What makes the horror genre so appealing to me is that sense of foreboding. I didn't finish reading The Notebook and spend the night fearing the love of my life was hiding in my closet, waiting for me to close my eyes and kill me, but after seeing Saw or Child's Play I find myself being more cautious about my actions and avoiding talking dolls. To me, you can have any model in the world, but in order to have horror you have to have the element of the tale that strikes fear and sits with people for days/months/years.
I agree that most horror stories unfold in the way Clute describes, but I think this is a simplistic model of what any story has. I think what is unique about horror is the sense of foreboding in the aftermath. At the end of romance, comedy, and children's tales things usually are placed in a neat little box and tied with a bow of “happily ever after.” The thing that sets the horror genre apart is the aftermath. Without the sense that nothing more can be done and still a bit of worry I wouldn't feel right calling it horror. I don't watch Nightmare on Elm St. and expect the end to be the end of Freddy. I always have an ominous feeling and end up fearing for days on end that sleeping will lead to my ultimate demise. The extreme honesty about how horrible the world can be is what draws the people into the horror genre.
1 comment:
I like your idea about the "sense of foreboding." I think it's a really good way to set apart the type of horror that we're going to be discussing in this class.
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