the next wave?

i love horror, so i'm going to start a new topics

[puts on his best Oprah face]

It seems that horror films have become increasingly popular lately. We've seen quite a few do well enough in theatres to inspire more horror to be made.

Do you think we'll experience this same resurgence with the horror print market? With Stephen King slowly crawling out of existence, what's next?

What do you see on the horizon?

Any fantabulous new authors out there on the racks?

I don't see it happening.

I'm not trying to be negative, but I don't see people getting all excited by the horror label.

sadly

sadly, neither do I. Unless some genre bending phenom comes along that pulls in a mass of readers the way stephen king did two decades or so ago, then the genre will continue to shrink. hopefully, someone will come along who can break those boundaries to open up the field.

same thing for most genre fiction. we really need to see some break out artists to mix it up a bit.

Re: sadly

I think it's safe to say that the horror genre is a firmly entrenched niche. It's just in a slump. The base readership remains loyal, if a bit jaded these days. I can speak with some authority on this issue as I'm one of those "loyal, though jaded" fans. Like other readers of the genre, I'm waiting on the next great horror writer to blow my socks off.

If nothing else, the horror genre is resilient and eventually, someone will emerge as the "next Poe/King/Barker/McCammon/Koontz/Straub..."

The next big thing

I'm with Liam on this--I don't think horror is going to go away. One of the reasons I'm drawn to horror in the first place is its traditional place on the margin of pop culture. I think the genre lends itself to more experimental, less homogenized writing and thinking.

I dunno what the next big thing is. But I'm encouraged by all the crossover stuff I'm seeing in books and movies both, as well. Fantasy or Mystery with Horror elements. Makes for some great stuff.

Re: The next big thing (Mac)

HAHA! I'm surprised you even remember the "Death to the Pig Lords" battlecry. Check your secret decoder ring. I've enclosed the history of the slogan, as well as a pair of x-ray sunglasses.

Re: The next big thing

Via Bookslut:

Horror is back, but this time with attitude and a sense of character development

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From www.bostonphoenix.com/ (no registration required)

From the article:

Horror, it appears, is back. After a mid-’80s horror explosion and a subsequent drought during the ’90s, writers like Merz are gradually gaining more acceptance, getting more projects, and flirting with Hollywood a little more. With the success of films like The Ring, the small press Borderlands, and mass-market-horror publisher Leisure Books, there’s not only an onslaught of young, hungry gothic writers who’ve flooded the market, but increased mainstream interest.

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'Tis the season.

The discussion of horror books continues.

Horror Books: The Old Horror and the New Dark Fantasy

It's the New York Times, so some of you may want to use www.bugmenot.com/ to bypass registration.

Nothing new there, except the books.

Re: 'Tis the season.

Hmm--two of the weekend's top three movies (according to the Today show this morning, which I was sort of listening to while I was supposed to be writing) are horror flicks: The Grudge and Saw

Re: 'Tis the season.

Interesting. My current WIP screenplay; not my WIP novel, have a lot of "horror" elements in it, but I don't think it quite classifies as horror.

Not sure what it is, but I like the story.