Being a writer of both fiction and nonfiction, the connection between the two often intrigues me. A fiction story usually seems more compelling if it is based on a true account or likely to happen in real life. This is not to take away from well-crafted stories of complete fantasy by talented writers. But in general, the closer to real life fiction is, the more it seems to grasp the attention of readers and to have a long-term effect on them.
The horror genre is home to some of the most exaggerated possibilities and grandeurs of fantasy. At the same time, properly executed horror sticks with us the most, sometimes causing us in real life to look over our shoulder or keep the lights on at night. Horror endures, in various forms of media, as a powerful way to keep fiction in touch with our emotions. What is it about this speculative genre that sits so close to home?
We'll examine some famous horror icons in the light of our living existence, but first let's take an objective look at one of the most powerful emotions we can feel: fear.
Fear: The Emotion of Horror
Horror is all about what we are afraid of. You can debate with different people and never come up with an agreed upon standard of fear and its causes. Fear can be innate (preprogrammed into our behavior and personality), learned (through experience and culture), or some combination of the two. Fear has a physiological basis (our brain reacts a certain way when we are afraid, our heart rate and breathing increase, etc.) and a psychological basis (the subjective experience of being afraid, which can affect our way of thinking and actions).
Obviously, fear is a complex emotion and varies among individuals, as different people may fear different things. Some people even claim to fear nothing. What generations of horror fiction has proved, however, is that the experience of being afraid is fairly universal. Furthermore, as unpleasant as fear can be to experience, there is also an enormous attraction to it when portrayed in a safe manner such as a fiction story. There is a certain thrill of having our fears invoked without the threat of actual danger that has captivated horror readers for centuries.
As fear varies from person to person, not everyone will get a thrill out of every horror story. But fear not (pun intended), for there is a vast variety of scary stories and terrifying tales. There are many subjects and even sub-genres within horror, and each one seems to scare us, tapping into our shared potential to be afraid by toying with our individual differences.
Vampires
The vampire has been a familiar character of folklore and scary stories for centuries, even before Bram Stoker set the modern standards for vampires with Dracula. Vampire specifics sometimes vary depending on the origin of the tale and an author's discretion, but the vampire basics are well known around the world by many generations. They are undead, the living dead risen from the grave. They have a thirst for human blood. They are immortal.
The idea of the dead not really being dead is a terrifying concept for most people, even more so if the undead is out to get us. This plays on the mysteries of death. Despite various spiritual and philosophical views, nobody can say for certain what happens to us (and/or our souls) when we die. The possibility of becoming a vampire is sometimes portrayed as romantic and even a way to achieve great power, as in Ann Rice's The Vampire Chronicles. Still, it goes against any idea of going to Heaven or even resting in peace. In most stories, vampires live in endless suffering. It is frightening to be the victim of such a creature, but perhaps worse to become one.
Blood pumps through our veins to sustain life. The act of a monster drinking this fluid through our very veins is more than just a gruesome and potentially painful death. It is also symbolic of someone else taking away from us that which we hold dear. In this way, the vampire represents a sort of power struggle through a life or death encounter. Both victim and vampire need the blood to continue living. It is a Darwinian theory tested through a scene of fiction - survival of the fittest.
Through centuries of fiction as well as history, the notion of immortality has always interested some people. This goes hand in hand with the mysteries of death. Since we don't know what happens when we die, many people fear death, as it is presumably the end of everything we are and know. The idea of vampires being immortal can therefore be seen as people's fear of death being somewhat alleviated through fiction.
Ghosts
Paranormal activity is a staple in many horror stories, but it is not limited to fiction. Indeed, branches of science are dedicated to proving or disproving the existence of ghosts. The credibility of these studies is sometimes questionable, but the fact that so many people believe in the possibility of contacting or at least witnessing the spirits of those passed on says a great deal about our collective consciousness.
It must be noted, of course, that ghosts are not always scary. Many people believe that they have felt the presence of their dead loved ones. This is often a comforting experience and may sometimes even be connected with a religious experience. It is this comfort, however, that makes malevolent spirits that much more frightening.
An encounter with a ghost of a stranger can be eerie and unsettling. It is also said that the spirits of murder victims or those taken “before their time” are often violent and can affect the living in unpleasant ways. This is an extraordinarily terrifying idea for one who believes in ghosts. Imagine, though, the sheer fright of someone who doesn't believe in ghosts until he/she meets one. People are generally convinced in what they believe to be facts, and anything disproving these facts can be psychologically damaging. We base our behaviors greatly on what we know and experience - a paranormal encounter can totally shatter one's perception of reality.
Ghosts induce horror for some of the same reasons that vampires do. Our general uncertainty of death and a possible afterlife affords many potential scenarios, and most of them can be scary due to the mysteries. Science suggests that ghosts are not real, while most major religions speak heavily about an afterlife. Many people are convinced one way or the other, but have we ever truly proved if ghosts exist or not? No, we haven't.
Zombies
Zombies have a bit in common with vampires, in that they are undead and take living people as victims. Unlike the bloodthirsty vampires, however, zombies usually feed on people's flesh. Zombies are normally portrayed as ravenous creatures with low intelligence. A horde of zombies attacks very much like a pack of animals.
If you were out in the woods and you suddenly noticed a pack of wolves surrounding you, chances are you'd be extremely frightened. This makes sense, of course, not only through common sense. We have an innate fear of certain animals, predatory creatures to which we might become prey. Some scientists go so far as to say that this fear, developed through thousands of years of evolution, extends to our relationships with other people as well. In a dangerous situation, the “fight-or-flight” state of mind often takes over, and zombies are certainly capable of inducing this in a person afraid of being eaten alive.
Add to this the fact that zombies are the animated corpses of dead people, and you get a sense of closeness to these animalistic creatures. Not too long ago, a zombie was a person, just like you. Something horrible or strange happened that caused the zombie to rise from its grave with a hunger for human flesh. Once again, we are prone to fear a similar outcome for ourselves.
Conclusion
This is obviously just a glimpse into the world of horror, as there are countless types of monsters and scary situations presented in fiction. The sense of fear that horror stories employ can be straight forward (such as serial killers), exaggerated (such as monsters from other dimensions), or anywhere in between. But as long as uncertainties about life exist, as long as people occasionally feel afraid, horror is here to stay. It will remain a popular genre of fiction that, possibly more than any other genre, keeps us in touch with our own raw emotions.
