3 Horror-ble Mistakes, syndicated from @JeanNicole19
The following is syndicated from jeannicolerivers.com and is posted here with permission.
My favorite genre of book/film is horror, always has been. I have devoured some fantastically frightening horror in my years. Despite the red-headed stepchild reputation that horror has, it is one of the most powerful genres because fear is one of the most powerful emotions. The problem is that most horror stories fail to inspire genuine fear in its audiences, but in this genre are great opportunities to touch people, but don’t make the following mistakes:
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| Cover links to Amazon.com |
False, false, false, false, false, false, false…I can’t say false enough here. Blood and guts do not automatically make a movie a horror. I absolutely detest blood and guts movies (some people like them and that’s fine, but this feature has little to do with the making of a good tale of horror). There are occasions where a little blood is necessary to heighten a climax or set a scene, but for the most part an overload of blood and guts makes me more want to throw up than lock my door.
2. Lots of Chills and Thrills with Little Plot.
Despite what many think, horror can have a fascinating plot and all the good horrors do. Chills and thrills are great, but get boring after a while if there is nothing to keep me emotionally connected to the story. Chills and thrills are just the topping but a strong plot is the meat.
3. Always Making Your Villain a Boogeyman or Stranger.
Boogeymen and strangers are great for horror films; I love them, but don’t underestimate the power of bringing your villain closer to home. Some of the most chilling horrors can be seen on the nightly news and they are rarely the work of boogeymen, aliens or strangers, take a look at this blog (http://www.jeannicolerivers.com/the-new-villain/) and find the power of bringing your villain a little too close for comfort.
Write horror that is meaningful, make the hair on the back of people’s neck stand up, make them put down their book to go and check out that creaking noise they heard in the kitchen, fill them with the unmistakable adrenaline pump of raw fear and they will keep coming back.
