Horror as a genre has its origins dating back to the Spanish inquisition in the 13th century. The genre revolved around religion and its components were used as a propaganda to evoke submission from the general public (Jones, 2020). Known as pre-modern horror until the 19th century, stories usually comprised of acts that were deemed scandalous and gruesome, which were later on defined through characters such as vampires and witches in Gothic horror (Jones, 2020). Modern horror, as from late 19th century, gradually begin to revolve around local incidents and economic instabilities, such as local crime and post war adversity (Jones, 2020). From late 20th century to current era, horror novelist Stephen King has made exceptional strides in both horror literature and film industry. King (2011) describes three basic elements of horror that prove success in appeal to audiences.
King (2011) asserts that the horror genre presses on issues relevant to the decade such as economic instabilities; for example, the 70s experienced high inflation and high interest rates, buying a house was a huge accomplishment if achieved, and so horror films like The Amityville Horror, King’s The Shining were classics that were box office hits (Hendrix, 2017). In King’s explanation (2011), the three basic elements are revulsion or the ‘gross-out’, horror, and terror. The first tier of fear known as the ‘gross-out’ is a method of physically revolting the audience with something extremely graphic (Regal, 2019). As a classic example, The Shining (1980) begins with the revulsion factor by the backstory of the Overlook Hotel, where the previous owner Grady brutally murdered his entire family (Bracken, 2020). The specific details of all the murders cause physical recoil in the audience.
The second tier of fear is horror. This element is basically the graphical portrayal of ‘the unimaginable’, wherein something is visually beyond comprehension to the extent that it evokes fear and audiences would struggle to put the pieces of the story together (Regal, 2019). In The Shining, this element is displayed through a number of scenes; Danny is encountered with disturbing apparitions, ghastly figures, the vision “REDRUM” of murder spelt backwards is seen repeatedly, and a hose that chases Danny down the hallway (Bracken, 2020). The element is further fuelled with the fact that Danny’s parents are reluctant to believe in his visions, ghostly encounters, his bruise from being strangled and ultimately when Jack, the current caretaker, and Danny have several encounters upon Grady’s ghost’s persuasion to kill the family.
The final element and top of the tier is terror, which is the kind of fear induced through imagination (Regal, 2019). The audience is given specific unknowns towards the end of the story/film that they will explain it to themselves with a number of possible scenarios built in imagination (Regal, 2019). The element of terror could also be in the form of realisations that characters have about themselves, their lives, or possibly about the environment they are in. towards the end of the film, a picture is shown of guests in a ballroom which dates back to 1921. Upon closer look, viewers realise that Jack is in the picture, up front and centred. This leaves the audience with terrifying thoughts and possibilities about Jack and possibly his past life.
References
Bracken, H. (2020). The Shining. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Shining-novel-by-King
Hendrix, G. (2017). Paperbacks from hell: The twisted history of ‘70s and ‘80s horror fiction. Quirk Books.
Jones, N. (2020). A history of modern Horror Video Lecture. Retrieved from AUT Blackboard.
King, S. (2011). Danse macabre. Simon and Schuster.
Neilan, D. (2017) Stephen King breaks down the different levels of horror. Retrieved from https://www.avclub.com/stephen-king-breaks-down-the-different-levels-of-horror-1806112160
Regal (2019). Stephen King’s 3 levels of horror. Retrieved from https://www.regmovies.com/static/en/us/blog/stephen-king-3-levels-of-horror
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