The FEAR factor
As nights draw in, Margaret James’ thoughts turn to what makes a successful scary story
Margaret James
FICTION FOCUS
As the ancient Scottish verse puts it: From ghoulies and ghosties And long-leggedy beasties And things that go bump in the night Good Lord, deliver us!
But we all love a good horror or mystery story, don’t we, especially at this time of year? Don’t we actually want to be confronted by ghoulies, ghosties and their spectral friends?
On a chilly autumn evening, even in the supposedly sophisticated and cynical 21st century, many of us love to read or listen to a story intended to frighten us out of our wits. These days, we might be worldly-wise, but some of us still haven’t lost our appetite for wonder. We’re still ready to be intrigued by situations which we cannot rationally understand. After all, it’s not so very long ago in terms of human history that a belief in ghosts and spirits explained so much (but certainly not everything) that modern science can explain today.