The Horror Show: Why so serious? Punch, Pennywise, and the evolution of the bad clown in popular culture
“It’s difficult to assign a specific cultural meaning to the bad clown, because it is such a malleable archetype,” Radford writes.
All horror is body horror: An introduction to a month of fear
The genre “specifically devoted to the arousal of bodily sensation” traffics in transgression and finds pleasure in the disreputable.
31 Days of Stories 2021, Day 30: “Gazebo” by Raymond Carver
A powerful monument to what the short form is capable of from “the most influential writer of American short stories in the second half of the 20th century.”
31 Days of Stories 2021, Day 9: “The Cloak” by Robert Bloch
Not a retread or homage, Bloch’s vampire story displays a momentum and technique typical of the author’s best work.
The Horror Show: Good faces off against evil in James Herbert’s The Dark
Herbert’s novel combines elements of a haunted house story, a zombie tale, and a meditation on the nature of evil.
The Horror Show: Why it’s so difficult to adapt Stephen King’s books for film
Being able to see King’s horrors is a significant drawback in terms of their emotional and affective impact – with one exception.
The Horror Show: “You don’t really believe what you read”
Horror fiction provides a buffer against the ongoing stresses and upheavals of the real world.
The Horror Show: What we fear
The genre that preys on the subconscious is more varied and interesting that it is frequently given credit for.
The Horror Show: Grady Hendrix recalls popular horror’s heyday in Paperbacks from Hell
Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks from Hell is a nostalgic tour through 1970’s and ’80s horror fiction.
Brief encounters: “I Am the Doorway” by Stephen King
Stephen King’s short story “I Am the Doorway” rides the line between science fiction and horror.