Do horror stories have to have happy or tragic endings to “count” as horror? Is a positive or negative ending more effective across the board? Is there room for taste in this question?
Several years ago I came across the YouTube video “Why Horror Is Good for Us” by T. Michael Martin, and I’ve had it saved in my “ideas” file for blog posts ever since. There’s so much to love about this video. It’s only two minutes long; I highly recommend watching it. I think my favorite quote from it is, “Horror is the genre of non-denial.” Martin argues that the best horror is that in which good ultimately triumphs—a concept he calls dark transcendence. He talks about how being dragged through the dark heightens the redemptive endings. I agree with much of what Martin has to say here, but I never blogged about it because I couldn’t articulate the parts that I didn’t quite agree with.
Today I came across this post in ‘The H Word’ column in Nightmare Magazine: “The Politics of Horror” by Paul Tremblay, and it felt like the missing half of that long-ago saved video. Despite the title, Tremblay only skirts politics in this post, and instead focuses on an equally interesting concept: the endings of scary stories. But in this take, we’re presented with an opposite opinion: “The horror story that ultimately ends with a triumphant return of the status quo isn’t doing its job.” Again, there’s much here I absolutely love and agree with, but also some I can’t entirely agree with.
What “counts” in any genre is a topic that comes up a lot, so much so that it’s one of the very first things I address in my Horror Genre infographic for LitReactor. (And I hammer home right away that taste and value judgements have nothing to do with defining genre.) To be fair to both creators linked to above, neither of them claims definition—only taste. Martin doesn’t claim that dark endings don’t count as horror, only that when scary stories aren’t redemptive the “critics kind of have a point.” And Tremblay says, “This isn’t to say every horror story must have a downbeat/bummer ending to be successful. But it should have an ending that’s honest to its horror, honest to the transgression committed within the story.” So I appreciate that they each tip their hat to the existence of the other side.
Yet, they both make excellent points and come down strong about which stories—which endings to horror stories—hold the most inherent value. And of course, they land on polar opposite sides.
What do I think? I think they’re both right, because they’re really both talking about their own taste, and you can’t argue with taste. If Martin is in it for the uplift—for the power created in stories where good triumphs over literal evil—then of course he prefers transcendence. And if Tremblay is in it for the scary impression—for the lingering fear created by an ending where everything is definitely not okay—then of course he prefers subversion. So neither is wrong, only opinionated. 😉
Of course, I have opinions of my own. To be honest, I love both types of endings. For me personally, an uplifting ending doesn’t automatically negate the fear in the rest of the story. When done well, these stories can be incredibly powerful. I will agree, however, that it’s harder to pull off a redemptive ending and maintain the fear—harder but not impossible. But I don’t need a happily ever after, either. I’m fine with walking away from a story scared instead of uplifted, if it’s done well. Often I prefer it.
I judge endings on a case-by-case basis, in reading, watching, and in writing. How effective each type is depends entirely on intent and execution. And although not nearly as popular, I’m also a big fan of the blurry middle ground, where some redemption has been had but much darkness still looms and lingers, reminding us that although this character may have gotten away safe, we might not.
So does the ending define horror? Absolutely not. I’ll argue that point until I’m blue in the face. (Some very famous folks have made the claim, but fame doesn’t preclude rightness, eh?) Does the ending change the nature of a story? Sometimes. Maybe not as often as we think, which is a point Tremblay brings up in his example endings. (Come to think of it, I can’t even remember the technical endings of half the horror stories I love. Hmmm… it’s almost like the ending isn’t the most important part.) Does the ending land differently for different readers? Absolutely. That’s at the heart of why we each love our own favorite books, isn’t it? Everyone wants different things from story, and every story will disappoint or satisfy accordingly.
So how about you? Are you a proponent of dark transcendence, like Martin? Do you find dark progression more effective, like Tremblay? Or are you a case-by-case consumer, like me?
Guess what? I have one final update for #BooksBrewBoo! I’ve accepted a super sweet offer to partner with USB Memory Direct for some promotional goodies—these amazing custom thumb drives!
I’m really excited to get these little beauties. So excited that I’m going to load three of them with The Organized Writer docs and freebies and add them to the prizes! Any writers who win one of the three giveaway prizes will also have the option to receive one of these. It’ll include the Writing Income and Expense Tracking Spreadsheet, which normally costs $9 and is a super handy financial tool for writers. Score!
And as if this expanded prize package wasn’t enough—we’re up to three winners for a total of two paperbacks, one ebook, a Starbucks gift card, and three thumb drives pre-loaded with the spreadsheet—if you want a chance to win some of your own cool custom thumb drives you can head on over to USB Memory Direct’s October spook-tacular giveaway for an Halloween-inspired gift box featuring a 32 GB Ubie Ninja flash drive and plenty of treats (and maybe a few tricks, too). They’re also giving five lucky winners a 64 GB drive as a special treat, so be sure to enter before it’s too late!
This blog post right here is the last one of this month that are eligible for #BooksBrewBoo entries; just leave a comment below to be entered. And to up your chances, leave comments on my past three blogs too:
- Remakes, Re-reads, Re-watches, and the Power of Ritual <– A discussion of why we re-consume stories even thought we already know what happens, and when that re-consumption becomes something more.
- Celebrating National Dark Poetry Day with Light and Liquor <– My creepy dark poem “Light and Liquor,” and a video of me reading it. (Eep!)
- Books Brew Boo 2! <– The official giveaway rules, plus excerpts and reviews of my stories in the prize paperbacks, Suspended in Dusk 2 and Shadow Booth Volume 1!
And to really up your chances, share the giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram using the hashtag #BooksBrewBoo and tagging me so I see it. You can enter a total of 13 times!
Best of luck, my spooky friends. The winners will be announced on Halloween, which is just around the corner!
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