I don't watch or read a lot of modern horror, though I do love my Poe and Hitchcock, mainly for the reason that they've (the modern ones) lost the element of suspense that makes things terrifying for me. It's the same principle I could apply to porn - throw me straight into the sex or the maiming or what have you and I'm all blase and "Can we change the channel?" or possibly even grossed out. Build up to it - give me a little foreplay, if you will, and then don't reveal *exactly* what's going on - just strongly hint at it and let my imagination fill in the blanks - and I'm much more likely to react in the way you want me to.
Modern horror mostly just squicks me. Classic horror or psychological horror or suspense usually has me on the edge of my seat. Give me a mystery to solve, something that keeps me invested in the storyline and unable to look away even when the situation is becoming unbearable... that's what'll hook me.
Classic X-Files did this well. I don't know why, but "Elegy" made me have trouble sleeping at night. I know so many people who didn't think that episode was scary at all, but it included all the non-stylistic (and several stylistic) elements that make a story scary for me.
1. It played on my sympathy. These innocent girls who were caught by surprise and had no time to defend themselves. Their choices were taken away from them. (Having my options removed usually puts me near the realm of insanity.)
2. The one person who really knew was unable to tell and was, in fact, under suspicion himself. Again with the removal of options or the blocking of a solution.
3. The person who kept seeing the signs didn't believe in such things, meaning she probably definitely wasn't making it up. Also, the terror it inflicted on her, experiencing something outside her logical paradigm, was experienced vicariously.
4. The barest of hints that someone you really loved and were invested in (ie, Scully) was also doomed, setting up a more long-term trepidation that would last for more than one episode.
I think the whole "No way out!" probably terrifies me more than anything, since I'm claustrophobic. Being buried alive is in my top three fears of all time. *laugh*
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Modern horror mostly just squicks me. Classic horror or psychological horror or suspense usually has me on the edge of my seat. Give me a mystery to solve, something that keeps me invested in the storyline and unable to look away even when the situation is becoming unbearable... that's what'll hook me.
Classic X-Files did this well. I don't know why, but "Elegy" made me have trouble sleeping at night. I know so many people who didn't think that episode was scary at all, but it included all the non-stylistic (and several stylistic) elements that make a story scary for me.
1. It played on my sympathy. These innocent girls who were caught by surprise and had no time to defend themselves. Their choices were taken away from them. (Having my options removed usually puts me near the realm of insanity.)
2. The one person who really knew was unable to tell and was, in fact, under suspicion himself. Again with the removal of options or the blocking of a solution.
3. The person who kept seeing the signs didn't believe in such things, meaning she probably definitely wasn't making it up. Also, the terror it inflicted on her, experiencing something outside her logical paradigm, was experienced vicariously.
4. The barest of hints that someone you really loved and were invested in (ie, Scully) was also doomed, setting up a more long-term trepidation that would last for more than one episode.
I think the whole "No way out!" probably terrifies me more than anything, since I'm claustrophobic. Being buried alive is in my top three fears of all time. *laugh*