〈Novel Structure, Narration, Rhetoric, and Psychological Analysis〉–– Introduction to International Novel Works and Theoretical Analysis (Volume I) 10

Part Two, Chapter Six

On the Creation of Horror Fiction

I. Definition of Horror Fiction

Horror fiction is a literary genre that aims to evoke psychological responses in readers through the depiction of fear, terror, and suspense. Its definition can be articulated through the following key elements:

1. The Construction of a Horrific Atmosphere
   Horror fiction often generates fear through suggestion, atmosphere, and the presence of the unknown or mysterious forces. This process does not rely solely on shock or graphic violence, but also includes psychological fear, inner unease, and anxiety toward the unknown.
2. The Supernatural and the Grotesque
   Many horror narratives involve supernatural phenomena such as ghosts, demons, vampires, or other otherworldly entities. These supernatural elements are frequently used to challenge the boundaries of reality and stimulate the reader’s imagination regarding supernatural fear.
3. Emotional Conflict and Psychological Torment
   Horror fiction is not limited to external threats; many works focus on the psychological states of characters, exploring inner darkness, moral conflict, and human fragility. By portraying psychological fear, such stories resonate deeply with readers’ internal anxieties and dread.
4. Moral and Survival Challenges
   Horror fiction often raises questions about good and evil and presents moral dilemmas. Characters may be forced to make life-and-death decisions in extreme circumstances. These situations evoke not only physical fear but also moral terror.

Representative Works:

• Dracula (Bram Stoker):
  This Gothic novel depicts the terrifying image of the vampire Count Dracula and laid the foundation for modern vampire literature.
• Frankenstein (Mary Shelley):
  The story of Victor Frankenstein’s creation of a monster explores humanity’s fear of scientific progress and moral responsibility.
• The Shining (Stephen King):
  This psychological horror novel combines family crisis with supernatural events, revealing the profound power of psychological fear.
• The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman):
  A coming-of-age story about a boy raised by ghosts, skillfully blending horror and fantasy elements.

These works not only produce intense fear through their plots, but also examine humanity’s responses to the unknown and terror through psychological transformation and ethical challenges.

II. Narrative Structures in Horror Fiction

Horror fiction typically follows specific narrative patterns that help create tension, suspense, and fear. The following are common structural models, illustrated with classic examples:

1. The Classic Three-Act Structure

2. • Act One: Establishes characters and setting, hinting at horrific elements.
   • Act Two: Characters confront the terrifying force, and the threat is gradually revealed.
   • Act Three: The climax, in which the horror reaches its peak and characters face life-or-death choices; the ending may be triumphant or utterly tragic.

Example: The Shining (Stephen King)

1. • Act One: Jack and his family move into an isolated hotel, where calmness masks unease.
   • Act Two: Jack becomes increasingly controlled by supernatural forces, escalating the terror.
   • Act Three: Jack’s psychological collapse reaches its climax, concluding the story.

2. Cyclical Structure
   The narrative begins with an event and ultimately returns to its starting point, emphasizing a sense of inevitability. Endings often convey helplessness and despair, as characters cannot escape their fate.

Example: Pet Sematary (Stephen King)
The protagonist discovers a burial ground capable of resurrecting the dead. Despite repeated attempts to use this power to solve personal problems, the story returns to an endless cycle of death and resurrection, highlighting the inescapability of horror.

1. Suspense–Mystery Structure
   The story continuously introduces mysteries and suspense. As the protagonist uncovers the truth, the sense of horror deepens. The source of fear is often hidden or obscure.

Example: Rosemary’s Baby (Ira Levin)
The narrative follows Rosemary’s pregnancy, which initially appears normal. As her suspicions toward her neighbors and husband grow, the truth is gradually revealed, culminating in the horrifying discovery that she is carrying the devil’s child.

1. Twist Narrative Structure
   Horror is generated through unexpected reversals or distorted endings. The narrative initially appears to follow a familiar trajectory, only to reveal a shocking truth that radically alters the reader’s understanding.

Example: The Sixth Sense (film by M. Night Shyamalan)
The protagonist, a child psychologist, attempts to help a boy who can see ghosts. Only at the end does the audience realize that the protagonist himself is a ghost, creating a profound psychological shock.

1. Monster-Centered Structure
   This structure centers on one or more monsters as the primary source of conflict. Characters move from ignorance to encounter, escape, confrontation, and finally face the monster’s full assault.

Example: Dracula (Bram Stoker)
The protagonists transition from curiosity and investigation to the discovery of Dracula’s true identity, culminating in a life-and-death struggle against him.

1. Fatalistic Structure
   From the outset, the narrative foreshadows a tragic ending. No matter how characters struggle, they cannot escape inevitable failure or death.

Example: Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)
Frankenstein initially attempts to control the monster he created, but gradually loses control, leading to an unavoidable tragic conclusion.

1. Fragmented Narrative Structure
   Multiple timelines, perspectives, or narrative voices intertwine, increasing complexity and mystery. Readers must piece together the story themselves, enhancing the fear of the unknown.

Example: The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)
The story unfolds through multiple viewpoints, gradually revealing the house’s haunted history and supernatural phenomena, allowing horror to intensify through narrative fragmentation.

These structural models demonstrate how horror fiction evokes fear through diverse methods—whether psychological suspense, supernatural elements, or shocking reversals—effectively immersing readers in terror.

III. Core Elements of Horror Fiction

The essential components of horror fiction work together to create unease, tension, and fear:

1. Atmospheric Horror
   Horror relies on a chilling atmosphere, often shaped by dark, mysterious, or desolate environments. In The Shining, the isolated hotel and volatile weather intensify the sense of impending dread.
2. Supernatural Elements
   Ghosts, vampires, monsters, and other unnatural entities disrupt reality. Dracula exemplifies supernatural fear related to death and immortality.
3. Psychological Fear
   Horror arises not only from monsters but also from mental breakdowns. Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven portrays terror through loneliness and madness. Similarly, Frankenstein depicts psychological collapse driven by guilt and fear.
4. The Unknown and the Mysterious
   Gradual revelation keeps readers uncertain, amplifying fear. H. P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu constructs cosmic horror rooted in humanity’s insignificance before unknown forces.
5. Human Vulnerability
   Characters are often powerless against overwhelming threats, fostering empathy and intensifying fear, as seen in Pet Sematary.
6. Threats of Violence and Death
   Violence may be explicit or implied through constant anticipation. In Frankenstein, the monster’s killings establish persistent danger.
7. Moral and Human Conflict
   Horror often explores ethical dilemmas and inner darkness, such as in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, where moral division becomes a source of terror.
8. Monsters or Horrific Entities
   These figures symbolize human fears—scientific hubris, social anxiety, or inner darkness. Frankenstein’s monster embodies fear of violating natural laws.

Representative Works Summary:

• Dracula: Supernatural terror intertwined with isolation.
• The Shining: Psychological horror intensified by environmental confinement.
• Frankenstein: Moral conflict and violent threat reveal humanity’s deepest fears.

Through these elements, horror fiction transcends mere shock and probes profound anxieties about the unknown, death, the supernatural, and the darkness within humanity.

IV. Classic Protagonists, Supporting Characters (Allies, Mentors), and Antagonists in Horror Fiction

Classic horror narratives typically feature protagonists, supporting characters (allies and mentors), and antagonists. These roles shape both narrative progression and thematic depth.

1. Protagonists (Heroes)
   Often ordinary individuals drawn into horrific events, protagonists confront overwhelming forces through struggle, escape, or investigation. Vulnerability and psychological growth are central traits.

Examples:

1. • Jack Torrance (The Shining, Stephen King): A writer whose descent into madness transforms him from victim to antagonist.
   • Ellen Ripley (Alien, Dan O’Bannon): An ordinary astronaut who evolves into a resilient warrior against extraterrestrial terror.

2. Allies
   Allies provide information, support, or protection, often sacrificing themselves.

Examples:

1. • Dr. Abraham Van Helsing (Dracula, Bram Stoker): A scholar and vampire hunter guiding the protagonists.
   • Clarice Starling (The Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris): Though the protagonist, she paradoxically relies on Hannibal Lecter as a dangerous “ally.”

2. Mentors
   Mentors possess specialized knowledge and guide protagonists in understanding and confronting horror.

Examples:

1. • Dr. Loomis (Halloween, John Carpenter): A psychiatrist who warns others about Michael Myers.
   • Father Merrin (The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty): A seasoned priest who leads the exorcism.

2. Antagonists (Villains / Monsters)
   Antagonists embody evil or terror and form the core source of horror.

Examples:

1. • Dracula: Symbolizes fears of death, immortality, and moral decay.
   • Hannibal Lecter: A charismatic yet brutal killer representing psychological horror.
   • Pennywise (It, Stephen King): A demonic entity manifesting victims’ deepest fears.

2. Minor Characters
   Often serve as victims or witnesses, intensifying horror through loss and disappearance.

Examples:

1. • Georgie Denbrough (It): His death ignites the narrative conflict.
   • Wendy Torrance (The Shining): Her fear and struggle propel the story’s tension.

Through these archetypal roles, horror fiction effectively conveys terror. Whether through protagonist transformation or antagonist dominance, character construction collectively shapes the genre’s tension and dramatic power.

V. Narrative Techniques in Horror Fiction

Narrative techniques in horror fiction are typically employed to intensify the atmosphere of fear, manipulate readers’ emotions, and induce tension, dread, and unease. The following are several common narrative methods, illustrated with examples from well-known horror works:

1. First-Person Narration

Characteristics:
First-person narration allows readers direct access to the narrator’s thoughts, enabling them to experience fear and confusion firsthand. This narrative mode often produces heightened emotional intensity and realism by immersing the reader in the protagonist’s subjective perspective.

Examples:

• The Tell-Tale Heart (Edgar Allan Poe):
  This short story employs first-person narration to convey inner terror and mania through the narrator’s psychological disintegration. The narrator’s subjective account of guilt and fear creates an escalating sense of tension.
• Dracula (Bram Stoker):
  The novel adopts first-person forms such as diaries and letters, revealing the inner worlds of multiple characters. This multiplicity of personal accounts enhances the mystery and terror surrounding Count Dracula.

2. Third-Person Omniscient Perspective

Characteristics:
The omniscient point of view enables the narrator to access the inner lives of multiple characters, providing a broad narrative scope and extensive information. While offering a comprehensive view of events, this perspective can also heighten horror through narrative gaps and suspense.

Examples:

• The Shining (Stephen King):
  The novel employs third-person omniscient narration to move fluidly among the psychological states of Jack Torrance and his family. Readers observe both Jack’s mental deterioration and his son Danny’s psychic abilities, adding layers of terror.
• It (Stephen King):
  The omniscient perspective allows readers to perceive multiple characters’ fears of Pennywise, causing horror to permeate the entire narrative.

3. The Unreliable Narrator

Characteristics:
An unreliable narrator presents incomplete or distorted information, leading readers to doubt the accuracy of the narrative. This technique is frequently used in horror fiction to generate ambiguity and psychological tension.

Examples:

• It (Stephen King):
  Pennywise’s shape-shifting nature blurs the boundary between reality and illusion. Readers cannot fully determine whether the characters’ fears are objectively real, and this uncertainty intensifies the horror.
• The Exorcist (William Peter Blatty):
  Although the story centers on an exorcism, the narrator’s skepticism introduces ambiguity, forcing readers to oscillate between scientific and supernatural interpretations, thereby enhancing the sense of dread.

4. Nonlinear and Interwoven Temporal-Spatial Narration

Characteristics:
By interweaving events from different times and spaces, this technique creates a disorienting effect. Readers must reconstruct the complete story from fragmented narrative segments, which heightens suspense and mystery.

Examples:

• It (Stephen King):
  The novel employs dual timelines, depicting the protagonists’ childhood and adult encounters with terror. The alternation between past and present generates a sense of temporal helplessness and narrative tension.
• Frankenstein (Mary Shelley):
  Through layered narrators, memories, and letters, the narrative moves across multiple time points, revealing the creation and destruction of the monster.

5. Suspense and Delayed Revelation

Characteristics:
By gradually unveiling the core sources of horror, authors maintain readers in a prolonged state of uncertainty, producing sustained tension. Delayed revelation is a common technique in suspense-driven horror narratives.

Examples:

• Dracula (Bram Stoker):
  The true nature of the vampire is not immediately disclosed. Instead, fear intensifies through incremental depictions of Dracula’s actions until the truth is fully revealed.
• The Shining (Stephen King):
  The horror deepens as the hidden supernatural forces within the hotel are slowly exposed, paralleling Jack’s gradual descent into madness.

6. Psychological Introspection

Characteristics:
Psychological introspection amplifies horror by exploring characters’ inner fears and anxieties. This method often treats psychological collapse or moral degeneration as the narrative’s central trajectory.

Examples:

• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson):
  The novel examines the psychological conflict between good and evil, shifting horror from external threats to internal moral dilemmas.
• The Raven (Edgar Allan Poe):
  The protagonist is gradually consumed by psychological terror and loneliness through relentless inner struggle, producing a powerful effect of mental horror.

7. Twist Endings and Open-Ended Conclusions

Characteristics:
Horror fiction frequently employs narrative reversals or open endings to leave readers in a state of uncertainty and lingering unease. Open endings withhold definitive explanations, preserving unresolved fear.

Examples:

• The Exorcist (William Peter Blatty):
  Although the demon is expelled, the ending retains a sense of unease, suggesting that evil may not have been entirely eradicated.
• Rosemary’s Baby (Ira Levin):
  The revelation that Rosemary’s child is the offspring of Satan constitutes a sudden narrative reversal, allowing horror to reach its peak in the final moments.

Through these narrative strategies, horror fiction exerts a profound psychological impact on readers and creates atmospheres of persistent unease.

VI. How to Create an Effective Horror Story: A Writing Plan

Crafting a compelling horror story requires careful planning and deliberate structural design. The following steps outline a systematic approach to writing horror fiction, illustrated with classic examples:

1. Define the Theme and Style

Step:
Determine the central theme, such as the origins of fear, psychological distortion, or the conflict between humanity and the supernatural. Choose a stylistic approach—Gothic, supernatural, or psychological horror.

Example:
Dracula (Bram Stoker) centers on the mystery and terror of vampirism, exploring the interplay between desire and fear, thereby establishing the novel’s tone.

2. Construct the Characters

Step:
Design principal characters, including the protagonist (victim or hero), the antagonist (source of horror), and supporting figures (allies or adversaries). Characters should possess depth, backstory, and motivation to foster reader identification.

Example:
In The Shining (Stephen King), Jack Torrance is a complex character whose internal struggle and gradual loss of sanity intensify urgency and terror.

3. Establish the Setting

Step:
Create a compelling and ominous setting, such as a confined space (an old house or asylum) or a seemingly tranquil town. The setting must reinforce the atmosphere of horror.

Example:
It (Stephen King) is set in the outwardly peaceful town of Derry, which conceals profound terror beneath its surface, heightening narrative tension through contrast.

4. Design the Plot Structure

Step:
Outline the story’s beginning, development, and climax. Identify the primary conflict and plan how suspense will escalate throughout the narrative.

Example:
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson) establishes conflict through the protagonist’s dual identity, maintaining narrative momentum while exploring moral questions.

5. Control Suspense and Pacing

Step:
Use suspense and pacing to regulate tension. Gradual revelation of key information and deliberate misdirection help sustain reader engagement.

Example:
The Exorcist (William Peter Blatty) maintains continuous tension through escalating urgency and increasingly disturbing supernatural phenomena.

6. Depict Horror and Confrontation

Step:
Characters must face concrete horrors and challenges, whether physical danger or psychological fear. Their choices under terror should propel the plot forward.

Example:
In The Dead Zone (Stephen King), characters confront lethal supernatural forces while simultaneously grappling with inner fear, revealing multiple layers of horror.

7. Resolution and Reflection

Step:
Design a satisfying conclusion, whether through cathartic victory or unexpected reversal. Characters should undergo transformation or growth after confronting horror.

Example:
Although Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (Jules Verne) is an adventure novel, its reflective ending prompts contemplation of human curiosity and attitudes toward the unknown.

8. Revision and Editing

Step:
After completing the first draft, revise multiple times to refine language flow, plot coherence, and character development. Seeking external feedback can provide valuable perspectives.

Example:
Many successful writers, including Stephen King, emphasize the importance of repeated revision, asserting that strong works are forged through sustained rewriting.

Conclusion

By following these steps, writers can systematically craft engaging and effective horror fiction. These techniques and examples not only clarify the structure and elements of horror narratives but also encourage continual exploration and innovation. Consistent practice, revision, and feedback are essential to elevating the quality of the final work.