BellaOnline Forums Books and Music Horror Literature What scares you?

I like the way you clarified that, margi! So, why don't U like bats? They're kinda furry and cuddly - like a cat.

As a parent, nothing provokes the level of sheer terror in me as my children being hurt, kidnapped, tortured. I absolutely cannot read or view anything where children are put in peril.
I loved " It" but I suspect to re-read it now would affect me profoundly. I would empathasize so much with those kids because of my own.
The things that go bump in the night do not scare me. But I can lay in bed worrying about my kids being harmed to the point where I suffer a full blown anxiety attack~!

I think that's a very good angle from a writer's perspective. From all the books I have read, Graham Masterton's Dark Angel captures exactly what you're discussing. I advise if you are affected profoundly by such literature ... never read Dark Angel! On the other hand, if you're after something to provoke the fear, the book will do it. The first couple of chapters are awesome.

My big fear is losing my mind - not being in control. There was a movie one time - big anti-war movie called "Johnny Got His Gun" about a soldier who ran into a landmine and had both arms and legs blown off, and became blind and incapable of speech (I think due to a lack of a bottom jaw if I remember correctely). And although his outer ears were blown off, and everyone assumes he's deaf, he can actually hear everyone - just can't communicate with them. So here's a living, breathing, thinking person completely trapped within himself. I also know of real-life stroke victims who go throuhg much the same thing. Input going in is probably fine, but output is all garbled - and it is EXTREMELY frustrating fot the person whose body is bound by these limitations.

Since my whole life has been spent relying way more on my brains than my looks (ha ha), to lose that control is terrifying. To think that someone else would have that control over me would be even worse! People doing things for my own good - {shudder}, and that's not even counting those that might not have my best interests at heart .

Good point there Michelle. Yeah - losing the mind is a good one. I suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome and my mind's not as sharp as it used to be. I remember when it started to happen and I didn't know what it was - that was a scary time. I had difficulty recalling things, cognition, concentration and a bunch of other stuff. To lose it completely would drive me mad. That's probably why I like some of Stephen King's older novels like The Shining.

I've thought of a few more:

* The person you didn't know was there or the one you suspect is there but can't see.
* Clowns (thank you Poltergeist).
* Very big bugs. Actually any kind of bugs. Except butterflies. I don't think anyone's been assaulted by butterflies in a horror movie.
* Feet dangling off the bed (someone mentioned this but think as you're getting into bed - thank you Pet Semetary).
* Unfinished basements.

I'm scared of the unknown!

"Outbreak" just came on TV tonight, and it made me think about what scares me.

I don't know if these would technically qualify as horror, they are usually categorized as medical thriller, but these are so scary because it does have a possibility of happening.

"Oubreak" - Robin Cook
"Andromeda Strain" - Michael Crichton (I believe this was the first book to really touch on the subject - back in the 1969.)
"The Stand" - Stephen King, although the major plot of the book is not plague related, this is how the book starts out.

I know there's more, but I just can't think of them off the top of my head.

Great examples, Michelle! Thank you!

The great thing about horror is that it comes in many forms and often transcends stereotypical genre boundaries. I think that many medical thrillers are imbued with horrific elements; Richard Matheson's vampire plague of "I Am Legend" is described as a medical disease. It is often heavily insinuated (and downright implicated in the "28 Days Later" and "Resident Evil" films) that the reason zombies exist is that they are brought about by some form of viral or genetic mutation.

You know, I have never been into zombie movies. I always pictured them as being all gore and no plot. But "28 Days Later" came on TV a coupld of weeks ago (while I've been stuck in bed with this broken foot), so I watched it.

It really was a fantastic movie! And the zombies really weren't the bad guys, I lumped them more in with disaster of nature - there was no evil intent there, just instinct.

But, Oh those soldiers were evil! Especially the commander.

Kind of like in "Alien" - the true scary monster is not the alien but the android.