Why horror is better read than seen
As discussed by many people who study film, the phenomena of horror lie in the unknown.
Horror as a genre has begun to fail audiences throughout the world. It has lost its appeal, as most of the scary bits have become quite transparent, movie franchises squeezing out sequel after sequel like an empty toothpaste tube.
Most will be familiar with the Paranormal Activity series which for truly mystifying reasons has grossed $889 million and has managed to sustain itself, its sixth part having been released last year.
Maybe audiences feel the horror in these movies are comforting in comparison to the real life horrors of the past and coming years.
As discussed by many people who study film, the phenomena of horror lie in the unknown. It is, after all, the suspense of what the fear propagator looks like and sounds like that terrifies audiences more than the creature itself, now obviously due to the music cue people know when to expect the very terrifying event.
This technique, however, efficient in storytelling, negates the true realistic suspense, which is why audiences should start reading horror rather than watching a film depiction.
Real fear is subjective. Slade House, written by David Mitchell, is pure build up.
It revolves around a mysterious location Slade House, which serves as some sort of Bermuda triangle.
And as that is as far as the plot goes, but do not read this review and feel disheartened.
It is a very atmospheric book, so much so that it gets claustrophobic, which actually drives the plot forward.
Mitchell was short-listed twice for the Booker Prize, and this book will tell you why. People, who really like to get into the nitty-gritty of language in literature, would enjoy it.
It does have a few quotable moments and very natural characters in context to the timeline it follows.
Characters start to feel relatable to as the book works on the concept of subjective fears, books like these should be given a little time as they fester in the mind, as the reader is encouraged to incorporate their own fears as a mental simulation, which actually enhances the reading experience. Writers like Mitchell can actually portray what the conscious mind is sometimes not willing to see.