Essay on Psychological Horror Fiction is published for informational purposes only. The free papers are not written by our writers, they are contributed by users, so we are not responsible for the content of this free sample paper. If you want to buy a quality Essay on Essay on Psychological Horror Fiction at affordable prices please use our essay writing services offered by EssayEmpire.

With the possible exception of vampire stories, serial killer novels are probably the single most popular subgenre of horror fiction. Though serial killer novels invariably blur the lines between horror, mystery, and suspense, those variations that fall into the horror genre tend to emphasize violence and gore over police and detective work. Prominent examples include Robert Bloch's Psycho, Dennis Cooper's Frisk, Bradley Denton's Blackburn, Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho, Thomas Harris's Hannibal Lecter series (including Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal), Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door, Michael Slade's Ghoul, and Joyce Carol Oates's Zombie. Serial killers play significant roles in a number of novels by Peter Straub, including The Throat, The Hellfire Club, and lost boy, lost girl.

There is a thriving small-press market for short horror fiction. The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror, edited by Ellen Datlow and Kelly Link and Gavin Grant, and The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, edited by Stephen Jones, provide solid annual coverage of the field. David Hartwell's The Dark Descent and Foundations of Fear provide a comprehensive introduction to the field's classics, while anthologies such as Kirby McCauley's Dark Forces and Al Sarrantonio's 999 provide collected work by some of horror's leading contemporary writers. Many theme anthologies focus on specific subgenres, such as Ellen Datlow's The Dark (ghost stories) and The Mammoth Book of Zombies, The Mammoth Book of Werewolves, and The Mammoth Book of Vampires, all edited by Stephen Jones.

In the mid-1980s, the term splatter punk was applied to an ideologically unified group of horror writers who sought to bring a newly explicit treatment of violence to the genre. Though the movement disintegrated fairly quickly, the splatter punks profoundly influenced contemporary horror writers, who tend to be far more graphic than their predecessors in depicting violence. Because it has more to do with its treatment of material than with any particular theme or motif, splatter punk draws upon many of horror's subgenres. Examples include Clive Barker's The Books of Blood, Poppy Z. Brite's Exquisite Corpse, Joe R. Lansdale's Act of Love, David J. Schow's The Shaft, and John Skipp and Craig Spector's The Scream. Silver Scream, edited by David J. Schow, along with Splatterpunks: Extreme Horror and Splatterpunks II: Over the Edge, both edited by Paul Sammon, provide concise introductions to the subgenre's short fiction.

References:

1.         Bailey, Dale. American Nightmares: The Haunted House Formula in American Popular Fiction. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1999.

2.         Barron, Neil, ed. Horror Literature: A Reader's Guide. New York: Garland, 1990.

3.         Carroll, Noel. The Philosophy of Horror: Or Paradoxes of the Heart. New York: Routledge, 1990.

4.         Cawelti, John. Adventure, Mystery, and Romance: Formula Stories as Art and Popular Culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1967.

5.         Clover, Carol J. Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1992.

Free essays are not written to satisfy your specific instructions. You can order a term paper, research paper or custom TOPIC at our site which offers professional essay writing services. Get your high quality custom paper at relatively cheap prices. EssayEmpire is the best solution for those who seek help in essay writing related to TOPIC and other relevant topics.