Abstract
This paper is comprised of a two-page gothic horror story followed by a two-page paper explaining the story's utilization of gothic elements.

From the Paper
"Count Trich grasped the heavy iron doorknocker and struck it three times against the massive wooden door leading into Castle Diable, cheeks flushed with excitement and imagination racing. An invitation to the home of Grand Duke Lucero was a rare and prized occurrence. Dogs barked somewhere in the interior of the castle and Trich saw the flickering of candlelight as someone-presumably a servant-proceeded toward the door. Finally, the door creaked open slowly to reveal an ancient man hunched over and holding the..."

Tags:gothic, horror story, fiction, short story, Edgar Allen Poe, eerie, mystery, device

Abstract
This paper examines Lovecraft's writings and compares them to Poe's. The writer shows how Poe was the first true writer of horror stories but how Lovecraft based his genre on Poe and adapted it in a way he thought his readers would respond. The paper mentions several of their works and compares and contrasts them.

From the Paper
"Horror writers use several tactics to prey on the human psyche and produce what the readers want, fear. Readers of horror writing want to feel their skin crawl and feel a building sense of tension. Horror writing has undergone several steps in evolution from its beginnings. The first true horror writer to prey on the depths of the human unconscious was Edgar Allen Poe. H.P Lovecraft used the style of Poe, however added another step to scare his readers. Modern writers have built further on Lovecraft to produce the modern horror genre. It is the use the element of the unknown, introduced by Lovecraft that has led to the development of the modern horror genre."

Tags:story, horror, audience, genre, writer, novel

Abstract
Shirley Jackson is a short story writer known for writing disturbing stories that focus not on horrific events, but on normal events that occur in society. The writer shows how her stories add new meaning to common events that everyone can relate to, often also making a comment on our society. Three of her stories which have these features, are examined - "The Witch", "An Ordinary Day, With Peanuts", and "After You, My Dear Alphonse". These stories are compared in terms of theme, style, irony, and characters. The common features of Jackson's work can easily be identified.

From the Paper
"In each of the three stories, the theme makes a comment on our society, using everyday events to accomplish this.

"In The Witch, a mother is on the train with her four-year old son. A man enters and noting that the boy needs entertaining, tells him a story. The story, however, is a horrific one and what would be considered an inappropriate one. The mother must then deal with the social situation of reacting to the man's inappropriateness. The aspect of the story that communicates the theme is that the boy is actually entertained by the story, even though it is considered inappropriate. This leads the reader to consider why these types of stories are so entertaining and why the mother is more disturbed by the story than her son. This leads to the questioning of the conventions of society, especially the idea of what is considered inappropriate."

Tags:alphonse, peanuts, witch, style, irony, theme, horror, society, feature

Abstract
The paper argues that although his harrowing short story entitled "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is considered more of a classic Gothic tale rather than a work of horror per se, Ambrose Bierce nevertheless utilizes literary elements distinct to the horror genre to enhance both the story's setting and plot.

From the Paper
"Though his harrowing short story entitled "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is considered more of a classic Gothic tale rather than a work of horror per se, Ambrose Bierce nevertheless utilizes literary elements distinct to the horror genre to enhance both the story's setting and plot. Four fundamental characteristics normally associated with tales of horror action revolving around a violent act and graphic forceful imagery atmosphere inspiring dread and trepidation, particularly involving..."

Tags:horror, elements, setting, plot, violent, dread, dramatic irony

Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado". The paper focuses on the compelling nature of the Gothic horror tales and includes a brief biography of Poe's life.

From the Paper
"Edgar Allan Poe was born to David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe. Poe was orphaned at the age of three and was taken into the home of John Allan, a prosperous merchant in Richmond, Virginia, and rebaptized as Edgar Allan Poe. An uneventful childhood included five years of schooling in England and only a year of study at the University of Virginia where he was forced..."

Tags:Edgar Allan Poe, short stories, Gothic, Horrow

Abstract
This paper provides a comparison and analysis of two of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, "The Premature Burial" and "The Fall of the House of Usher." The analysis focuses on how Poe uses claustrophobia and entrapment to increase the fear and anxiety of characters in these Gothic tales. The paper also show how Poe played on his readers' fear of death.

From the Paper
"Gothic elements as well as the themes of entrapment and claustrophobia are all common in Edgar Allan Poe's short stories. "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Premature Burial" Paul Lewis maintains that the primary themes of the Gothic are mortality, evil and pain and all three are found in both of these stories by Poe. In Poe's 'The Philosophy of Composition' the author maintains he meticulously calculates his effects writing from the effect backwards (Tonkin) In the case of..."

Tags:psychology, intellect, incest, gloom, interment, terror, horror, technique, emotion, mortality, tombs

Abstract
How protagonists face death & horror in three stories. Examines Edgar Allan Poe's THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, H. P. Lovecroft's THE COLOUR OUT OF SPACE, Stephen King's THE RAFT. Poe's use of atmosphere to create a sense of horror. Lovecroft's use of color as a character to build the tone of horror. King's use of gore in telling his story.

From the Paper
"All fiction is fantasy and takes place in the realm of the imagination. Fantasy and Science Fiction, however, as genres of fiction, contain themes about quests that take the reader farther abroad in the realm of imagination as the protagonist travels through fear and impending death to the goal of his/her quest. In Dark Fantasy (also known as Horror), a sub-genre of Fantasy and Science Fiction, the quest is about the confrontation of the protagonist with fear and death (Roberts, 2001, p. 31). The protagonist does not always survive this crisis. This paper will explore how Edgar Allan Poe, Howard Phillips (H. P.) Lovecraft and Stephen King describe the quest of the protagonist through death and horror in their short stories "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Color Out of Space," and "The Raft."


Poe uses atmosphere, rather than gore, to create a visceral..."

Abstract
This paper explains that most of the literary works under the horror and mystery genres provide insightful depictions and illustrations of social criticisms that the writers want to critique symbolically or figuratively. The author points out that, while Poe in "The Cask of Amontillado" uses both themes of insanity and murder in his story, Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" effectively uses the protagonist's downfall to insanity to portray the grotesqueness not only of psychological instability, but also of emotional repression the woman character experiences in the story. The paper reviews various forms of irony that are used in both stories to create the monstrous feeling within the tales and to state the authors' position on social issues.

From the Paper
"The short story "The Cask of Amontillado" illustrates both themes of the protagonist's downfall to insanity and celebration of death through the commitment of murder. The story shows how Poe, through the main character's (Montresor) narration, behavior, and action, is able to generate fear and the air of mystery, especially in illustrating the shocking narration and illustration of the death of Fortunato, the man Montresor despised and considered as his enemy and competitor."

Tags:insight, criticism, insanity, murder, irony

Abstract
This paper explains that traditional Christian morals play a large part in the modern horror film genre with religious iconography almost equally represented as a righteous force. The unspoken rule of horror films, the paper points out, is that the most morally virtuous character usually survives in the film the longest. Slasher films, such as "The Exorcist", "Dracula" and "A Nightmare On Elm Street", the paper states, grew out of stories from the Bible and classics, such as Dante's Inferno.

From the Paper
"What really is the vampire but a representation of our societies repressed sexual desires, what are zombies but the upper class fear of the scourge of the underclass? When questions of morality are boxed into a context as black and white as evil vs. good, a very dangerous delineation can occur. The power of moral ideology being dispensed on the big screen to audiences across the globe cannot be ignored. Such simplicity in story content acts as an excellent vehicle for the proliferation of these messages to the middle class, non-cultured Americans."

Tags:zombies morality, sacred misconception, repression simplicity

Abstract
Examines the reasons why horror and vampire stories and films are popular and the visual artistry necessary for outstanding horror films, such as "Dead of the Night" and "Nosferatu."

From the Paper
"In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad's protagonist's final words are "Oh, the horror! The horror!" This sums up the public's fascination with horror movies. However, "horror was . . .an established literary genre long before Edison turned..."