About Horror for Teens

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All About Horror for Teens

Full Text All About Horror for Teens by Jennifer Brannen, revised by Lindsey Dunn

What is Horror?

Readers of horror are looking to feel scared, uneasy, or uncomfortable. These books reflect the dark side of life and human nature. Horror, unlike many other genres, is defined by the emotional response it's intended to evoke rather than its specific content or structure. The scariness can be subtle or brutal, supernatural or all too human. What happens in Horror?

Horror is marked by an overall feeling of unease. At the beginning, things seem fun, safe, or normal. As events progress, the safety nets of normality are removed. Heroes become isolated and vulnerable. Oftentimes, the hero of the story must face the fear and defeat the enemy by the end. Right is reasserted (at least partially) as one or more of the protagonists prove themselves (usually with some sort of personal sacriﬁce) in the face of their fears. Happily-ever-after endings are not guaranteed. Common themes and characteristics

Teen horror speciﬁcally tends to have underlying themes about growing up, having agency, asserting oneself, and exploring desires apart from familiar or societal expectations. While there is almost always an outside evil force that is the source of threat, the main characters may themselves begin a transformation where societal restraints are removed, and they begin to devolve from civilized beings into creatures of need who explore their most base desires and passions. Since what scares each reader is so subjective, the source of the danger can be anything from human to supernatural to demonic to microscopic to seemingly ridiculous (think killer ants or murderous dolls). And sometimes the horror results from the main character unleashing his or her "inner beast." Regardless of its manifestation, the source is more than the sum of its parts. Instead an encounter with the source of danger in horror is an encounter with all that is evil. The main character is often a loner or sensitive type who doesn't ﬁt in with mainstream society. This "touched" quality is what enables them to become aware of the horror while others are oblivious. The events often take place in an isolated setting where help is scarce. This forces the hero to take a stand against the enemy. There is an unbearable tension to horror, and the hero experiences a "teeter totter" of emotions between fear when the nightmare reveals itself and false relief when it appears the "thing in the dark" is only imaginary or just a shadow on the wall. This unbearable tension repeats itself throughout the book, allowing readers to experience a heightened state of arousal that echoes the feelings the characters experience. Because it's a genre of strong emotions -- and uncomfortable ones at that -- readers tend to love horror or hate it. It's those strong emotions that can make it very appealing to teens, particularly if it features adolescent protagonists.

Why do teens like Horror?

Horror reﬂects the fears of a society and its members. Growing up and all of the issues associated with it can be scary. Horror ﬁction can help readers work through some of these issues metaphorically or directly. Horror stories are visceral, and feelings they create can be delicious. Real life can be boring or draining at times, and reading these stories creates an adrenaline rush.

Key Horror titles or series

These books are highly popular, well reviewed titles or series that have been released in the past 5 years.

The girl from the well series (2014 - 2015) Rin Chupeco Grades 9 - 12 In this Japanese folklore-inspired ghost story, Okiku has wandered the world for centuries, freeing the innocent ghosts of the murdered dead and taking the lives of killers with the vengeance they are due. When her paths cross with a tattoo- covered 15-year old named Tark, she determines to free him from the demonic malevolence that clings to him. The series is creepy, chilling, and atmospheric.

Sweet (2015) Emmy Laybourne Grades 9 - 12 This satirical, fun horror mashup makes fun of zombie tropes, celebrity culture, and diet culture all in one. Final girl Lauren agrees to go on a celebrity cruise, which will commemorate the release of Solu, an artiﬁcial sweetener the company claims makes people lose weight. But Lauren is less interested in Solu than meeting her celebrity crush, Tom Forelli. As the two fall in serious like, they notice that guests eating Solu began to show some unexpected side effects -- glitzy, fun, and blood- guzzling.

Benny Imura books (2010 - 2015) Jonathan Maberry Grades 8 - 12 Jonathan Maberry's action-packed, world-building series brought a new energy to the zombie apocalypse novel. Benny, along with his brother and a loyal group of friends, find out what it means to survive in a post-zombie universe. The group lives by a Samurai-esque code of Warrior Smart, encouraging the group to be physically, mentally, and emotionally fit. Although zombies are always an issue, Benny finds his biggest foes are other humans who manipulate the new world with selfish ends in mind. The novels keep up a steady stream of interesting characters, compelling subplots, and nail-biting suspense. Readers will grow to really care about Benny and his friends who create their own family in the midst of constant external horror. For a similar treatment of vampires, try The Hunt Trilogy by Andrew Fukuda. Ten (2012) Gretchen McNeil Grades 9 - 12 Ten teens head to a house party at a remote island mansion off the Washington coast in this fast-paced gruesome slasher story. The party turns deadly when the group's number dwindles as a nameless killer begins to eliminate the guests one- by-one in apropos manners. It's a race against time as the group tries to figure out the identity of the killer before everyone is eliminated.

There's someone inside your house (2017) Stephanie Perkins Grades 8 - 12 When incrementally more violent attacks overshadow life at Osborne High, an intense hunt for the killer leads to the revelation of astonishing secrets. This novel contains more gore than dread, and it features a culturally diverse heroine who deals with subtle racism in her small, sleepy town.

Burning (2016) Danielle Rollins Grades 9 - 12 After three years in juvenile detention, Angela is just months shy of release. When ten-year-old Jessica arrives in shackles and is placed in segregation, creepy things begin to happen and it becomes clear that Jessica and her possible supernatural powers are more dangerous than anyone expected.

Key authors to know

Katie Alender: Teens looking to be creeped out, rather than terrified, may enjoy Katie Alender's ghost stories infused with subtle humor. Though her plots involve demon possession and mentally unstable teens, it's nothing her heroines can't handle with a little pluck and research. Start with: Bad Girls Don't Die. Amy Lukavics: Horror thy name is woman in Amy Lukavics' female-centric spine-tingling books which are perfect for girls aging up from Mary Downing Hahn. Lukavics' books have an old-fashioned feel although they aren't all historical. Common elements include isolated settings, absent fathers, and feelings of going insane. Start with Daughters Unto Devils. Madeleine Roux: Roux started her career writing horror for adults but soon found her footing with creepy atmospheric series for teens. It's all about the setting for Roux. Her Asylum series takes place in a psychiatric hospital complete with found footage photo illustrations that up the creep factor. Another series, House of Furies, is a historical gothic foray into crime and punishment. A teen maid working at a boarding house learns that housemaster draws guests with shady pasts so that he can exact punishment for the crimes they have committed. Start with: Asylum. Darren Shan: Darren Shan has been writing horror for teens since the early 2000s. He has written series featuring vampires (Cirque du Freak), demons (Demonata), and zombies (Zom-B). Not for the faint-of- heart, Darren Shan's horror books for teens are filled with stomach-churning details, gripping plots, supernatural elements, and dark humor. His novels are fast-paced, action-packed, and cinematic. Danielle Vega: Danielle Vega specializes in gruesome horror that takes its cues from 80s slasher flicks. Themes of exorcism and possession are common in her work, particularly in The Merciless series. Her heroines are tough, damaged final girls who have faced down demons and come out the other side. Start with: Survive the Night.

Adult titles to recommend to teen fans of Horror

The following titles, released in the past ﬁve years, are categorized as both Horror and Adult books for young adults. Although these titles were created and marketed for an adult audience, they are also appropriate for and of interest to young adults.

Bones & all (2015) Camille DeAngelis In this coming-of-age horror novel, a sweet but urge-driven cannibal goes looking for the father she never knew to ﬁgure out how she came to be. It's a gore-ﬁlled road novel which may please deep thinkers.

My best friend's exorcism (2016) Grady Hendrix In this quirky, darkly humorous homage to the 1980s, life takes an unexpected turn when Amy realizes her BFF has been possessed by a demon.

NOS4A2 (2013) Joe Hill When Charles Talent Manx, an unstoppable monster who transforms children into his own terrifying likeness, kidnaps her son, Victoria McQueen, the only person to ever escape his unmitigated evil, must engage in a life-and-death battle of wills to get her son back. Doctor Sleep (2013) Stephen King After decades as an itinerant alcoholic, middle-aged Dan Torrance uses his remnant powers to assist the dying before coming to the aid of a twelve-year-old girl being tortured by a tribe of murderous paranormals. Teens who enjoyed the terror of The Shining will enjoy seeing what became of little Danny Torrance.

The doll-master and other tales of terror (2016) Joyce Carol Oates For some bite-sized horror, try this collection of six psychologically daring stories, including the tale of a boy's obsession with a doll in the aftermath of a cousin's leukemia-related death and a teen's confrontation with an intruder while housesitting for her teacher.

A head full of ghosts (2015) Paul Tremblay In this intricately plotted compelling story, after trying and failing to help their demon-possessed daughter be free, a family allows a TV crew to shoot a reality show in their home as a way to ease their ﬁnancial struggles.

How do I help and market to Horror fans?

Treat their search for horror with the same level of enthusiasm as you would any genre. Horror makes some librarians and readers uncomfortable as a genre, but teens read it for a variety of reasons. Don't be surprised at who asks for horror. Teens of all walks of life enjoy horror, even if they only want a taste. It's helpful to think of horror as being on a dread-gore scale. Readers may be drawn to high levels of suspense and tension or visceral, gruesome, and bloody books. There is also a vast array in between. For more info about the dread to gore scale with book examples, read this blogpost. Don't forget to use movies as a way to gauge what type of horror your reader is looking for. Chances are you've at least both seen enough commercials and movie trailers to use them as talking and clarification points. Think of the difference between the building dread of movies such as A Quiet Place or It Comes at Night and the gore and violence in the Saw or Hostel movies. Horror classics remain influential on current horror and fantasy writers, so try pairing up classic titles with current ones on booklists and in book displays. The Stoker is a respected horror award, and a great way to help readers find a new favorite. Find YA Stoker winners in NoveList with this search. Fun searches to try

Gruesome horror to please teen gorehounds

Atmospheric, suspenseful horror

Horror with occult elements

Lindsey Dunn served as a youth services librarian with a specialty in teen services for 13 years. She is currently a Readers' Advisory Librarian and Content Editor at NoveList. She loves character-driven novels and any book that can make her cry.

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