FREE ESSAY ON HORROR: THE SUPERNATURAL GENRE

HORROR: THE SUPERNATURAL GENRE

Horror is an ancient genre, it roots lodged in ancient myth and folklore. Since then the
genre has evolved, even sometimes doing without elements of the supernatural on which the
original horror stories where founded. Despite the emergence of natural horror, horror
which incorporates elements of the supernatural still remains superior. While horror can
be successful using only natural circumstances, horror that utilizes elements of the
supernatural evokes a more effective response from the reader.
"A Rose for Emily" is a good example of horror which contains no supernatural elements.
While pieces of the story contain the unusual or violate societal taboos the story
conforms very much to the way in which we think the world operates. The reader could
easily imagine that this story might really have occurred at some time. While the realism
of the story makes it more plausible to the reader, it also lessens its effectiveness.
The idea of a woman lying down next to a dead body for decades is revolting, but not very
horrific. No sense of dread is imposed upon the reader, and the only visceral response is
one of disgust. While the piece in effective at entertaining the reader, it lacks the
ability to truly inspire horror.
Dahl's "A Man from the South" also lacks the ability to impress a sense of terror and
dread on the reader. Like "A Rose for Emily" the story is entertaining, but the reader is
not really terrified by any of the events that happen in it. There is a slight sense in
revulsion at the idea of collecting human fingers but there is no overall sense of doom
in the story. 
"The Call of Cthulu" however is of a completely different nature. In it H.P. Lovecraft
weaves a tale full of dread and unfathomable terror. The mystery of what exactly Cthulu
is, what portents the strange dreams hold, the mysterious statues created in deep
antiquity, all come together to impress a sense of fear upon the reader. An overriding
element which makes the story so effective is the use of the supernatural, which allows
Lovecraft to create beings to terrible to exist in the world we know. Throughout the
story pervades a sense of the unknown, of some ancient mystery which mortal man should
never venture to know. The story evicts a visceral sense of horror from the reader, one
of realization of what might happen if such things were ever to exist. While any sane
person would never claim that a giant god from the stars will ever rise out of the ocean
to destroy the world, the reader can nonetheless envision such a horrific event. "The
Call of Cthulu" shows how effective the supernatural can be in horror.
Another excellent Lovecraft story that incorporates the supernatural is "Nyarlathotep."
The plot centers on the arrival of Nyarlathotep, a modern-day prophet who throws the
world into madness. The entire basis for the story is the supernatural, the predestined
end of man which comes bellowing out of the depths of antiquity. While short in length
the story nevertheless manages to build a sense of dread before Lovecraft unleashes the
terrible truth of Nyarlathotep's purpose upon the reader. Unlike "The Call of Cthulu"
"Nyarlathotep" ends with evil succeeding, in the world being engulfed by unspeakable
horrors. The tale truly grabs the reader with a pervading sense of doom and predestined
destruction, making it a highly effective piece of horror literature.
What is it about the supernatural that lends itself so effectively to the horror genre?
The truth is that it is a combination of factors, which come to play in different
stories. In a tale such as "Nyarlathotep" the role of the supernatural is to impress upon
the reader images and ideas which would not exist in the natural world, to horrify
through that which is unknown and evil. This is one of the primary roles that the
supernatural fills in the horror genre, being a vehicle to allow the author to create
images and events in which the reader is left to his or her imagination as to what the
dreaded thing is. Soley relying on natural events and occurrences allows the reader to
build from his or her own experiences a reasonable idea of what is happening, and that
which is familiar or at least known is less horrific. "A Rose for Emily" shows this well,
for while Faulkner does not outright say what went on between Ms. Emily and her deceased
love, it is easy for the reader to come to a definite conclusion about what went on. In
"The Call of Cthulu" however the reader cannot exactly tell what will happen nor form a
definite conclusion about Cthulu's slime-covered world or even exactly what Cthulu
himself looks like. Poe's work "The Fall of the House of Usher" uses the supernatural to
obtain this sense of foreboding mystery, and it plays an important part the success of
the story. This element of the unknown increases the effectiveness of nearly any piece of
horror. Another factor which makes the supernatural such a potent element in horror is
that it allow for the creation of things to evil to exist in this world. Cthulu is such
an evil creation, one which is undoubtedly evil. This increased freedom for the author is
another reason why the supernatural is so effective.
In conclusion, the use of the supernatural in horror can prove to be extremely
successful. While many pieces of acclaimed horror writings do not contain elements of the
supernatural, those works which best impress upon the reader a sense of horror often do
to some extent. Whether it be the basis for a story or a smaller element of it, the
supernatural is an import part of any truly terrifying horror story.