I've heard Joyce Carol Oates' books called Gothic horror.
I can't speak to it, because I read one of her books and swore off them forever. Way too depressing for me.
Oh I didn't know about those. Hmm....I might have to go give at least one of them a try!
Good questions. For me, what makes horror gothic is when the setting--the haunted abbey, wild moors, urban grime, whatever--seems to be an active and malevolent character in and of itself.
Ah yes, the setting as key. Great examples.
Yeah, the setting is the key for Gothic--big empty castles or Victorian houses, anyplace foggy, etc. I read a book a few years ago called "The Ghost Writer" that was a modern Gothic horror. Can't recall the author though...
If you've seen John Carpenter's version of "The Fog," that's a cinematic example, probably.
Not sure I've seen much that blends Gothic with UF though. I'm sure it's out there, but I can't think of any.
Could the author of Ghost Writer have been John Harwood? I checked Amazon and if it's the one, it looks interesting. I might have to go give it a read.
Yes, I saw that film. The setting as almost a character itself was stunning. I also think of certain video games - namely Silent Hall with it's very intensely laden atmospheric fog, decay, pervasive darkness, psychological and ghostly horror elements, etc. The locales/atmosphere/buildings almost seem alive. I love that. I try to always remember these things as I am crafting my own settings.
Anne Rice's books on vampires and witches might qualify as gothic horror.
Now that you mentioned it, yes, I believe they would qualify for the most part. Thanks for bringing those series up as it reminded me. I hadn't read the series in ages, but I'll give them a good look over to see how the atmosphere and settings are created, and how they 'feel'.
