When we read books that scare us, we have to choose to explore our fears, no matter what, says author Lou Morgan, some of the books I loved when I was 13 are horror stories. Point Horror, Stephen King, Bram Stoker, James Herb are all names you can see on the list. I would go into second-hand bookstores and buy anthologies of vampire stories, sneaking them into my bag or coat because my mom wouldn’t agree. They scare you, he always said. And he was right they did. But that was the point.
Fear Is One of Our Primal Emotions
It is deeply ingrained in us, as in all animals. At its simplest, it left us alive as a species; encourages us to stay away from long drops and big fires, helps us avoid wild-toothed tigers and other things that have big teeth and claws, which we like to add to dinner.
Horror Stories
The last time I looked, there weren’t too many toothed tigers to worry about on my main street. When you think about it, we are a very strange person: we work hard to make our world, our environment safer, and then actively seek out what scares us. Horror movies, city legends, ghost stories. We hunt for darkness and enjoy it.
Why? Because that way we can control it. The difference is that if you collide with a toothed tiger, the spear will make you feel better about your chances of survival. How do we deal with the fear of losing our loved ones and not being able to stop it? How do we look at it?
We Seek Out Stories
stories that give us a place to put our fears. Books, in particular, are so ingrained in our heads that a lot of them sink into our heads before we pour out the fear on them. Stories that scare or bother us are not only read stories, but events that bother us or touch the bottom of something give us the opportunity to learn what scares us, but only our imagination and experience as much as possible.
Horror Stories Reflect Their Times
Just as repressed Victorians love their vampires, we also strive for technology, zombies, dystopia, and psychological horror. When I wrote my horror novel, Sleepless, I wanted to combine the intense pressure and stress of exams with the fear of not believing my own opinion.
