three book to keep the chills on your back
by Dylan C., Jason R. & Monica Z. of HIgh Tech High International '14
Whether the story contains monsters from a different world or demons within the house you live, horror novels are riveting. We chose to read three horror novels because we were interested in learning what dynamics the author must use to maintain the audience’s interest. We acknowledged the difficulties that authors must encounter while sustaining the audience’s suspense and therefore wanted to look into different kinds of horror novels to see what general characteristic this genre contains. After choosing to look at what aspects of horror stories are truly terrifying, we uncovered a few key elements in these three books.
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Salem's Lot by Stephen King - 400 pages In Salem's Lot, suspense building is everything. King routinely leads the reader to believe something terrible is going to happen to a character, but only actually delivers a scary experience occasionally; therefore, the reader cannot predict when something terrible is going to happen. This unpredictability enables King to maintain suspense throughout the novel. We recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading descriptive scenes. |
Horns
by Joe Hill - 368 pages In Horns, the main character, Ig, wakes up after a long night of drinking. He wakes up with horns on his head and the ability to make people speak their deepest, darkest secrets in all honesty. Horns was a very unusually interesting book. When one thinks of horror, he usually pictures monsters or suspenseful situations. This book was a different type of horror. Hill conveys horror in the novel through sinister exchanges and abnormal events. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy very dark, raw dialogue and happenings. To call this book entertaining would be an understatement. It kept us hooked and wondering what was going to be said during the next exchange between characters. |
The Exorcist
by William Peter Blatty - 385 pages The Exorcist is about a little girl named Regan, who appears to be a normal child, living with her mother in Washington, D.C. Regan begins to act very strangely, and her mother becomes concerned. As the story progresses, Regan's actions become increasingly strange, concerning and vicious. Professional help is sought, but nothing can stop Regan from acting so savage and violent. The Exorcist is a wonderful book for those who enjoy getting caught up in the moment and those who love intricate details. |