#classic horror books | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

m-o-o-n-thatspellsblog · 6 months

Text

Maybe the real Frankenstein's monster was the homosexuality we repressed along the way

#finally read Frankenstein #has this been done before?#frankenstein #Frankenstein mary Shelley #Frankenstein memes #universal monsters #frankensteins monster #mary shelley #classic horror books #gothic horror #not Stephen King related #victor frankenstein

162 notes · View notes

horrortino · 6 months

Text

Classic Horror Books #1: The Castle of Otranto

I started off my plunge into Classic Horror with The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. It is a short story published in 1764, and often regarded as the first “Gothic” novel. I read mine in a collection of gothic stories called A Treasury of Gothic and Supernatural by Avenel Books. And…it kind of gave me whiplash, lmao. I have read entirely contemporary books for the last few years, and even before that I’m not sure when I had read a book this old. To jump into something that is written with near entirely run-on sentences and “thou”, “thy”, “thee” this-and-that, my brain was uhhh chugging to say the least. This is something I suspect will improve as I go through the list, but for right now, it was a bit hard. I had to really concentrate to glean what was going on, and who was speaking.

The gist of this story is that the Prince Manfred of the Castle Otranto has been a bad guy. His father and grandfather before him were bad guys too. And for this, the haunted Castle of Otranto is going to give Prince Manfred his ghostly retribution. Unfortunately, his whole family, the church, and even another castle’s royalty gets caught in the shitstorm as well.

It definitely has the gothic literature vibes down. Dastardly men, spooky castles, damsels in distress, religion, ghosts, romance, and hey, it even has a giant spectral knight! Despite that, I found it a bit dry, although that may just be the writing style of the period. It also suffered from a little weird pacing. Sometimes it seemed like things were going quickly, and then other times it focused too heavily on something that could have been much, much shorter. The dialogue was copious and heavy, very formal, and sometimes I was like, “will you just get to the point!!” But, overall, I did like the story, and it was interesting to read something that is labeled the “first Gothic story”, because Gothic elements just seem so commonplace to me that I didn’t ever think of them originating from something.

One fun tidbit I came across was the mention of “Queer Elements” regarding this story while I was researching. I personally did not notice the queer/homoerotic elements that were pointed out, but because of that, I ended up down a rabbit hole of queer components in Gothic lit. There are several publications that visit this in detail, and I will look into them while I continue my reading list.

Spoilers ahead, in pink!

Manfred was such an asshole, and my biggest disappointment in the story was despite all this shit being his fault (and his father & grandfather’s fault), Isabella, Hippolita, Theodore, and both his children paid the price for his misdeeds. Then he just like…retires to religion afterward, to repent, I guess?? Sure dude, try to marry (and ASSAULT??) a young girl who was engaged to your (now smushed) son, be a total twat to your loving wife, abuse this random kid you suddenly want to place all your blame on (Theodore), and then accidentally MURDER your daughter! I was all invested in this cute “love at first sight” thing that Theodore and Matilda had going on and then, nope. Stabbed.

The whole random giant legs and arms and such showing up and frightening Bianca, Diego, and Jaquez was sort of hilarious though. It’s laughable but I suppose if I walked into a room and an enormous armored hand was just waiting for me, I would be a bit scared too lol

Well! Thank you for joining me on this little jaunt through my first dip into Classic Horror! Up next is The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, a gothic horror-romance from 1794. It is also 704 pages long, which means I mayyy supplement it with a few shorter stories/manga so that I don’t get too burnt out reading it.

See you next time!

#classic horror books #the castle of otranto #horace walpole #horrortino

3 notes · View notes

luxshine · 3 months

Text

Of all Stephen King books, Pet sematary is probably the hardest one to read -or worse, reread- , not gonna lie. But in my trip in all #kingbooksanalysis, I had to get there and see what it says about the very unhealthy ways we have to deal with grief and how they affect us and those around us, and the reason why we follow them instead of the healthy ones.

Also, please, please, please remember to keep your cats INDOORS. I know it sounds weird, but the best way to keep our furry friends safe is by insuring they have a great life away from danger -and the local wildlife, which is also kept safe by this. If you have a yard, consider building a catio, so that your kitties have fresh air, a bit of extra room to roam, but stay away from cars, trucks, other cats, and general unpleasantries.

An Indoor cat is a happy cat, and pretty much all the horrors of this book wouldn't have happened if the Creeds remembered that.

youtube

#Calico Chimera #Stephen King #Luxshine art #Pet Semetary #King books analysis #Cats #horror #Books #Horror books #Classic horror books #Pet Sematary fanart #Youtube

0 notes

kjudgemental · 5 months

Text

Night Show - Classic Horror Novel

Author: Richard Laymon Publisher: Headline Country: USA Year: 1984 (my copy in ‘Richard Laymon Collection Volume 3’ 2006) On one hand, it’s incredibly worrying that Richard Laymon was as successful as he was, because pretty much nothing he wrote was anything more than pulp schlock, with lots of blood and nudity and the word ‘rump’. At the same time, it’s great that Laymon was as successful as…

View On WordPress

0 notes

halloween-sweets · 9 months

Photo

1K notes · View notes

rydy · 8 months

Text

Nyarlathotep by Álvaro Fernández González

#cosmic horror #lovecrafian #h p lovecraft #hp lovecraft #eldrich horror #horror story #horror books #lovecraftian horror #horror novels #horror #classic horror #classic #fiction #eldritch

981 notes · View notes

the-evil-clergyman · 2 years

Photo

The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, from Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Harry Clarke (1923)

#harry clarke #art #illustration #art nouveau #1920s #1920s art #vintage art #vintage illustration #vintage #irish art #irish artist #books #book illustration #edgar allan poe #horror #golden age of illustration #classic art

4K notes · View notes

monstermelodies · 1 year

Text

More Than You Care to Know About Monsters by Dick Smith

(School Book Fairs, 1979)

2K notes · View notes

current-comix · 7 months

Text

#alien #xenomorph #comic book cover art #marvel comics #comics #comic book art #comic books #aliens #horror #sci fi #sci fi horror #classic horror #monster

455 notes · View notes

pseudobohemianlosers · 1 year

Text

Shirley Jackson’s original sketch of the house’s layout for The Haunting of Hill House.

#the haunting of hill house #shirley jackson #gothic literature #books and literature #books #classics #goth #horror #horror novel #female gothic

2K notes · View notes

katapotato55 · 1 year

Text

How to write good horror.

1- DON'T EXPLAIN WHAT THE HORROR IS. DON'T EXPLAIN ANYTHING. no context = more scary. "oh but it is just a ghost- " YES. you know that, I know that, but things are way more scary if you don't explain it. let your audience scare themselves trying to figure it out! the first FNAF game didn't explain anything it was just "ok these machines are kind aggro". that is part of what made it popular! (And truthfully this reason is why i dislike the other games in the series) i can't name how many horror movies i immediately lost interest in because it was explained. "oh no! there is blood dripping from the walls! " its demons or ghosts or whatever. you explained it. it isn't scary now that you explained the joke. if you have to explain what it is, explain it at the END of the story or near the climax at best. (or better yet, don't explain at all) 2- restraint is key i know it is tempting to show organs and blood dripping from the walls and someone eating out a corpse or whatever but don't outright show that kind of stuff ALL THE TIME or else your audience becomes desensitized to it, and if horror fans are reading/watching your work, chances are they are going to think this is weaksauce. you need to be SUBTLE when building up suspense in your story. don't show the real scary bits until the end of the buildup/ 3- normalicy and familiarity is key i am going to use bugsnax as an example. bugsnax has no gore and can be considered child friendly, but what made bugsnax scare people is that it has the facaude of a cutesy little game. doki doki lit club has a simmular principle where its like a normal dating sim but you are caught off guard and things feel off. this is a valuable tool. 4- be original and understand why the more popular ones are popular in the first place everyone has done analogue horror. why ? because we are all so used to modern technology that older televisions and tech seem kinda creepy. Blue_channel by gooseworks is one of my favorites. It gets right to the point, and while it DOES explain what the product is, it doesn't go "oooh death and scary!!! oooooooh!" it lets the audience make up their own horrifying reason as to what is happening here. saying "oooooooh look murder your parents ooooh!" isn't scary, and putting a glitchy tv filter over it isn't going to make it more scary. and finally 5- describe the unfamiliar i know i just said familiarity is key but that is only 1/2 of the equation. Everywhere at the end of time depicts the sounds of memory degrading in an alzheimers patients. this is an experience that no one could relate to except for those who are experiencing it (and sadly, those people are either dead or mentally comatose) this is also why lovecraft horror is loved, because we can only imagine so much before the lack of understanding drives you insane. hope this helps, for the love of all that is good, please stop writing bad horror.

1K notes · View notes

m-o-o-n-thatspellsblog · 9 months

Text

One of my favorite parts of Stephen King's Cell is when the main character, Clay, walks into his new friend Tom's house for the first time and he's like "hmm it smells gay in here"

#stephen king #cell stephen king #cell #stephen king books #stephen king movies #stephen king fans #stephen kings cell #stephen king quotes #tom mccourt #clay riddell #famous authors #author quotes #author #writing #classic horror #classic horror books #classic horror stories

25 notes · View notes

horrortino · 6 months

Text

Classic Horror Books

This year, while I was enjoying one of David Sodergren’s wonderfully wicked horror novels (hiiighly recommend), it occurred to me that I have very little knowledge in the foundational classics of horror. I have never read Dracula, I haven’t once touched Stephen King, and when I was in 9th grade, I think I only barely skimmed Frankenstein to complete a test. Of course, one does not need to have completed a roster of 100 classic horrors to enjoy the genre, but it did make me realize that I wanted to see the origins of it. Where did certain tropes come from? Why are we familiar with quintessential horror monsters like Vampires and Werewolves? How did all the subgenres pop up throughout time?

So, with this in mind, I researched and made a list of classic horror novels, and classic horror short stories/novellas. I organized them by year of origin, so I could start at the oldest and make my way forward in time. Now, take my list with a grain of salt because I am a US American, and my research was done primarily through a US American/English speaking lens. Other countries and cultures may have a different idea of classic/influential horror. (However, if you have any horrors that are considered classic in your country, please don’t hesitate to let me know! I would love to see if I can find an English translation so I can build on my worldly horror base!)

I did stop at around ~20 years old, which is why the last book is from 2002. Perhaps as time goes on, new classics will be added to the list. Isn’t that exciting?

With that said, here is the link to my Classic/Influential/Formative Horror sheet. If I find any more as I go, I will add them. I will also update the sheet as I finish each book by highlighting them and adding a link to my post discussing it. The lavender highlight means I have finished the book, and the mint green means I am currently reading. If I highlight it with light blue, it means I have DNF’d it, and I will also write & link a post discussing my reasoning.

Classic/Influential/Formative Horror Book Sheet

You will be able to find links to any of my classic horror book posts in the Classic Horror Books page of my blog, as well as the tag classic horror books. I will also tag each post with the author’s name, and the name of the book, so it can be searched in my blog if you are looking for a particular story.

Happy horrifying!

#classic horror books #horrortino

0 notes

mantisshrimpfrommars · 12 days

Text

#dracula daily #dracula #frankenstein the modern prometheus #frankenstein #carmilla book #the invisible man #the tell tale heart #strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde #picture of dorian gray #call of cthulhu #orlando #classic horror #gothic literature #gothic horror

119 notes · View notes

suv-draws-stuff · 2 months

Text

troubled old people my beloveds (also omagah its lanyon)

#body horror cw #blood cw #art #digital art #sketchdump #doodle #gothic literature #the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde #dr jekyll and mr hyde #jekyll and hyde #henry jekyll #edward hyde #gabriel utterson #hastie lanyon #suv's blorbos from classic lit #this book has a gorilla grip on me send help #it hits so many right buttons for me holy moly #like fr reading this book when im older now hits way different than reading it as a clueless teen lmao #i will never be normal im not the same anymore

126 notes · View notes

haveyoureadthispoll · 4 months

Text

In a lonely castle deep in the Styrian forest, Laura leads a solitary life with only her elderly father for company – until a moonlit night brings an unexpected guest to the schloss. At first Laura is glad to finally have a female companion of her own age, but her new friend’s strange habits and eerie nocturnal wanderings quickly become unsettling, and soon a ghastly truth is revealed. Suffused with gothic horror and sexual tension, Carmilla predated Dracula by 26 years, has inspired generations of writers and is the foundation of the lesbian vampire myth.

#polls #book: carmilla #author: j. sheridan le fanu #genre: horror #genre: classics #genre: lgbt #year: 1800s

149 notes · View notes