Hello mister tall, dark, and terrifying

(Blog X-posted)
October is moving right along which means creepy costumes and sugar highs are just around the corner. Or is that just my plan? Surely not.

Halloween is nearly here, and it's a good time for the things that go bump in the night. Many creatures which once would have been relegated to horror stories and movies are now featured as heroes and romantic leads, but let's forget them for a moment and talk of the terrifying.

What flavor do you prefer your horror stories/movies? Do you like an oppressive atmosphere that keeps your shoulders hitched as you wait for the worst? Do you like the monster you never quite see so he's worsened by your imagination? Perhaps your horror preference is the gore and the gritty details. Or maybe the psychological horror tale that worms itself into the back your mind and then begins to twist. Or perhaps your horror tastes lean toward the destruction of all hope in the face of insurmountable and unstoppable odds? (Zombie Apocalypse anyone?)

From the ghost story to the slasher film, horror is a genre with many faces and many elements. Which work for you? Do you laugh off a scary tale, or do you sleep with the lights on after a good horror flick?  It's the month for spooky stories and frightening monsters, so please share your favorite horror movies and books! (We could all use a good scare, right?)

Comments

Jessica @ a GREAT read said…
Due to a very VERY over active imagination, the curse of a writer I guess ;) I don't watch too many scary movies. I like some creepy eerie kinds, not the slasher ones.

I LOVE the classics those. Still need to see Nosferatu. Loved the original Dracula and Wolfman. Absolutely loved the Creature from the Black Lagoon!

Other ones that I liked while not scary scary are Van Helsing, the Underworld trilogy...and probably a few others that fit in the action/sci-fi but not a whole lot of horror. Classic horror yes, because that's always good for a laugh!
October 15, 2010 at 4:01 PM
Kalayna Price said…
Classic horror does tend to be funny, mostly because the technology wasn't there to make truly terrifying monsters. (I think it was Nosferatu where the 'werewolf' was actually footage of a hyena in the wild.) Of course, even with today's technology, I find the monster you don't see is often more frightening than the one you do. What do you think?

As far as Underworld and Van Helsing, I think they have horror elements--much like urban fantasy--but wouldn't actually be considered horror.

That might actually be a good question for the blog:

What do you think classifies a book or movie as horror?
October 15, 2010 at 5:20 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GRAVE WAR is here!

Image
 Today is the day! Grave War is out in the wild!  I hope you love this story. I'm thrilled to share it. Thanks for reading!  (Note: The print and ebook should be available. The audio book will be coming. I'm not sure of the release date, but I approved a cover for it, so it is coming.) 
Read more

The Revision Game, Part one--2nd drafts: The Big Picture

Last month Cher asked me to go into more specifics about how I revise novels. I didn't get a chance to post on the topic during the NaNo challenge, so I thought I'd delve into it now. In parts. Yes, I'm breaking it down that much. Those of you who won NaNo last month are hopefully still racing toward those magical words "The End" (or maybe some of you have hit them already). But what do you do after you reach those words? Personally, I close the file. Then I don't open it again for at least two weeks (if at all possible). During that down time I work on other projects, write a short story, talk to my neglected husband, read as many books as I can without my eyes rolling out of my head, whatever--the point is to let the dust settle on the story I just finished. (**Note: I highly recommend still writing something while letting a first draft sit. It takes about 3 weeks to form a habit, so if you slip out of the habit of writing, you have to force yourself to
Read more

What's Next?

A lot of people are writing to ask if Grave Destiny is the final book in the series. I'm very happy to report that no, this is not the end! Ace has contracted one final Alex Craft novel so that I can finish up the story. I'm currently writing the first draft, and while it has a tentative title, I'm not free to share it quite yet. I'll be turning in the 7th Alex Craft novel this September, so I anticipate it will be released late 2020 or early 2021 but will update you when I have more information. So, for those of you worried that this might be the end, worry not. There is more. I hope you are enjoying Grave Destiny!
Read more