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Reid Adams
Dr. Bose
English 101
6 August 2015

Essay #3

One of the oldest and most robust feelings or emotions that


humans experience is fear. We have been feeling it since the human
race has been on earth. There is always something that strikes fear in
us. Our imaginations and what we have heard keep horror a constant
part of our lives. We can imagine almost anything, bring it to life and
make it terrifying. Take zombies, monsters, vampires and evil beings
for instance, those were all thought up from peoples experiences or
fantasies. Horror can come in all shapes and sizes, and it is one of the
most popular things for us to write about. Humans as a population love
the thrill and excitement of horror writings and movies. The genre
horror is hard to exactly define, but in his work, a writer named
Dominic Strinati defined it as a genre that represents the need for
suppression if the horror shown is interpreted as expressing
uncomfortable and disturbing desires which need to be contained(1)
Although many people jump to a quick conclusion that the horror genre
is most likely undesirable, the adrenaline, suspense and fear is

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something that almost all people will learn to crave. Writers from all
over the world write horror stories, but one place that can be an
interesting focus is Seattle, Washington.
Pikes Place Market is a very famous public market on the Seattle
waterfront that has been a landmark and tourist attraction for years.
There are many ghost stories and rumored supernatural encounters
that took place at the market over the years. Rumor has it that the
market is home to countless restless sprits dating back to World War
II and The Great Depression. According to the Shakespeare and Co.
Bookstore owners, they used to have a book that would appear on the
floor every morning, no matter how many times they put it back on.
The book was later destroyed and the phenomenon never happened
again. To conclude is the perfect place for someone interested in horror

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to research and experience the thrill, even if it is all psychological.

There are 5 main sub-genres of the horror genre: psychological,


monster, supernatural, killer and gore. Each one can come in many
forms and they usually overlap each other in writers work.
Psychological is aimed to create horror by using the fears and

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emotional vulnerabilities, phobias, of the characters or readers. An
example of this would be the book: The Silence of the Lambs by
Thomas Harris. In the book, Dr. Lectar, the main character, uses his
immense knowledge of the human brain to manipulate others,
ultimately fueling his love for cannibalism. In monster horror, there is
usually a certain fictional creature that terrorizes cities or individuals
and brings fear to the reader. A book that was written in this sub-genre
is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. As many of you know, Frankenstein
was a monster created accidentally by a doctor, who means well, but
goes around terrorizing others. Supernatural horror is based on the
supernatural or paranormal, so usually ghosts or spirits. A classic
supernatural book is The Shining by Stephen King. In the Shining, the
main characters son, Danny, has an ability to see the terrible and
supernatural pasts of places that they visit. Next is Killer. Killer is
usually mixed with gore and is about killings, almost always carried out
by a certain person or group. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas
Harris is also a good representation of this sub-genre. The reason is
that Dr. Lectar is a serial killer, who eats his victims after doing very
gruesome things with their bodies. Lastly is gore. Gore is usually a very
graphic and bloody form of horror; usually have to do with killings or
injuries. An illustration of gore in literature is The Devil Next Door by
Tim Curran. This book is about murder, cannibalism and rape, and is

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extremely graphic to say the least. If you like hearing about spewing
blood and intestines, then this is a perfect book for you.

Ever since I was a little boy horror has always fascinated me.
Even in cartoons, such as Scooby-Doo, I loved to be scared. The feeling
that you get, although it is not for everyone, from being truly
frightened by a book or movie is unmatched. Horror has been a huge
part of American history, there are infinite stories and recollections
that bring people together and keep old culture known. Whether you
are a child, college student, parent or grandparent, horror is an
automatic enjoyment that will become an obsession if you start
reading or watching it.

Below show the percent of all horror genre readers that are men (grey)
and women (purple), according to Tsana Dolichva, a private reviewer.

Works Cited

Prohszkov,Viktria,Mgr."TheGenreofHorror."(2012):n.pag.
DepartmentofMassmediaCommunicationUniversityofSs.Cyrilland
MethodTrnava.Web.

Strinati,Dominic.AnIntroductiontoStudyingPopularCulture.London:
Routledge,2000.Print.

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