Sunday, July 29, 2007

Thoughts on horror

Once upon a time, this writer had dreams of being a horror novelist. That was long ago, in the heydays of Stephen King in the 1980s and early 1990s. I read tons of horror stories, watched loads of horror movies and studied the occult, serial killers, the supernatural and anything else odd, twisted or that was in some other way related to the horror genre.

That dream didn't necessarily die, it just got expanded over time. In my pre-horror days, I was big into fantasy, and for the last several years I delved back into fantasy again ... thus my current trilogy. It has also come about that most of my writer friends, online and in the real world, tend to be fantasy writers.

But I've felt a bit of a draw to horror again lately. I think it started last year when I read Max Brooks' "World War Z," a collection of realistic stories about human survivors of a worldwide zombie outbreak. Brooks is somewhat known for his comical side, and "World War Z" does have some comedy, but it also has much, much more. Before I go any further, just let me say that I believe "World War Z" was the best new book I read last year (okay, okay ... "Starship Troopers" was the best old book I read last year).

Alright, back to my original point. I think one reason I lost interest in horror for so long is that I became disgusted with ... not the genre, but with some of the people behind the genre, certain writers and film directors and the like. It got to the point that the only point to horror was ... well, the horror, the blood and guts and body counts.

Now, I freely admit, the horror genre has been accused of such negativism for a long time. And some of that criticism is valid. I myself can't stand the series of "Saw" movies because, to me, there's no point other than watching humans being tortured in more and more sadistic manners. There's not much plot, there's not much conclusion ... it's just pointless.

For me, the best horror has never really been about horror. The best horror has been about one of two things, either the power of the human spirit to overcome tragedy and overwhelming odds, or the failure of humanity to overcome such.

I'll go back to Stephen King. One of King's strengths is his characterizations, because you learn to care for his good characters or to loathe/love his villains. Either way, you care what happens to his characters. His plots aren't just about grossing you out, or showing you new ways to use sharp instruments, but about humanity.

Maybe I'm just turning into a softie as I get older. I don't care so much about "breaking boundaries" because I feel like they've all already been broken. Once you've seen a dozen decapitations or impalings or disembowelings ... you've seen 'em all.

Give me will. Give me strength. Give me character. Give me love. Or show me the failings of such things. We are more than bodies and blood. The best horror tales show that.

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