Horror Writing LO: How do I use interesting language to write a
horror story? Slide 2 Starter What makes a piece of writing fit
into the genre of horror? Slide 3 Ideas Slide 4 The warmth of the
evening sun gave way to silvery half-light as the moon rose above
the houses. Clouds scudded across the hazy sky. I walked quickly; I
was late tonight and wanted to be at home, safe and warm in my cosy
house. I heard a noise behind me, it was only faint but there was
definitely something there. I quickened my pace, aware that I was
on my own, no one to call out to or ask for help. The noise became
louder; it was the sound of heavy footsteps behind me. I was
running now, running blindly through the darkness. My heart was
pounding and my mouth was dry with fear. I tripped and fell
clumsily on the rough path, my knees and hands stung with a sharp
pain where I scrabbled in panic to get up, to carry on fleeing from
the unknown danger, which was so quickly gaining on me. I felt the
rush of the wind as a figure passed me then stopped and turned to
face me. A thin, bony hand reached out towards me, I heard a scream
rise from deep within me but it made no sound; fear had taken over.
I was paralysed, chilled to my very soul with the sight of the
horrific face in front of me. Suddenly.. Slide 5 The Haunted Hotel
by Wilkie Collins By the yellow candle-light she saw the head
distinctly, hovering in mid-air above her. She looked at it
steadfastly, spell-bound by the terror that held her. The flesh of
the face was gone. The shrivelled skin was darkened in hue, like
the skin of an Egyptian mummy except at the neck. There it was of a
lighter colour; there it showed spots and splashes of the hue of
that brown spot on the ceiling, which the child's fanciful terror
had distorted into the likeness of a spot of blood. The remains of
a discoloured moustache and whiskers, hanging over the upper lip,
and over the hollows where the cheeks had once been, made the head
just recognisable as the head of a man. Over all the features death
and time had done their obliterating work. The eyelids were closed.
The hair on the skull, discoloured like the hair on the face, had
been burnt away in places. The bluish lips, parted in a fixed grin,
showed the double row of teeth. By slow degrees the hovering head
(perfectly still when she first saw it) began to descend towards
Agnes as she lay beneath. Slide 6 At one corner of the room was a
heavy door. I tried it, for, since I could not find the key of the
room or the key of the outer door, which was the main object of my
search, I must make further examination, or all my efforts would be
in vain. It was open and led through a stone passage to a circular
stairway, which went steeply down. I descended, minding carefully
where I went, for the stairs were dark, being only lit by loopholes
in the heavy masonry. As I went through the passage the smell grew
closer and heavier. At last I pulled open a heavy door which stood
ajar, and found myself in an old, ruined chapel, which had
evidently been used as a graveyard. The roof was broken, and in two
places were steps leading to vaults, but the ground had recently
been dug over, and the earth placed in great wooden boxes,
manifestly those which had been brought by the Slovaks. There was
nobody about, and I made search for any further outlet, but there
was none. Then I went over every inch of the ground, so as not to
lose a chance. I went down even into the vaults, where the dim
light struggled, although to do so was a dread to my very soul.
Into two of these I went but saw nothing except fragments of old
coffins and piles of dust; in the third, however, I made a
discovery. Dracula by Bram Stoker Slide 7 So what have we picked
out? Short sentences Appeals to the senses Use of imagery Similes
Descriptive language (adjectives and adverbs) Generally involve
elements of the horror and romance genres Sinister settings
castles, dungeons, secret passages, winding stairs, haunted
buildings. Extreme landscapes rugged mountains, thick forests,
generally bad weather. Representation and stimulation of fear,
horror and the macabre Slide 8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuIQJ- l16b4 Slide 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=Bg57C0DzDk0&feature=relate d
Slide 10 Slide 11 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMfoRqb
S-Ko&feature=related
