Let's Talk Bookish; Can Books Be Effective Horror?

It's Friday and perhaps time for a new Let's Talk Bookish post, courtesy of Eternity Books and Literary Lion. The theme of the week was "Can books be effective horror?".


I'm a firm believer that both books and movies can be effective horror if done right and the right person reads/watches it. That said, I'm not one of those who are easily scared and need to sleep with the lights on. I may jump occasionally while watching a scary scene in a movie, but it doesn't prevent me from sleeping at night. I suspect that after reading quite a lot of horror books and watching many horror movies over the years, I'm a bit immune to the spooky stuff (in some cases, it's almost like I've got a guessing game who will die next and so on as there's often the same/similar plot elements and tropes used).

What can get my imagination spinning a little bit though, it a well written, atmospheric horror novel with good descriptions. What puts me off on the other hand, is the overuse of blood, guts and gore in some horror movies. I honestly found the movie adaption of Silence of the Lambs more scary than, let's say Road Kill, due to what was hinted/not seen, over all the blood. And yes, I do know there's splatter/gore horror etc as subgenres in horror movies.

All in all, both mediums can be effective horror for the right person if done well, but I'm not one of those easily scared.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spotlight; Dancing in the Rain av Lucy Appadoo

Image
Can she end the turmoil and escape the firmly built trap to find the freedom she craves? Book Details: Book Title: Dancing in the Rain (The Italian Family Series) Author: Lucy Appadoo Category: Adult Fiction, 274 pages Genre: Historical Coming of Age/Romance/Family Drama Publisher: Lucy Appadoo Release date: March 24, 2017 Tour dates: June 5 to 23, 2017 Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There is physical abuse and death involved.) Book Description: Fifteen-year old Valeria Allegro works diligently on the family farm in Italy, where she is torn between her duty to her family and her desire to find freedom from her strict, domineering father. She finds solace in Dario, a young student who provides a blissful escape—until a neighbour’s son, Gregorio, decides he wants her for himself. This raises an alarm for her father, which leads to family conflict and aggression. When Dario is threatened and her family is plagued by a series of suspicious accidents, Vale
Read more

Announcing the 2022 Diversity Reading Challenge

Image
As we're writing 2022 in two months, I figured out it was time to announce the 2022 Diversity Challenge. I've hosted it in 2019 and 2021, and decided to host it next year too. I’m not going to make any categories or levels for this challenge, as I want it to be a bit flexible. Read as many books as you feel like reading and yes, it can be children’s books, graphic novels, e-books, non-fiction, audio books, poetry and you-name-it. As it is a diversity reading challenge, it would be mean to exclude some types of reading materials, right? Now, what is diversity you might ask? What I mean by diversity is, but not limited to; People of colour/non-caucasian characters/authors Native Americans and other indigenous people LGBTQIA+ Authors/characters defining themselves as trans, intersex, genderfluid or similar Refugees Religious minorities Mental illnesses/disorders Neurodiversity (like ADD, Aspergers and autism) Feminist themes/issues Physical/mental disabilities Characters/authors w
Read more

Review; The Prettiest Girl in the Grave by Kristopher Triana

Image
I read the horror novel The Prettiest Girl in the Grave by Kristopher Triana earlier this year and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads From the author of international horror sensation Gone to See the River Man comes a new tale of terror that will drag you to the darkest corners of the soul. Some girls are fearful, others are brave. One girl’s a princess, the next one, a slave. But all girls are equal, when they’re down in this cave, until just one is left standing—The Prettiest Girl in the Grave. It’s only supposed to be a game. When Bella, Celeste, and Rose meet with new friends at a graveyard in the woods, they soon realize they’re unprepared for what’s planned. At twenty-four, Aubrey is older than the high schoolers, and she knows of a secret game that’s been played by local girls for decades. It starts with personal questions, but quickly moves on to a test of courage as Aubrey guides them into an underground crypt. But even Aubrey doesn’t know w
Read more