No Swedish accent observable

[threemonkeys]

Reading the In Bad Dreams anthology gave me pause for thought about what I want to get from horror stories. Thinking beyond this anthology even, it seems to me that there are standard, or at least common, aspects of horror stories that don't work for me at all. First is the shock or sudden reveal - send the story one way and then switch to something nasty at the end. It works in movies because the sudden movement and image can shock, but in books there is none of that. The other thing that does nothing for me is just the out and out gruesome. Sometimes my imagination can work it into something unsettling but usually it is just anatomy. I'm not that easy to gross out.

What does work and why I read the stories is atmosphere. The creating of a situation where things are just not right. The best works where the situation seems to be completely ordinary and mundane and the strange and disquieting slowly reveals itself as it weaves into the world.

The things that don't work for me and that do are not mutually exclusive. Stories often build the atmosphere and then hit you with a gruesome reveal at the end. However, for me, a story does not need a punchline if the atmosphere is sufficiently disturbing. It may even be better if it does not. There are some very effectively atmospheric stories in In Bad Dreams but there are a couple which would have worked even better for me if the last sentence was missing. Just a thought.

By the way, In Bad Dreams is one of the three books I went to launches for at Conflux. It is edited by Mark S. Deniz & Sharyn Lilley and published by Eneit Press and you really should own a copy.

Comments

[markdeniz.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for this, a very fair and balanced review and we will take note of your concerns.

I am now about to perform some linkage, so make sure the protective glasses are working!

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Not so much review as a bit of introspection about what presses my buttons horror-wise triggered by reading the book. I know other people like the shock/gruesome stuff. It does however help explain why I like Kaaron Warren's work so much.

[markdeniz.livejournal.com]

That reminds me, I really need to go off and finish The Grinding House!

Introspection is also good!

[dedbutdrmng.livejournal.com]

I'm far to squeamish to enjoy the shock/horror stuff. I end up having nightmares.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

But that does mean that it works in some way on you. Your story in In Bad Dreams does prove however that you certainly know your way around the atmospheric stuff.

[dedbutdrmng.livejournal.com]

I've always liked that story but I think Mark and Sharyn were quite brave to go with it as it is rather odd and it's definitely going to be an acquired taste.

[markdeniz.livejournal.com]

I'd pretty much decided that it was my fave when we got our first submissions in and after reflection I believe there is only Deacon's Front that surpasses it and only Campisi's The Ringing Sound of Death on the Water Tank that matches it (apart from Deacon's of course but you got that didn't you?).