What Is Horror

Ambrose Bierce: Bierce is a lesser-known writer to-
day but is an important figure in American writing

learning genres and horror fiction. He was a Civil War veteran and
often used war as a topic. In his seventies he went to
HORROR Mexico during its revolution and was never heard

from again.
“And now he became conscious of a new distur-

bance. Striking through the thought of his dear ones
The horror genre is definitely not for every- was a sound which he could neither ignore nor un-
one! This fiction sub-genre is imaginary, but derstand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like
all great horror stories seem very realistic. the stroke of a blacksmith's hammer upon the anvil;
They usually feature a crazy/evil person on it had the same ringing quality. He wondered what
the loose or a supernatural event that causes it was, and whether immeasurably distant or near
harm or destruction. Some horror stories are by—it seemed both. Its recurrence was regular, but
graphic, meaning that there is a lot of blood as slow as the tolling of a death knell. He awaited
and gore. Other horror stories are psychologi- each stroke with impatience and—he knew not
cal, meaning that the scary part is what’s going why—apprehension. The intervals of silence grew
on in the minds of the characters. Don’t read progressively longer, the delays became maddening.
horror stories when it’s dark out, you may not With their greater infrequency the sounds increased
make it to sleep.! in strength and sharpness. They hurt his ear like the
thrust of a knife; he feared he would shriek. What he
heard was the ticking of his watch. ”
Supernatural: Something whose existence is -An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1807)
outside the natural world; strange and unnatu-
ral
nm
Psychological: Something that affects the mind
Name some of the words and elements of this quote
and emotions
that tell you it is horror fiction.
GH
Copyright 2012-2013 Education.com www.education.com/worksheets created by:
horror J
Edgar Allan Poe: Poe helped advance many genres H.P. Lovecraft: Lovecraft was an American sus-
of fiction, but most famously horror. His stories of- pense and horror writer in the early 20th century. He
ten had a character suffering from madness and went is considered one of the 20th centuries most impor-
into detail about the strange causes and effects of it. tant writers of horror fiction.
“TRUE! - nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous “Immediately upon beholding this amulet we knew
I had been and am; but why will you say that I am that we must possess it; that this treasure alone was
mad? The disease had sharpened my senses - not de- our logical pelf from the centuried grave. Even had
stroyed - not dulled them. Above all was the sense of its outlines been unfamiliar we would have desired it,
hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in but as we looked more closely we saw that it was not
the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am wholly unfamiliar. Alien it indeed was to all art and
I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily - how literature which sane and balanced readers know, but
calmly I can tell you the whole story.” we recognised it as the thing hinted of in the forbid-
den Necronomicon of the mad Arab Abdul Alhaz-
-Tell Tale Heart (1844) red; the ghastly soul-symbol of the corpse-eating cult
of inaccessible Leng, in Central Asia..”
nm - The Hound (1922)
nm
What element of horror fiction does this first para-
graph of the Tell Tale Heart use?
What elements of this quote suggest it is horror fic-

tion?

HORROR M
You find yourself outside in the rain with just a flashlight. Then,
you hear footsteps behind you. They’re getting louder and
louder! What happens next?!
You are home alone one night, and suddenly you hear a crashing
noise at the other end of the house! What do you do?

HORROR A
Your friends dared you to walk in the cemetery at night! Sud-
denly your flashlight goes out. What happens next?
You wake up in an abandoned hospital. When you go outside,

the city is abandoned. What happened and how did you get
there?

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Ambrose Bierce: Bierce is a lesser-known writer to-

day but is an important figure in American writing

HORROR Mexico during its revolution and was never heard

“And now he became conscious of a new distur-

What elements of this quote suggest it is horror fic-

Copyright 2012-2013 Education.com www.education.com/worksheets created by:

Copyright 2012-2013 Education.com www.education.com/worksheets created by:

You wake up in an abandoned hospital. When you go outside,

Copyright 2012-2013 Education.com www.education.com/worksheets created by:

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