directly going for scenes which would shock and horrify the watcher.

Like so…

Horror films such as Saw use scenes like this to horrify the reader, but they also make use of semantics to generate fear in their plot. Jigsaw’s key phrase ‘Do you want to play a game?’ takes a more sinister tone to the original and innocent ‘children playing’ meaning…

But has this change in society already been relayed in Horror Fiction?

Horror Fiction authors have to appeal to the public interest, so the horror within their story has to reflect society’s current view of what is fearful.  Consequently from this you can understand the context from when it was written. So if books begin to write more about the perverse nature of man, does this indicate a more perverse society?

To see this reflection, a larger time scale would have to be incorporated, but in comparing books from the 18^th century to now, there is a definite alteration on the focus of the horror.

For example, ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelly and ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker; books that were the forefront of horror fiction becoming a popular genre, used implicit methods to create a story that would frighten the reader.

‘Frankenstein’ used the personal account of the monster himself to evoke emotion in the reader, displaying the distress and misery to great effect. Through the use of personal pronouns; e.g ‘I’ and ‘You’, a directly emotional and self-pitying view was conveyed that would cause the readers to sympathise for the monster.

To emphasise this, a theme of pain is always apparent, with Frankenstein’s monster constantly enduring various emotions from anger to affliction, affecting the reader as the inner turmoil he undergoes is explored throughout the novel.

Despite Shelly’s description of the violent, animal-like and brutal behaviour of Frankenstein’s monster, the horror is created through the evilness of his creator; hence a thought-provoking piece of literature is formed.

Here’s an extract from Dracula, the 1897 gothic horror.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, and heard the Count’s voice saying to me, “Good morning.” I started, for it amazed me that I had not seen him, since the reflection of the glass covered the whole room behind me. In starting I had cut myself slightly, but did not notice it at the moment. Having answered the Count’s salutation, I turned to the glass again to see how I had been mistaken. This time there could be no error, for the man was close to me, and I could see him over my shoulder. But there was no reflection of him in the mirror! The whole room behind me was displayed, but there was no sign of a man in it, except myself.

Suspense? Check. Drama? Check. Graphic Content? Not so much.

‘Dracula’ was also successful in imposing on the reader by creating the atmosphere and horror surrounding Dracula by using the religious beliefs at that time; for something to be described vividly as evil created trepidation within the reader. Subtle references to religious items evokes an alarming response in the more religious reader, causing them to feel terror as the Count shirking from the crucifix and water is a sign that he is truly evil.

Terms such as ‘burning eyes’ and ‘hellish rage’ emphasise this, combining religion with violence to impact upon the audience and to form fear in their imagination.

These are only two examples, but throughout the next few centuries there was plenty of influence to create unnatural beings that caused fear and horror through the mystery and apprehension through the unknown and unfamiliar. Cthulhu, from ‘The Call of Cthulhu’ by HP Lovecraft is another instance of how a story was formed from the strange. Monsters were the main focal point of Horror Fiction, with the description being mostly implicit (suggesting rather than bluntly relating).

However, especially over the last thirty years, there has been a change from fictional monsters to an evil much closer to home.

Previously I mentioned the film adaptations of ‘Carrie’ and ‘The Shining’ from the books of the same title, both written by Stephen King. Although the books were praised for the plot, and the twists that King embedded within the story, they were a sign of how Horror Fiction has altered from the times of Dracula to now. Rather than the monsters; fictional beings designed to scare the reader, the emphasis was on the horror within us. Although the aforementioned Frankenstein did touch on this subject, it is more recently that horror fiction has capitalised on this idea and subjected the reader to this form of horror.

Carrie, for example, uses the theme of religious repression and the struggles of Carrie as an outcast to create a potent character that, when unleashed, spurs fear in the reader as her want for revenge results in death and destruction through her home town. The language used is more explicit than in Frankenstein, with greater detail given in how she unleashes the power within upon those who have abused her. And although the film impacted the ‘scare factor’ with the graphic scenes (the picture below, for example) the book was effective through how the character was built up, and people sympathised with the way she was treated. Similar to Frankenstein’s monster; although people feared their strengths, they also felt sorry at the situation they were in.

Turns out they had quite a bit in common…

King was not the first to draw upon the demons within ourselves. Edgar Allen Poe, known for his taste for the macabre, wrote about death, decomposition and being buried alive due to the curiosity of the public at the time and their interest in such details; a sign of how views in society were beginning to change.

Other writers, such as Richard Laymon and Shaun Hutson, also draw upon human malevolence to create stories of horror to influence the reader. In recent times more explicit language is also used, with more accurate and vivid descriptions of gore and violence utilized for shock; showing how society change has deemed for a more frank and candid approach to horror fiction.

The water drops like a shroud on the town of Bixby. Warm, viscous and unnatural, it coats the inhabitants in an unending torrent – and turns them into crazy, hate-filled maniacs. A helpful stranger at a gas station shoves a petrol pump down a customer’s throat and squeezes the trigger. A soaking-wet queue of cinema-goers smashes its way inside the movie house to slice up the dry people within. A loving wife attacks her husband, bouncing the back of his head on the marble floor until it sounds like sloppy wet meat…

Blurb from ‘One Rainy Night’ by Richard Laymon; slightly more graphic than Dracula

From this blurb, the more explicit language is clearly evident. ‘Shoves a petrol pump down a customer’s throat and squeezes the trigger’ displays a more blunt approach to horror than older fictional works with powerful dynamic verbs such as ‘shoves’ used to enforce the action. Laymon is also less subtle with his description; ‘bouncing the back of his head on the marble floor until it sounds like sloppy wet meat’ creates a very vivid image in the reader. Disgusting, some may say, but it is certainly effective in its appeal.

But when you consider the real human examples of evil behaviour; from Myra Hindley and Ian Brady that shocked the public to the current examples of Ian Huntley, Harold Shipman and on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Ted Bundy, it is understandable how horror has had to develop and become more explicit as people have became aware of the horror of real life.

Consequently this has diffused into Horror Fiction. Why write about a monster with big claws and sharp teeth when you can write about an individual who preys upon the weak and vulnerable? The former can be dismissed, as it is not real, whereas the latter is something that people know exists throughout the world. Although the use of monsters is still popular, the author is able to adapt to the social context and add another dimension of fear into their story. And with the ability to convert their works into films of a gory and graphic nature, they are able to reap the benefits of a more bloodthirsty society. So can we really blame the writers for giving in to public demand? Or should we blame ourselves for finding such material appealing? I say neither, and as long as great works of fiction and film are produced, you won’t find me complaining.

 

Hills, Hills And More Hills

I learned something about myself yesterday. I really don’t like hills. Whether it’s going up them or going down them, I just don’t like them.

And here’s why. We went for a bike ride yesterday, as I mentioned at the end of my last blog post. Our destination was Vanna’s dads, who lives just beyond Deerwood, 8 miles away from Crosby if you go by the highway. We, however, took the country roads because it was more scenic and, you know, there are no huge trucks speeding right past you. As a result we added another four miles onto our journey. I know I said twenty miles before, but if we did the return trip too, we’d end up doing more than that. So my guess wasn’t that wrong.

Anyway I really enjoyed the ride out. It was a lovely sunny day with a breeze, so you couldn’t ask for better conditions. The scenery was beautiful too. Definitely worth the extra few miles to stay off the highway. I’ll have to go again and bring the camera so you could see what I saw. Lots of open fields, clear blue lakes, vibrant wildflowers and thick forestland to keep us interested. We kept a good pace throughout but there was still plenty of time to admire the view. At times it reminded me of the countryside back home. I only knew I was in Minnesota because the houses weren’t made of brick. And it was sunny. That’s always a give away.

However it wasn’t all plain sailing. Although Minnesota is devoid of hills and mountains like the UK, that doesn’t mean it’s completely flat. This was something I quickly realized once we’d past the 6 mile mark. After cycling on gradual slopes for a good twenty minutes, we were now approaching steep steep hills. And I didn’t like that at all.

It might be because I’m using an unstable bike with no brakes. Or it could be because I’m not the reckless (well…I was slightly daring) child that I used to be. Whatever the reason, I just don’t like going down hills at high speeds. I just can’t do it. While Vanna is speeding down having the time of her life, I’m staring from the top of the slope, my body filled with dread. I will eventually go though. In my own time. Braking heavily to start with. But I will do it.

Unfortunately that’s not even the worse part. My misery is not yet over. This is because these steep downward slops usually lead into an equally steep climb. To succeed you need to go fast to build up the momentum that will then help you overcome the uphill part. But, due to my intense braking, I never get that start so I’m having to work a lot harder to get to the top.

And I had to do this for six miles.

Thankfully I got to her dads without suffering a severe accident. Or mental breakdown. I may have been cursing the entire time I was going downhill but other than that, I was pretty good. I was in better shape in the end than Vanna. While she was all flustered, I was looking cool as a cucumber. That was probably due to my relief that I was still alive. I’m still counting it as a success.

For all my moaning, it was definitely worth the trip out. To start with the house is really pretty. I know Vanna has some pictures that I’ll have to upload here at some point. You’ll just have to take my word for now. But the highlight of her dads house? The lake which is right next to it. You just walk across the garden, onto the dock and then you’re in the perfectly clean water.

Well I’m not. I can’t swim. But if you can swim, it is as easy as that. While I sat resting my legs and appreciating the view, Vanna cooled herself off in the water. I gather it was pretty cold, but when you’ve been cycling intensively for a good hour, you’d probably welcome the change. Even I was tempted to wade in.

After we’d had our break, we spoke to her dad. I like her dad, he’s an interesting character. Last August he introduced me to the world of motorbikes. I’d never even been near a bike before then but here I was, riding on the back of his Harley Davidson. It was a fun experience, even if I was worried I was going to fall off the entire time. Don’t think I’d ever ride one again but I can’t say I regretted it either.

My new experience this time was guns. We aren’t really that interested in guns in the UK so I’ve never held or fired one in my life. Until now.

Well I held a couple of guns. He offered to take me shooting but I think we’ll probably do that another time. After hearing about all the pests that live near the lake, I’m quite interested in a hunting session. When you play all these shooting games on the Xbox, you get intrigued as to what it’s like to fire an actual gun. Hopefully by the end of the summer I’ll get my opportunity to find out. I’ll let you know if I do.

I feel like me and Vanna’s dad (Carl) get on well. This is probably a good thing, considering you don’t want to get on the wrong side of somebody with several guns. Especially not when you’re dating their daughter. So all in all, it was a good day. He even gave us a ride back so I didn’t have to face those horrible hills again. That’s always a plus.

After that, we just chilled out at home. Sharissa came round and we all watched Saw III and Saw IV. I have seen them before but those two in particular are closely linked so I probably understood them better this time round. I know the franchise gets a lot of stick but I still think it’s the best horror series out there. You could argue the last few releases were a bit stupid but up until Saw V, they were all pretty credible.

I feel it’s an American thing though, not just Hollywood, to bleed an idea until it’s dry. Specifically films and television. For example, ‘The Office’ (UK version) lasted two series. How many series has yours been going for? Isn’t it still on? You just need to let things die America. Don’t keep bringing them out every year for the money. Let them go out on a high.

But that’s just my opinion. And quite a digression from what I was originally talking about. Oh well.

Back to what we’re doing now and today we’re probably just going to chill out. On my cycle to the library I found my muscles weren’t responding as well as before, so I probably need to let them relax for a day. They aren’t used to any form of exercise so the past three weeks must have been quite a shock to the system. I’m eating a lot less too so hopefully when I weigh myself tomorrow I’ll have lost more weight (lost 2 pounds last week, which considering I put on about 14 when I was here in August is a great improvement).

Though it probably isn’t a good sign to see the button on my trousers pop off when I stood up after breakfast this morning. But that’s just shoddy manufacturing on the clothing, right?

…Right?