Kate on Horror

The Horror Genre is defined in several ways but in the case of movies and books the best description, I think, would be to say that it is a story about macabre events.

This is a very broad way of describing one genre and it is often said that the horror genre is difficult to generalise as so many things can be classed as horrific. What each individual finds frightening may not be even the slightest bit creepy to the next and what can find you hiding behind the sofa and requiring a friend to accompany you to the toilet can have another person laughing their socks off.

It is probably due to this that there are so many sub-genres in this area. This can help the reader to find the type of book they want to read or the type of horror that most scares them.

It is however sometimes difficult for the writer to pinpoint one particular sub-genre as being the one their work fits into.  Novels can often contain elements of several genres and sub-genres and the readers and writers views of which genre a novel fits into can differ greatly.

In my own research I found a total of twenty different sub-genres and I suspect if I kept looking I would find more.

My reason for researching the Horror Genre

The reason I began researching this area in particular is the novel that I am currently working on. This research and discussion with others in the know has led me to the belief that my current work fits into two sub-genres of horror, the Slasher horror genre and the Sexual Horror genre. I hope that I have chosen correctly.

I am still working hard on it and with only five more blood curdling chapters to go before the raw draft is finished I am desperate to start editing and twisting up the plot.

So, because of my choices of genre I will be continuing my research and in my next blog intend to look at slasher horror, I hope that you will join me for the fun!

Kate