Scary Stories? No Thanks

Today’s prompt is simply “scary stories.” And, just like last week’s post, I have feelings about this topic.

In my experience, there are two different kinds of fear that can be conveyed in a novel. The first kind is the kind I enjoy experiencing while reading. It’s the fear that the main character is going to be injured, or that something is going to go terribly wrong in the plot. Sometimes, this fear does result in something bad happening, but other times, the crisis is averted. This type of fear is only present when the characters and plot are well written, and the reader is able to engage with them.

The second type of fear is more existential in nature. It is the sort of fear that raises real-world questions. The example that comes to mind is Margaret Atwood’s novel Oryx and Crake. I was forced to read it as part of a college literature class in March of 2020, right as the lockdowns were starting and no one really knew much about how the pandemic was going to play out. If you’ve never read the book, good for you. It was terrifying. The titular character Crake is a scientist who, after creating a genetically-modified “superior” version of the human race, eradicates all the pre-existing humans with a terrible disease. The setting even before this contrived pandemic was horrible. Genetically modified pigs were used to grow human organs for transplant purposes. Videos of pornography and graphic violence were widely available and watched by children. Scientists developed a pill to cure STD’s without telling the public that it also caused sterility, with the intention of promoting their newfound artificial reproduction technology.

In other words, it felt way too much like something that could happen in the real world. It was The Abolition of Man being played out before my eyes. The book troubled me.

Unlike last week’s blog, I’m not going to cast moral judgment. I simply don’t enjoy reading frightening books. I don’t watch horror movies. Years ago, I wanted to watch the movie Split, but I had a panic attack after merely watching the trailers for it. All this might have something to do with my Tragic Backstory (I struggled with lots of fear and anxiety as a child), or it might just be my personality. I don’t understand people who enjoy being scared, but I respect their decisions to read what they want to.

That’s not to say that I never read scary or disturbing books. I quite enjoy Edgar Allan Poe’s works. I’ve even written a few scenes that some readers have found disturbing or frightening. That’s because, while fear is part of life, it’s not the focus of anything I write. The scary things either happen to evil people who deserve it, or they’re overcome by the hero. Moreover, the fear I write tend to be of the first variety–in-text fear–rather than the existential real-world kind.

In full transparency, my fantasy book is on the scary side. There are evil supernatural entities, diseases, and at least a couple of deaths. But the ending is happy. I’m incapable of writing anything without a happy ending.

Do you enjoy reading scary things (or watching horror movies)? If so, what’s your favorite? Let me know in the comments below! God bless you, dear readers, and dont’ forget to review us on Amazon!