Classic Horror Lovers discussion

Welcome, Ana.

Name: Nomad

Favorite Classic Horror Writer: Shirly Jackson. She could being the horrific from anywhere.

Why do you like Classic Horror: Because it was about the plot, not about the gore. Gore isn't scary to me, it's just... squishy.

Anything Else: I'm a debater, I can't help myself.

Welcome, Nomad.

Hi Lady D! I looked up classic horror in the groups section and found this group... where you are a mod. This is getting to be a habit. LOL.

Hehe. I tend to start groups for the subjects I enjoy...

1. Hello! I'm Mark McLaughlin Mark McLaughlin, author and avid reader.
2. My favorite classic horror writers are Robert Aickman, H.P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, E.F. Benson, H.R. Wakefield, Clark Ashton Smith, and many more.
3. I like classic horror for its deft combination of sophistication and primal fear.
4. I'm the author of numerous horror books - my latest are BEACH BLANKET ZOMBIE Beach Blanket Zombie: Weird Tales of the Undead and Other Humanoid Horrors, MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL (with Michael McCarty) and PARTNERS IN SLIME (also with Michael McCarty).

Welcome, Mark!

Welcome.

Welcome!

Hi everyone. My name is Vincent, and I've just joined this group. I love classic horror, but I feel I don't know enough about it. The next book I need to track down is The Monk, by Matthew Gregory Lewis.

Hi, Vincent! The Monk is great, I recommend it!

Thanks, Martha! It's on my list, along with about 1,000 others...

Welcome.

Hi all!
1. Martin.
2. HP Lovecraft and MR James.
3. The older stuff relies on atmosphere and tension rather than explicit gore.
4. WELL over 21 but still a big kid!

Welcome Vincent and Martin!

Welcome.

Hi! Im new to this group. I love classic horror. Mostly stuff from the 80s, but I definitely have an open mind for older books. Hopefully, I can find some that I like.

Welcome!

Welcome, Addy!

Welcome.

1.) Elizabeth
2.) I enjoy Sheridan Le Fanu, H.P. Lovecraft, Algernon Blackwood, Edgar Allan Poe (more of an obsession, really), Shirley Jackson, Bram Stoker, etc.
3.) I enjoy classic horror literature for the same reason that I enjoy classic horror movies, the plots are better developed. Modern horror, both movies and literature, rely too heavily on gratuitous violence and copious amounts of bloodshed to "scare" readers and viewers. That's not to say that I don't like vast amounts of gore (because, frankly, I love gore) but often times, it's used to cover up poor writing. Classic horror writers rely more on atmosphere and the story itself to scare readers rather than relying on bloodshed.
4.)Let's see, I have a degree in psychology and I work in a daycare where I'm a teacher in a toddler classroom. I'm going back to school in August to work towards a degree in education so that I can become a third grade teacher. I box occasionally in my spare time which, incidentally, is how I met my boyfriend. He's a boxing and MMA coach.

-Elizabeth

Welcome, Elizabeth. I tend to like classic horror v. modern horror for similar reasons.

That's really interesting that you are into boxing. I've heard it's good exercise.

Hello! I'm Jo Ann aka Asenath. I've loved classic horror my whole life--I'm 51--so that's a long time! Ha! In gradeschool, my mother gave me Poe to read and a couple of short story collections, Tales to Tremble by and More Tales to Tremble by both full of classic horror by Wakefield, Asquith, M.R. James, Lefanu, Derleth and many more. In the 7th grade I discovered Lovecraft and Ray Bradbury (although not classified as an horror author, Bradbury nonetheless has written tales that I think of as horror or at least have horrific moments in them).
I loved to listen to ghost stories from the neighborhood kids--this was one of our childhood rituals, the telling of ghostly tales at twilight in the secret hope of scaring ourselves silly.
As I grew older, it gradually dawned on me that the academic/literary world didn't take horror/supernatural fiction too seriously. It was the bastard stepchild of the literary world. But in college, I found a professor who did take it seriously and had written his Ph.D. on Gothic fiction. When I decided to write my thesis, I made him the director of my committee.
My life has changed dramatically in recent years with my MS diagnosis, but I still try to keep up with reading horror fiction, both old and new. I love to discover new authors that embody the traditional concepts of horror/supernatural fiction but with new twists and reworkings of the old.
I have a husband, Bob, two cats, Pixie and Vincent(named after Vincent Price). And no children, unless you count my husband ;-)

Welcome, Jo! I look forward to discussing classic horror with you.

Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress wrote: "Welcome, Jo! I look forward to discussing classic horror with you."

Thanks for the welcome! I'm looking forward to the discussion,too.

Hi Jo, welcome. Poe was my intro also. I had a teacher who introduced me to him when I was in 6th grade. You'll undoubtedly find people to discuss with here and probably lots of suggestions. :)

Thanks, Mike. I'm always looking for new writers to read--at least new to me. I'm sure I'll get a lot of great suggestions from the group.

Welcome, Jo. It's sad how horror isn't taken seriously as a genre; but it's amazing you were able to find a prof of gothic fiction! What was your thesis about?

The title was Gothic Castles, Gothic Mirrors: Feminine Identity in the Gothic Novel. The three main novels I used were The Castle of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, Uncle Silas by Sheridan LeFanu and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. This back in the 80's. When I read my thesis now, it sounds hideously pretentious and too trendy. But it was a learning experience to be sure.

That sounds like a really good idea for a thesis, Jo.

You have exactly 666 members, just thought I'd point that out :)

Then we must celebrate!

Awesome!

Thanks, Danielle!

Aw, only 665 now!

Welcome.

Welcome!

Welcome, Sanna-Mari!

1. Helle
2. It has to be Edgar Allan Poe, but I'm also very fond of M.R. James.
3. What's not to love? The language alone, the atmosphere, the characters. The sweeping emotions or, depending on the author, bleak, misanthropic doom isn't bad either ;)
4. I'm Danish. I have loved reading all my life but wasn't much of a reader as a child, which I have been trying to make up for since I was about 15. I love more 'modern' horror as well, particularly Stephen King, Peter Straub and Ira Levin, as well as Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson.

Cool, welcome.

Welcome, Helle! You listed some authors I enjoy. I think that the atmosphere and language is a draw for me as well.

Welcome, James!

Welcome.

hello! my name is Latasha. ok, the 4 questions. my favorite classic horror writer would be Poe. I listen to a lot of podcast that cover classic horror stories and I listen to a lot of Librivox recordings from all kinds of authors. 3. I like them because they work! the 1st time I heard the ash tree by M R James, oh hell no...it was terrifying! the podcast I listen to that would apply here are:

http://www.mrjamespodcast.com/
http://hppodcraft.com/
http://thedoubleshadow.com/

the h.p lovecraft one covers other authors as well. but so far the other 2 are just M R James & clark ashton smith but that's ok, they are great!

Welcome.

Thx!

Latasha

We also periodically do classic works on Pseudopod, the weekly horror fiction podcast (these are full readings). Some recent classics we offered:

At The End Of The Passage by Rudyard Kipling

The Abyss by Leonid Andreyev

The Ninth Skeleton by Clark Ashton Smith

Entrance And Exit & The Terror Of The Twins by Algernon Blackwood

Bad Company by Walter de la Mare

The Dead Sexton by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Step by E.F. Benson

and that's just within the last year - we've also done the expected Lovecraft, Poe, Wells, James, etc, and the unexpected (Sologub, Bryusov, Hodgson) while featuring new writers and purchasing rights from modern masters (Joe R. Lansdale this week! And a bug surprise for episode 350 in a few weeks!)

Yeah, I've listed to a few stories over there. : )

Welcome, Latasha. I'm a huge MR James fan, and I agree, The Ash Tree is very creepy. I definitely should listen to it on audio!

It is & spiders! Aghhhh!!