  Horror/Scary
This week: The Horrors of the Mind Edited by: Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline  
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Horror can be found everywhere. From the closet monster all the way to buttons.
This week's Horror/Scary Newsletter is all about the horrors of the mind.
Your guest editor: Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline |
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The closet monster. That which lurks under the bed and makes you take a flying leap for your covers, from as safe a distance as you can – you don't want it to grab your leg. The hoot of an owl at night. The scratching of tree branches against your window. The long, long descend into the cellar...
Everyone who knows horror, knows the classic triggers of fear. But whatever they are, the real horror is what goes on inside, in the mind. We are an inventive species. We are creative. We have a seemingly boundless capacity to imagine all the little things (and all the big things) that can set us on edge. And we do so, all the time.
There are scary things out there. You just need to open the paper or switch on the news to see that it's true. Yet, sometimes we fear that which isn't a big deal. For example, there are those who are frightened of mice. Mice are little furballs many times smaller than us, and they have far more reason to fear a human being than we have cause to fear them. There are people who fear balloons, clowns (I do understand that one), flowers, bridges, buttons, certain numbers, certain colours... the list is endless. If it exists, people can be frightened of it. There are even people who fear happiness, which is very sad.
In some cases, the fear can be explained by looking at our ancestors. A fear of dogs can be explained by a fear of something with big, sharp teeth. Snakes, spiders, scorpions, all can harm a person and therefore a certain level of fear is quite rational. Not that I am dismissing other fears, nor am I making fun of them. I don't know why someone would be frightened of buttons, but it must be unpleasant to live with. Besides, I have my own fears, and some are of a kind that other people are unlikely to understand.
I don't do well with heights. I remember when my family and I went to visit a high tower, and whilst everyone else was admiring the view, I was up there, clinging for dear life to a waste basket that was attached to the wall. I also have a fear of spiders, and already dread the next few weeks when they come back out of hiding. It doesn't help that some of the spiders here are as big as my hand. That includes their legs, but still... A less explicable fear of mine is being around people. Communicating with them face to face. I have social phobia. The rational part of me knows that most people are nice enough, but that doesn't stop my heart from racing when I need to speak with a stranger. My head will begin to spin, my stomach will feel tense, and I want to get away from the situation.
Dolls creep me out, yet plush toys don't. Unless it's one of those toy monkeys holding cymbals – I have a horror movie to thank for that. I have never liked clowns, even before I watched It. I don't like maggots, or other kinds of worms, apart from earthworms, who I am somehow okay with. I can't watch medical procedures on television, or even needles. I have a fear of sharp objects, which makes going to the hairdresser a bit of a pain, because I don't like scissors near my face.
I make all these confessions to highlight the fact that there are many, many fears that our characters can suffer from. They don't just have to be the standard ones. There are also different levels of fear, from the incapacitating, to differing levels of dread, to things that we'd rather avoid, like going to the doctor or sitting an exam, to the merely mildly unpleasant.
As long as you can make the reader feel your character's anxiety, the scenarios for a good horror story are endless. Yes, there are quick and easy routes to make the reader wary of things that go bump in the night, but the subtle and unusual can be fascinating. Besides, it is always fun to try something different. 
Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline |
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The Horror/Scary Newsletter team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in!
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Horror/Scary Newsletter Team
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Horror/Scary: February 24, 2016 Issue [#7493]
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