1. Halloween Writing Task Form 2
The Horror Story Unit
Halloween Writing Task
Form 2

2. Your Task Create an original horror story
The short story must be 2-3 pages in length.
The short story must be typed using Arial or Times New Roman font
The short story must include dialogue, characterization, theme, and suspense, BUT no gore.
This is not an experiment in how much bloody violence you can write about. It is a piece about fear, suspense, and terror—not blood and guts.

3. The Goblins Will Get You if You Don’t Watch Out
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre XXV: Freddie Meets Norman on Elm Street on Friday the 13th
Why do gory movies (a more precise term than horror movies) attract so many viewers today?
Why do people like the gory special effects?

4. What’s so great about fear anyway?
Do you feel moments of terror? Do you hold your breath? Do you laugh? Why do you react as you do?
How do you explain the desire of people to be terrified?
As children, we delight in ghost stories told in the dark. As adults, we read books or see movies that we know will scare us. Why?

5. Elements of Horror
Setting

6. a deserted (or sparsely inhabited) castle or mansion in a state or ruins or semi-ruins
labyrinths/mazes, dark corridors, and winding stairs filled with dusty cobwebs
castles or mansions which have hidden tunnels/staircases, dungeons, underground passages, crypts, or catacombs
if set in a broken down modern house, the basement or attic becomes the place of terror
threatening natural landscapes, like rugged mountains, dark forests, or eerie moors, exhibiting stormy weather

7. Elements of Horror
Lighting/Mood

8. Blackout
limited lighting such as moonlight (usually a full moon), candles, flashlight, lantern
often the light disappears: clouds hide the moon, candles go out, flashlights/ lanterns are dropped and broken
if electric lights exist, they usually mysteriously go out

9. Other Elements
dark secrets surrounding some tormented soul who is left to live in isolation
ominous omens and curses
magic, supernatural manifestations, or the suggestion of the supernatural
a damsel in distress
the damsel’s rescuer; usually a lover
horrifying (or terrifying) events or the threat of such happenings

10. Elements of a Short Story
Listen to and follow along with the song about the five major elements of a story.

11. Dialogue Definition: a conversation between characters Example:
Annina asked, “Monsieur Rick, what kind of a man is Captain Renault?” “Oh, he's just like any other man, only more so,” Rick replied. (Joy Page and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, 1942)

12. Due: Friday, November 5, 2013 at the beginning of class.
Short Story Maps
Due: Friday, November 5, 2013 at the beginning of class. .

13. Victorian Horror Novels
Classics of the horror genre written during the Victorian Era:
Frankenstein
Dracula
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Invisible Man