gothic horror is when there's a location. cosmic horror is when there's an unauthorized fucking Thing. folk horror is when you're outside.

Horror is such an interesting genre to me.

Because like, ok, I don't like horror movies. I don't enjoy the experience of watching horror movies. And I almost never read horror novels. BUT, I find them absolutely fascinating from a literary analysis stand point.

Because all horror is about is using a supernatural force as a metaphor for a real world anxiety.

Slasher films tend to focus on the very simple anxieties of personal safety. (Is it any wonder why they are so popular here in the US with the way things are?)

Invasion of the body snatchers is classic cold war/ Russian spy anxiety. Are your neighbors really who they say they are, or are they spies for the enemy?

Vampire horror is often a mix of sexual anxieties (the fangs, the penetration, the vulnerability) and, especially if it's leaning on Dracula tropes, xenophobic anxieties (outsider, stranger, not quite human), or depending on how it's handled, anxieties about class (how often are they the rich, the elite, preying on and consuming and devouring the poor)

A lot of werewolf horror is an anxiety about the self- losing control, anger or hunger that you can not longer hold back and how it will hurt those around you.

Look at something like Goosebumps- horror written for kids. The anxieties of summer camp or moving to a new house or the weird bits of your house you aren't supposed to go (under the sink, into the basement) because it *isnt safe* for some reason.

Jordan Peele movies have been so wildly successful, not just for being well made, but because they capture a rarely told perspective- the anxieties and threats faced by Black Americans filtered through a horror lens.

One of the Nebula finalists last year was Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, which looked into the horror of colonization and eugenics but, ya know, with terrifying supernatural elements as a metaphor.

And the supernatural metaphors are there to circumvent the logical, rational part of your brain- to go straight to the deep emotional lizard brain without you sitting there trying to apply all the real world nuance to the situation. These anxieties shortcut into your brain. And then it says- can we survive this? Can we overcome this? Can we make it until dawn? How?

And I think the way different stories and different writers have tackled that is really interesting.

ash by tracy k. smith

piranesi vi, giovanni piranesi // the haunting of hill house, dir. mike flanagan // bony legs, joanna cole & dirk zimmer // midsommar, dir. ari aster // murder of agamemnon, pierre-narcisse guérin // game of thrones: a man without honor, dir. david nutter // goodnight mommy, dir. veronika franz & severin fiala // it, dir. andy muschietti // hereditary, dir. ari aster // crimson peak, dir. guillermo del toro // the vigil, dir. keith thomas // house of leaves, mark z. danielewski // spike field, safdar abidi // i’m thinking of ending things, dir. charlie kaufman // the lighthouse, dir. robert eggers // relic, dir. natalie erika james // annihilation, dir. alex garland // anatomy, kitty horrorshow

Eerie Harry Potter concept art brings the darkness back to the series

This is a compiled list of some of my favorite pieces of short horror fiction, ranging from classics to modern-day horror, and includes links to where the full story can be read for free. Please be aware that any of these stories may contain subject matter you find disturbing, offensive, or otherwise distressing. Exercise caution when reading. Image art is from Scarecrow: Year One.

PSYCHOLOGICAL: tense, dread-inducing horror that preys upon the human psyche and aims to frighten on a mental or emotional level. 

CURSED: stories concerning characters afflicted with a curse, either by procuring a plagued object or as punishment for their own nefarious actions.

MONSTERS: tales of ghouls, creeps, and everything in between.

CLASSICS: terrifying fiction written by innovators of literary horror. 

SUPERNATURAL: stories varying from spooky to sober, featuring lurking specters, wandering souls, and those haunted by ghosts and grief. 

UNSETTLING: fiction that explores particularly disturbing topics, such as mutilation, violence, and body horror. Not recommended for readers who may be offended or upset by graphic content.  

HAPPY READING, HORROR FANS!

20+ One-Picture Horror Stories That We Do Not Recommend Reading Alone

@briancoldrick has a tumblr if you’d like to see more!

Look at all those guardian angels being there for lonely people. <3

Perhaps horror and terror aren’t always the same thing, and darkness isn’t always indicative of harm.

The traveler in the tunnel groped his way forward with a hand against the wall, a chill creeping up his spine. The guardian, watching its brave trespasser stumble, lit a candle for the man to find: on the other side he’d be outside the spirit’s care, but now at least there would be a light to guide his way.

The man alone in empty rows of cubicles allowed himself to be taken advantage of by his employers. The resident spirit kept watch on its melancholy charge, encouraging him to leave by spreading a vague feeling of unease: endless mechanized work was not meant for mortals, whose lives pass by so quickly if they let themselves be stripped of joy.

The guardians kept a close eye on the young woman. She was blithely unaware of the unscrupulous fraternity boys who never overstayed their welcome in her apartment after a wild party: who, instead, always stumbled home to pass out on their own couches, and fell asleep to the vision of many eyes judging their guilty thoughts.

The boy liked to be alone. When his father was home it was never good, but once his family moved into their new place something crept through the darkness that was stronger than his father’s temper. It wasn’t long before his father stopped raising his voice and his fists, frightened by horrible dreams that left him drenched in sweat whenever he so much as thought about hurting his son. The boy slept soundly: he always felt safe for as long as he lived in that house.

The radio broadcaster had recently lost his husband. When he was at work the good memories felt close by, and some of the horror of those last days beside a hospital bed faded away. Sometimes, when the weight grew unbearable, he almost thought he felt a hand on his shoulder, a soft voice telling him he was never truly alone. His love was there. He would always be there, as long as he was needed.

The darkness watched out for the ones who couldn’t watch out for themselves.

I need Guillermo Del Toro to make a series based on this concept more than I need oxygen

Light out of darkness.

Literally just thought these were metaphors for anxiety and depression.

OH WAIT. 

the worlds most under appreciated meme is John Kenn pictures with captions

This appeals to my sense of humour far more than any written words can communicate