tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post8842961983948684821..comments2024-03-18T00:24:50.484-07:00Comments on Graham Smith Writer: Horror Vs CrimeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-89748475662355154572012-11-05T13:07:16.292-08:002012-11-05T13:07:16.292-08:00Thanks for all the comments guys. Good to see that...Thanks for all the comments guys. Good to see that I have provoked some debate on the matter.Graham Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15561493204302079903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-36407516843667797722012-11-03T23:57:10.845-07:002012-11-03T23:57:10.845-07:00I'd say that horror and crime fiction can coex...I'd say that horror and crime fiction can coexist -- in the same novel, even. Richard Godwin manages that in his novels, Mr. Glamour and Apostile Rising for example. It's been said that to qualify for horror, there must be an "other" an unseen, terrifying, maybe supernatural force at work. If that's the case then, To Kill A Mockingbird could qualify. Both Boo Radley and the killer in the woods (even though we knew his name)were, at different times, unseen and -- to the characters Scout and Gem -- equally terrifying.AJ Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02765836513403665199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-69087186013156608232012-11-02T12:10:24.303-07:002012-11-02T12:10:24.303-07:00Sorry Graham, only got Euros.
I think I'm wit...Sorry Graham, only got Euros. <br />I think I'm with you in that I find it hard to read and write about supernatural things. I've tried it and it was OK, but I'm always tempted try to find a logical reason for strange occurances. To me, good horror is something that really can happen to someone, even better if the readers feel it's them. <br />I guess there are several elements to violent crime, but I think the main ones would be a straight murder/assassination and one which involes an element of torture or extreme cruelty. However, I do think The Shining more of a psychological thriller than supernatural based horror.<br /><br />Keith Gingellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17769965896311091981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-3140789823057162002012-11-01T05:59:27.518-07:002012-11-01T05:59:27.518-07:00It's an interesting debate. I asked the questi...It's an interesting debate. I asked the question to Tom Piccirilli when I interviewed him. He agreed that the more psychological forms of horror and the darker crime fiction (notably noir) were very alike. "Both are about the long night of the soul," he said. I've been reading almost exclusively crime fiction for two years and as I'm burning out of it, horror is natural option to turn on to. Crime is very pragmatic and anchored in reality. Horror is free of that. You can get away with it without a clear explanation in horror (my favorite horror movie Session 9, does exactly that).<br /><br />I think in general, horror is a looser genre. Lets you explore more forms of storytelling. Now blending both. That would be interesting.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11483490020980574428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-72322193772028007042012-11-01T04:56:46.283-07:002012-11-01T04:56:46.283-07:00I enjoy both genres, and often find the two slippi...I enjoy both genres, and often find the two slipping into the same ground. A horror story isn't necessarily a 'supernatural' story', it's the way it invokes fear that is important for me. Many books in the crime fiction genre could easily be called horror and the opposite is equally true. Probably the best definition is that most psychological thrillers are equally psychological horrors ( as in The Shining), and yes, Silence of the Lambs is as much a horror to me as it is a crime fiction novel. The horror genre is probably as wide (if not more) and encompassing of so many sub genres as is crime fiction and it's likely that many readers miss out on some terrific stories if they are put off by the tag that has usually been applied by a publisher. I always see Dean Koontz in the horror section (and Stephen King) but many of their books are straight crime or thriller books. It's worth checking through the other genres now and again, just so you don't miss out.Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12033131935968488175noreply@blogger.com