The Comfort of Dread

Hello, everyone! Being a psychological horror author, I cannot help but think about things such as, well... horror itself. Why are we even attracted to such a thing?

I could just give you the reasonable, scientific explanation of "our brains are wired to listen for threats in order to avoid them" or something like that. And yeah, it makes sense, especially if you know Romanian traditions and the "way of being", where we always find the smallest defect with a person, while at the same time we invite them for dinner before even knowing their name.

But being attracted to horror doesn't "feel" like just a boring psychological process. You, the one reading this post right now, are probably someone who likes feeling the thrill of a good, scary story, waiting for the protagonist to face that monster, maybe survive, maybe get eaten, and likely sometimes feel the tension conveyed by the words themselves. Was I describing myself just now? Probably. But hopefully someone else reading my words.

So, before actually giving my personal experience on this, let me ask you a question first: what is the most significant thought you have when reading horror? Do you sympathise with the characters? Do you want them to survive? Do you want the monster to win?

I am usually a bit vanilla when it comes to this. I usually hope (sometimes against hope itself) for a happy ending. Though I admit there are stories when the "monster" seems the more reasonable one. But horror rarely has such moments. And, ironically, that brings it a bit closer to reality. Reality is neither good, nor bad, it has its ups and downs, this is why I usually refer to it as "bittersweet".

But horror, at the same time, also gives us comfort, a "cloak of smoke and starlight", as one might call it, heavy on your shoulders, soft and tight, it brings fear, yet facing this fear, realising the stars are still there, still watching you, realising the monsters are not real, relaxes you.

I used to read and listen to horror stories ever since I was a child, often ending up having nightmares, mostly due to old folk-tales taken too seriously, but since I started writing myself, I understood that the most important thing in the story is to be with someone.

And now you realise the trick I just pulled. You are never alone in the story, there is someone with you. Whether it be me, or the characters, there is always a voice to keep you company.