#horrorlocation

Since its Victorian adaptation into mainstream with works such as Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, the horror genre always uses location to aid in creating scenery which are dark and dreary. However, to create the dark and dreary, a writer mustn’t need to describe a scene in harsh detail as simplicity can also be key for discomfort, ‘Melancholy were the sounds on a winter's night.’[1] One of our most innate fears is the dark which is why most horror in literature and film toy with its concept. By looking to the past, humans that lived before us needed to stay safe from predators during the night, battling with death itself. Being afraid of the dark became instinctual[2] hence why people today still find themselves suffering with a fear of the dark.

Horror plots that develop successfully use a sense of isolation as the setting envelops the reader, making them feel alone. In Stephen Gallagher’s short horror Shepherds’ Business, the imagery of an island is used to convey loneliness ‘Picture me on an island… Picture also a choppy sea, a deck that rose and fell with every wave…’[3] Although there are other characters in the story, the idea of being on an island relates to being isolated away from the world; being trapped with no escape, which to most, is quite horrifying. As socialites, we humans have ‘a strong need for interaction with others, especially during times of stress; when we go through a trying ordeal alone, a lack of emotional support… can increase our anxiety and hinder our ability to cope’[4], sending the brain into a panic. Furthermore, once the panic is induced, the fight and flight reaction follows, meaning they fight or runaway.

Abandoned and haunted buildings provide the opportunity for isolation, as well as the increased fear of danger. Humans typically fear the unknown, so the use of a haunted house, for example, taps into the fear of an invisible threat. Movies like the Insidious saga, highlight the use of the five senses so that when people are watching, jump scares become more frequent due to the creation of tension. This can also be achieved through reading as the writer uses the descriptions of the protagonist's surroundings, thoughts, and feelings to build up tension, scaring the reader without the use of visual effects. In turn, without picturing the scene, your left to imagine, putting yourself in the characters shoes, experiencing the heightened tension singlehandedly, ‘…silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.’[5]

The one thing that all locations must have in common for the fear factor to kick in is the danger provided in the location. Whilst being exposed to danger, like in Insidious, a haunted house is only terrifying if there is a threat accompanying the house. Meaning that the graphic imagery of the location is only fully realised when this danger occurs. For example, again in Insidious, the hauntings progressively become more apparent and vicious, after the medium threatens their place in this realm.[6] Without this occurrence of danger, the descriptions of the house become eerier rather than horrific. In order to help emphasise the fear factor, to ultimately unsettle a reader, both explorations of the environment and danger must co-exist.

Location is a key aspect in horror as it offers the first glimpse of imagery that hooks an audience and sets the tone for the rest of the piece. However, it is the happenings and the amount of threat to life within this location that create a true sense of horror.

Word Count (WITHOUT QUOTES): 515 

[1] Virginia Woolf, Jacob’s Room (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 70.

[2] “There's an Evolutionary Reason Why We're Afraid of The Dark,” Last Modified February 19, 2016, https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-the-evolutionary-reason-why-we-re-afraid-of-the-dark

[3] Mark Morris, eds., New Fears (London: Titan Publishing Group Ltd, 2017), 29.

[4] Francis T. McAndrew, “The Psychology, Geography, and Architecture of Horror: How Places Creep Us Out.” Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture 4.1 (2020): Accessed 17 March 2020, https://www.academicstudiespress.com/asp-blog/how-places-creep-us-out

[5] Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House (London: Penguin Publishing, 2009), 1.

[6] “Series – Insidious,” Last Modified September 27, 2017, https://www.imdb.com/list/ls025573451/

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

IMDb. “Series – Insidious.” Last Modified September 27, 2017. https://www.imdb.com/list/ls025573451/

Jackson, Shirley. The Haunting of Hill House. London: Penguin Publishing, 2009.

McAndrew, Francis T. “The Psychology, Geography, and Architecture of Horror: How Places Creep Us Out.” Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture 4.1 (2020): Accessed 17 March 2020. https://www.academicstudiespress.com/asp-blog/how-places-creep-us-out

Morris, Mark, eds. New Fears. London: Titan Publishing Group Ltd, 2017.

Science Alert. “There's an Evolutionary Reason Why We're Afraid of The Dark.” Last Modified February 19, 2016. https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-the-evolutionary-reason-why-we-re-afraid-of-the-dark