Horror Fiction News

In an era of mainstream pop-culture that has seen blood-sucking vampires dominate both the big and small screen, the most famous vampire story ever told has gone largely untouched until recently. With most directors and networks instead choosing to pander to adolescent audiences by fixating on high school drama more so than eternal damnation, most notably seen in the Twilight saga and The Vampire Diaries series, not to mention a host of spoofs and knockoffs like Vampires Suck, the classical vampire tale seems to be lost somewhere between the endless cycle of gossip and dollar signs. This could hopefully make a change in 2011, when our favorite fanged friend in finally scheduled to make his return to the screen. Not since 1992, when Francis Ford Coppola produced what has been the most critically acclaimed on-screen interpretation of Bram Stoker‘s story in recent years, has Count Dracula graced movie goers with a worthy representation in film form. Of course, that’s not to say the count hasn’t popped up from time to time across a selection of other related movies (i.e. Van Helsing). Coppola’s film Bram Stoker’s Dracula, starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves, was faulted by some for being too drawn out, however, it is universally praised for its look, feel and close adherence to the original novel, winning 3 Academy Awards along the way. (more…)

3. Drag Me To Hell This is the exact type of horror movie, god willing, there should be more of. Drag Me To Hell is a horror movie that quite simply knows it’s a horror movie and doesn’t try to be anything more than a horror movie. From grotesque to even painful to the eye (quite literally) on-screen action, the movie gives horror audiences exactly what they pay for. Not to mention, Drag Me To Hell goes so far as to leave audiences with a wholesome moral Borat would be wise to heed, “no matter how bad your day, beware how you treat gypsies.”2. Paranormal Activity This mockumentary contributed to one of the most enjoyable in theater viewing experiences in the history of horror film. Technically released in 2007, the final theatrical cut didn’t make its widespread debut until 2009. One of the most profitable films of all time, filmed on just a 15,000 budget, the lower grade, amateur feel gave the film an additional sense of credibility, luring audiences even deeper into the film’s authenticity. Set up as the lost footage of a young couple who had recorded the series of haunting phenomenons occurring around them, the events taking place between dusk and dawn progress from trivial to terrifying as the paranormal powers grow stronger. (more…)

While 2010 is well past its midway point, perhaps it’s time to reflect on the year 2009 and the gems it gave the horror genre. While traditionally the late fall/early winter season is when most horror, or even darker satire films for that matter, make their way into theaters, so far this year seems to be mostly rainbows, butterflies and smiles, greatly lacking in skin-piercing suspense. Without further ado, enjoy this brief trip down memory lane, counting down the best horror flicks last year had to offer.5. Jennifer’s Body Ok, perhaps Jennifer’s Body could never pass for an epic horror film in the classical sense, but when Megan Fox is cast as a flesh-hungry demon, at least for a certain target audience, it can be hard to get too nitpicky. Amanda Seyfried and Fox actually deliver strong performances in what is a very enjoyable movie assuming you go into it well-adjusted expectations. For viewers who don’t take themselves to seriously, enjoy a bit of gore and aren’t above watching a sexually charged man-eater devour her prey for an hour and a half or so, this is well worth the Redbox rental.4. Zombieland (more…)

For anyone who legitimately enjoys the horror genre, not to mention any aspiring horror writers (both book and script), a healthy diet of the history of horror fiction is likely a prerequisite to fully appreciate the modern day works, including many of the stories that have inspired today’s writers and filmmakers. To broaden your horizons on horror from a historical perspective, it might be in your interest to pick up Horace Walpole’s Castle of Otranto, written in 1764, which paved the way for current tales from the crypt, even horror classics like Frankenstein and Dracula that may seem age-old in their own right.Castle of Otranto sets the stage for many themes, motifs and tactics used thereafter. Widely considered to be the first gothic novel, the mother ship from which the horror genre sprung forth, Walpole actually set up the story so as to appear to be the translated findings of an ancient manuscript rediscovered in the library of long-ago family in northern England. In an effort to ground his supernatural references and outlandish claims that readers of the time might have found objectionable or foolish, rooting his work in a dated document was a strategy to lend credibility to his writing. Similar tactics are employed have been employed across all fiction, but are particularly applicable in world of horror as most stories run the risk of losing touch with reality or a sense of believability if they don’t stem outward from some sort basic of truth. Anytime you see the words “based on a true story” accompanying a trailer, opening chapter or credits, thank Walpole for his ingenuity in recognizing that most people who enjoy a good ghost story want to be taken to world in which they aren’t tied down by steadfast laws of nature. While some might consider his creative license with the truth misleading, Walpole merely gave the audience a stepping stone from which to enter new heights of imagination. (more…)

By many expert opinion (and perhaps a little non-expert opinion as well) this list explores the most influential works in the style and content of modern horror writing and filmmaking. The following books and short stories are must reads for any serious fan of the genre:The Monk, by Matthew Lewis (1796) The Monk depicts the downfall of a well-respected, god-fearing, law-abiding monk, establishing a theme that can be traced all the way up to today’s horror films. So prevalent is the general storyline, it is almost considered a horror clich to have the central protagonist portrayed as the epitome of purity and upstanding moral fiber only to be lured down the path of sin and into an underworld of treachery.Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley (1818) Trivia buffs out there might know that in Shelley’s story, Frankenstein was actually the name of the doctor who created the monster, not the actual monster who was brought to life (referred to instead as Frankenstein’s monster or Frankenstein’s creation). This is only one of many stark differences between Shelley’s original and today’s reinterpretations, which makes reading the 1818 version like finding eye-opening pictures of parents in their teens/early 20s.Dracula, by Bram Stoker (1897) Through the countless reincarnations of Dracula both on paper and on-screen a touch of the original is often lost. Before vampires were restricted to the shade, the original Dracula was much more powerful enjoyed shape-shifting powers and some scholars even speculate Count Dracula may have been among the world’s first werewolves (finally offering a compromise for the whole two-sided Twilight debate).Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson (1886) Stevenson’s tale helped lay groundwork for the modern psychological thriller, lending itself to both the supernatural potential for mental disorder and the ability to house two distinct characters in one bodily entity. (more…)