Horror fiction
Horror fiction includes fiction in various media (literature, film etc) and settings, such as contemporary, historical, science-fiction, and fantasy.
Understand
[edit]| “ | I do wish we could chat longer, but... I'm having an old friend for dinner. Bye. | ” |
—Hannibal Lecter | ||
Horror fiction can be traced to folklore which has existed in virtually all societies around the world. The settings can vary a lot, and be fantastic, historical, contemporary, as well as futuristic.
Recurring themes are death and afterlife, the uncanny (the slightly unfamiliar), human instincts, and the unknown. Gothic fiction (which inherited its name from the hardly related Goths and Gothic architecture) was a literary genre originating in 18th century Britain, as an expression of the romantic movement.
Owing in part to the limitations of early motion pictures when it came to "special effects" (and in far more cases, simple limitations of budget) many visual media of horror rarely or never depict the object of horror - a goofy rubber suit might not evoke nearly the sheer terror as something only glimpsed from the shadows or hidden in the fog which kills and maims our plucky protagonists one by one.
Modern horror fiction has integrated themes and characters from around the world.
Franchises and genres
[edit]- Frankenstein – a story by Mary Shelley about the mad scientist who created a monster, featured in countless motion pictures
- Dracula – a character inspired by Vlad III of Wallachia and East European folklore, popularized by Bram Stoker
- Nordic Noir – Scandinavian crime fiction with elements of horror
- X-Files tourism – Chris Carter's series about FBI investigations of the paranormal
Destinations
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Europe
[edit]- 1 Castle Frankenstein
- 2 Bran Castle (Castelul Bran) (Transylvania, Romania). More commonly referred to and marketed as "Dracula's Castle". In reality, Vlad Ţepeș never called that castle home, and it is unknown whether he even visited. You are limited to a single pathway taking you through the castle, with many interesting sights and areas roped off or locked.
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- 3 Palazzo Vecchio
- 4 Orava Castle
- 1 Batalj Event, Storå. A closed down mine with post-apocalyptic atmosphere, used for sci-fi and horror events.
The Americas
[edit]- 5 Martha's Vineyard (Massachusetts, United States). The 1975 film Jaws, which pioneered the horror blockbuster and maritime horror films, was shot here. The film is based on a 1974 novel by Peter Benchley, set in the fictional village Amity on Long Island.
- 6 Carnegie Museum of Natural History
- 7 Timberline Lodge
- 8 Texas Chainsaw House
- 9 Evans City, Pennsylvania
- 10 Monroeville Mall
- 11 Burkittsville, Maryland
- 12 Mojave Desert
- 13
- 14 Agoura Hills
Asia
[edit]See also
[edit]- Campfire, the perfect setting to tell a horror story
- Day of the Dead
- Fringe phenomena
- Ghost towns
- Halloween
- History of justice
- Nordic Noir
- Reenactment and LARP
- Religion and spirituality
- Haunted Stockholm tour