Horror conventions (guilty pleasures)

Pike · Apr 4, 2006

Tell me, what kind of horror convention draws you to a book? I'm not talking about stylish prose or quality writing but what style of horror has your hands tremlbing as you reach for the book? Do you see another vampire novel and feel dishearted until you discover a new novel about zombies? Do you search for psychotic murders, malicious ghosts, or mutant blood-sucking creatures? What's your guilty pleasure?

Jcomp · Apr 4, 2006

hmmm....

Old, haunted houses with shady histories usually get to me, but those aren't often executed well. In fact, any horror story where there's some awful, historical mystery waiting to be uncovered usually gets me. I also like off the wall, "what if" scenarios. The concepts behind Bentley Little's "The Walking" and "The Mailman" come to mind, although neither book actually satisfied me. Apparently the conventions that attract me don't follow through in satiating my need to be frightened. Curses...

BlackCrowesChick · Apr 4, 2006

I'm game for any horror, as long as its good.

But since a few of my favorite books involve haunted places, I guess I'd have to go with that. They were all different types of hauntings, too - haunted hotel, haunted cabin by the lake house, demonically possessed funeral home turned house, that one which was based on a true story. Don't know how true it actually was, but it was scary.

Ocha · Apr 5, 2006

Psychopaths, particularily the very intelligent ones. I like stories that could be true; it could be nice old Fred down the street who's killing and chopping people up. I've always found those much scarier than fantastic beasts I've never heard of before.

MacAllister · Apr 5, 2006

I'm a total sucker for those haunted house/ancient burial ground/gruesome- murder-once-committed-here sort of stories. Those stories where events from the past staple over top of the present--Bag of Bones comes to mind--I love those stories.

Liam Jackson · Apr 5, 2006

Good gawd, that's a longgg list. It's like asking me, "What's the flavor of the month/week/day?"

Some days I'm in solid with Ocha's ideals. On other days, only the supernatural "Big Fugly Critter Under the Bed" will do.

Vampires don't do it for me. Not sure why. Maybe I should try to pen a story and see if I can get engaged with the little blood suckers.

Pike · Apr 6, 2006

Haunted houses, haunted houses, psycho killers, haunted houses... Am I sensing a stand out winner?

I've tried a few haunted house-style books cirrently I'm reading B. Little's The House but there is so many characters involved I'm getting lost. Hey, and to an earlier remark about Mr. Little, I enjoy his brash, rude, and matter of fact writing but also feel let down by some of the endings. The Walking and The Revelation sure didn't go down a satisfactory path.

Hey Liam... fugly? I haven't heard that word in years! That was a great way of describing, well I won't go there.

My reading pleasure is rather eclectic but I'm drawn to revamped versions of standard favorites, such as Dean Koontz's Frankenstein. It's not a scary read but a fun one that dragged me to the second book and I can't wait until this summer for the final showdown. I guess that means I'm a fan of the traditional horror monsters. Ya, vampires have been done to death. Just once I'd like to see a vampire book that wasn't slick and so completely humanized. I've been toying with writing one as if they were nothing more then ravonous cannibals, more like ghouls then statesmen.

Horror conventions (guilty pleasures)

Pike

Chivalry ain't dead

Jcomp

BlackCrowesChick

Uptown Girl

Ocha

MacAllister

'Twas but a dream of thee

Liam Jackson

Heathen Horde Elder

Pike

Chivalry ain't dead