Negative Emotions in Horror Writing

I believe that human beings are the best “tools” available to any horror writer. The supernatural world, populated by vampires, werewolves, ghosts, demons and other unearthly characters, offers the horror writer an unlimited range of scenarios and characters that can be placed in any situation or circumstance. The only limit is your imagination. The human world, however, is more familiar and realistic. A good horror writer will create a story that is so believable a reader will be able to identify with the situation, and believe it can happen. Human beings are capable of a wide, diverse range of emotions, all of which are powerful aids for any horror writer. In this issue I will discuss three of the more unpleasant aspects of man’s psyche. Each one can be applied to any character – with a truly horrifying effect!

Hate: to feel an intense dislike or a strong aversion towards.

Synonyms range from the mild dislike and despise to stronger words like abhor, contempt, loathe and detest. Hate can have a number of causes, each covering a range of interesting circumstances. A childhood taunt in the playground, where a character is mocked for his/her name, physical appearance, ethic or religious affiliation can inspire hatred. The feeling can be directed toward the individual making the remarks or the group of friends who stood around and either joined in the jibes and sneers or were too afraid to stand up for the victim. Hate is born when someone experiences abuse – verbal or physical – at the hands of the tormenter. Perhaps the victim is a wife, whose husband constantly complains about the way she cleans the house/drives the car/cooks his meals. Or maybe it’s a child, who is beaten by a parent for the slightest misdemeanour.

Hate has a vicious cycle, and the abuser can often be a victim too. Circumstances may have encouraged the character to feel an emotion as strong as hate, and to react to it in a specific way. Perhaps he/she lashing out at those closest to him/her or targets what is believed to have caused the feeling. The cause of hatred, the way your character handles it and the effect it has on those around and close to the “hater” can make for a great horror story. It could be something very simple – personally I hate Mitsubishi cars because I had a dreadful accident in one, and to this day I will not travel in one. Silly superstition? Perhaps, but consider one of the following situations:

A specific day in the calendar holds a dreadful significance; it’s the day her country surrendered to the invading forces. The atrocities committed in small villages all over the country have never been forgotten. All year her hatred simmers below the surface… until that particular day when she exacts a brutal vengeance for those who died at the hands of the invaders upon a descendent of one of the families.
A certain piece of music sends chills up his spine, taking him back to his childhood when the music box would start playing that song at midnight. The muffled sound from behind the closed cupboard doors grew louder as the doors creaked open.
In an attempt to secure his own promotion, a man makes a false accusation about his friend and co-worker that causes management to fire him. His family falls apart, his business reputation is ruined – all because of the selfish actions of a trusted friend. His hatred grows…

Anger: strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure or hostility.

An angry character is a powerful personality, and is capable of much evil. Hatred is not as intense as anger, and can be kept in check for a time. Anger is instantaneous, fierce and sometimes deadly. Combined these two emotions are a horrific compatibility. A person can be angry because he/she feels life has handed him/her a raw deal; it didn’t turn out quite the way he/she expected. An angry individual may resent a work colleague’s promotion unfair, believing he/she is far more qualified and capable. As with hate, there are many ways to describe anger, each reflecting a different level of intensity: exasperation, annoyance, irritability, indignation, pique, rage and fury are all very effective synonyms.

An angry person may erupt for different reasons:

After a night of rain she starts her car, reversing down the driveway. Late for work she presses the remote control to open the electric gate, only to find the wind and rain has deposited almond nut pods from the tree over the driveway in the path of the opening gate. Furiously she rushes out to clear the driveway so the gate can open, slamming the car door hard and leaving tyres on the driveway as she pulls onto the main road, forgetting to close the gate and failing to check that the road is clear…
Once he found her habits intriguing. Now they really irritate him. He hates the way she pretentiously cocks her little finger when she drinks tea, and he can’t stand the high-pitched whine of her voice when she first answers the telephone: “Hello?” Fingering his steak knife at dinner that night he smiles, thinking how easy it would be to cut off that little finger, and silence her telephone voice – FOREVER!
After cleaning the car door handle he wonders why the screw that came out so easily won’t go back. As he tries once more the screwdriver slips, grazing his arm and clattering to the floor. As blood begins seeping from the wound he stands up and slams the car door so hard the window shatters all over the floor.

If acted out, anger can has a dire result, as I’ve detailed in the rather “tame” examples given above. Anger can drive people to commit murder, destroying not only themselves but all those close to them. Anger can also be used by the supernatural; anger is considered a negative energy, the power of which can be so great the sufferer can loose control of his/her mind, allowing an evil entity such as a demon to take control and direct the anger for its own benefit.


Spite: desire to hurt, annoy or offend.

It’s difficult to attribute the catalyst for this emotion to any specific event, because the person using spite does so to deliberately cause hurt or pain to another individual. Jealousy might be considered a cause for spite, particularly if the character resents something the intended victim has, be it a job, a partner, a lifestyle or a material possession. The chance to inflict hurt could be considered one way of turning the victim against the “object” of desire and, in an extreme situation, making him/her abandon it, leaving the path clear for a replacement. Spite can take many forms; a snide or vile comment, gossiping and spreading unfounded stories about the victim or causing physical damage to the desired object.

Sometimes the spite can get out of hand, resulting in damage, injury or even death to the victim. The perpetrator then has to live with the consequences, and this can make the story interesting. The writer can develop the story around the joy or misery the spite has brought. Here are some ideas:

Having twisted the truth about Girl A’s relationship with her boss, Girl B managed to get her fired, and took over her job. It was plain sailing though, because the other employees were aware of her actions, and distanced themselves. Because of her spite Girl B lost a good friend, the respect of her workmates, and learned just how lonely life can be at the top.
Believing his father’s favourite son was his younger brother, the older sibling used to disrupt family gatherings – drinking too much, talking too loudly and making snide comments about the younger one’s character and abilities. One night the younger brother went into the library alone, to ask the older one what the reasons were for the spiteful remarks. In the ensuing argument fists flew, and the younger brother’s head hit the fireplace, killing him instantly. Terrified of telling the truth the older lied, and had to live with the guilt of knowing he’d committed fratricide and the pain of watching his grieving parents deal with the death of a son. In an attempt to assuage his guilt he supported his brother’s wife and child, in whose eyes he could see the brother whose life he’d cut short.
She just had to have her grandmother’s diamond ring. A large, sparkling stone set in 18 carats and surrounded by six emeralds. The rich old lady had so much jewellery anyway, and with six other granddaughters to worry about she knew she’d have to fight for it. So she stole it… Gran fired the maid, and suffered a heart attack at the stress. Before she died she told her granddaughter how sorry she was for losing the ring, because she’d left instructions in her will that the ring was to go to her – nobody else.

Synonyms for spite are many, varied and extremely descriptive, and include malice, malevolence, malignity, vindictiveness, enmity and animus. The examples I’ve given may not be full of traditional horror, but imagine having to live with the consequences of that spite. And it wouldn’t be hard to add some supernatural aspect to the stories. The dead father avenging himself through his son, the cursed ring or having to make a deal with a demon to get your co-workers’ respect… human emotion is a powerful catalyst, and a wonderful source of development for a character and a storyline.

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