HORROR GENRES & SUBGENRES

 

DARK FANTASY SUBGENRES

 

DARK FICTION CHART

 

SCIENCE FICTION

 

SCIENCE FICTION - There are 2 main methods to determine Science Fiction sub genres. Ask yourself, does the action take place on our Earth or on another world? Science permits humans to advance to the point that life on an extraterrestrial world/ need to travel there, or disruptive societal change -- dramatically transforming our day to day existence.  Before the term Science Fiction had ever been used, Jules Verne wrote a series under the moniker Voyages Extraordinaires including From the Earth to the Moon (De la terre à la lune).  While that was happening, Robert Louis Stephenson dreamt up the concept for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  A short time later, HG Wells wrote and published The Time Machine, Invisible Man and War of the Worlds. The Speculative Fiction movement began, whereby Earthly limits fall away and imagination takes flight. Even if that imagination means staying at home. Superhero and Apocalyptic fiction emerged into a space created by their predecessors. Once we learned history is not fixed and things might/ might not turn out the way we hope, Social fiction appeared. With a fully developed genre, authors could go anywhere and everywhere, unrestricted by reality, ready to inhabit new nearby/ faraway worlds.

Related links:

https://www.chadschimke.com/2019/02/thriller-fiction.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2017/10/hard-boiled-fiction.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2017/11/horror-fiction.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2021/11/science-fiction.html

https://www.chadschimke.com/2021/11/fantasy-fiction.html

From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne (1865)

Gun enthusiasts dream up an idea to shoot themselves to the moon with a space gun, in an attempt to survive a moon landing.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Robert by Louis Stevenson (1886)

A London lawyer investigates strange occurrences involving his old friend and the evil Edward Hyde.

War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (1897)

Martians invade the home of an unnamed narrator, and his younger brother, in southern England.

Superman by Action Comics (1938)

As a baby, an alien is sent to Earth from an old faraway planet before it was destroyed, where he learns to assume a new identity.

Evidence by Isaac Asimov (1946)

A political opponent levels an accusation that his rival is a robot, remotely guided by the true candidate -- who was in reality permanently disfigured by an accident.

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954)

The only survivor of a pandemic lives in LA, as he struggles to beat the disease but constantly fears pandemic sufferers arisen from the dead like vampires.

The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney (1955)

When seeds invade Santa Mira, unsuspecting sleeping residents disappear and are quietly replaced with nonhuman duplicates.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (1957)

While investigating a ruined factory, a railroad magnate finds a strange electric motor.

Soldier from Tomorrow by Harlan Ellison (1957)

A soldier from a distant future, state conditioned from birth to fight and kill, travels through time to the present.

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (1959)

A young soldier serves in the Mobile Infantry, fighting in an interstellar war with Arachnids, sent through space from the planet Klendathu.

Coma by Robin Cook (1977)

As students complete their rotation, it becomes clear patients are going into comas more often than usual, at Boston Memorial.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)

A totalitarian state has overthrown the United States government in a world where fertile women are forbidden to use their birth names in service to their master.

Diaspora by Greg Egan (1997)

In a post human future, a transhuman orphan takes the form of a purple robed herdsman, set off to explore the unknown.

Legion Brandon by Sanderson (2012)

A special condition allows a man to generate multiple personalities but he shies away from researchers wanting to study his abilities.

 

THRILLER MIND MAP

THRILLER FICTION

Thriller Fiction - Thrillers heighten suspense, sustain tension, cause curiosity, place obstacles before protagonists, employ literary devices such as plot twists/ cliffhangers/ reversals, and always lead to a climax. Early proto-thrillers began with adventure fiction in pulp magazines, and the genre solidified with the introduction of spies. The Riddle of the Sands, below, created the term “Spy Novel”. Detectives are also suitable protagonists in thrillers. Generally speaking, the strong man (hero) wins “the girl” and the villain is vanquished. A successful thriller causes apprehension, conceals important information, builds momentum, and reveals carefully constructed information. Manipulating revealment/ concealment/ sequence of important points is crucial. While not directly considered to be speculative fiction (supernatural, fantasy, superhero, science fiction, horror, etc.), thrillers often contain elements of horror, crime, pulp and hardboiled fiction. Many classic slasher horror books could be considered thrillers, as long as they are undiluted by a supernatural element, and take place in a conventional world. There are numerous types of thrillers: legal, spy, medical, romantic, historical, political, religious, high-tech, military, scifi, etc.

What’s most important is execution, regardless of type. For this reason, few if any thrillers deviate from three-act structure and are never experimental in form. The only distinction between thriller and suspense is the intensity, whereas drama is more nuanced, open to multiple interpretations. A good thriller delivers strong execution: an enticing hook hurtling toward the end, intense plot points, raising stakes, plenty of tension, and a satisfying climactic ending, which ties the whole thing together. A boring thriller is an oxymoron.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1846)

Betrayed by his friends, an imprisoned man escapes, he seeks to enact revenge on his captors by assuming a new identity as a count.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1899)

An adventurer travels to the heart of Africa up the Congo River. Atrocity and inhumanity are exposed, which makes one wonder what it means to be civilized.

The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers (1903)

An officer navigates sand banks via small boat, to investigate a secret project on an island.

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (1915)

When an expatriate allows an American to hide in his flat, he returns home to find him dead, struck through the heart with a knife.

The Black Angel by Cornell Woolrich (1943)

After her husband’s mistress is murdered, his wife tracks down the suspects, systematically destroying them.

Sudden Fear by Edna Sherry (1948)
A playwright fires an actor as she workshops her play prior to opening night. She becomes embroiled in a tangled web of a murder plot, a double cross, jealous rivals, a frame job and a counter attack. With her husband, a bourgeois girl she saves from drowning, her secretary and her financial advisor.

The Nine Wrong Answers by John Dickson Carr (1952)

The nine wrong answers are a series of near-fatal traps navigated by an imposter. He confronts the villain with the correct, and tenth final answer in the climax.

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming (1953)

James Bond, secret agent 007, targets a communist paymaster, LeChiffre, under the Soviet murder organization named SMERSH.

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (1980)

Plagued with amnesia, Jason Bourne must uncover his remarkable abilities, and his true identity. All while being chased by an assassin who wants him dead.

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (1988)

Buffalo Bill kidnaps, starves, skins and sews his victim’s skin into suits, then dumps their remains in nearby rivers. Clarice Starling questions Dr. Hannibal Lecter as she tries to locate him.

Phantoms by Dean Koontz (1983)

Heavily influenced by Lovecraft, two sisters return home to find everyone mutilated or missing. Their town was built over the den of amoeboid shapeshifter that mimics and consumes life forms.

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (1996)

When a man complains of insomnia, his doctor advises him to attend a support group to experience real suffering, like Fight Club.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (2003)

When a symbologist investigates a murder in the Louvre, the victim is discovered with an inscription beside his body. This involves him in a battle between two secret monastic orders.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (2005)

In this vast locked room murder mystery, alternate story lines are merged later on, that follows a sprawling cast of characters. Wherein a journalist pairs with a private investigator to uncover the truth of a young girl’s disappearance.

Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews (2013)

At the Sparrow School, a former ballerina is forced to undergo espionage training, to seduce targets of the Russian government.

Comes the Dark by Michael Prescott (2013)

Time is running out for two siblings, orphaned by a double murder decades earlier. When a local girl's remains are discovered at the river, the sister retraces memories from her youth, and suspects her brother of murder.

SFF SUBGENRES CHART

FANTASY FICTION

Fantasy fiction - Fantasy can often be separated from other speculative fiction genres by the lack of scientific or macabre themes, but not always. It is set in a fictional universe, often without any locations, events, or people referencing reality. Its roots are in oral traditions, sword and sorcery, mythology and old gods. The most common tropes in the fantasy genre derive from the medieval or renaissance eras. As part of speculative fiction (supernatural, fantasy, superhero, science fiction, horror, etc.) modern fantasy more loosely blends elements of near/ far other-worlds, ancient/ future worlds, and or alternative histories.

Nowell Codex by Anonymous (circa1000)

The codex is comprised of 3 works including Beowulf written by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet. Beowulf slays a monster attacking the castle that belongs to the King of the Danes.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (1387)

Mostly written in verse, Chaucer describes a wide range of classes in English society. As a courtier he wrote poetry for the nobility. In the Knight's Tale, the MC leads crusades against pagan leaders in many countries.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (1844)

A young man leaves home to join the Musketeers of the Guard. Unable to join the elite corps, he befriends the three inseparables.

Phantastes by George MacDonald (1858)

A young man is pulled into a dream world, hunting for the Marble Lady, an idealized beauty. After many adventures and temptations he gives up his ideals.

Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard (1932)

A barbarian who worships a deity called Crom, this sword and sorcery fantasy originated in pulp fiction magazines, such as Weird Tales. 

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin  (1968)

Set in the fictional archipelago of Earthsea, a young wizard unleashes a shadow creature during a duel with a fellow classmate.

Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly (1985)

A witch and a lord are approached by a prince who requests they slay a dragon. They agree on the condition the king send troops to the Northlands to fend off bandits.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (1990)

When a global cataclysm ends the Age of Legends, The Breaking of the World occurs three thousand years later. The series depicts ancient mythology and advancements similar to the Industrial Revolution.

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (1993)
In the Seven Kingdoms, Ned Stark executes a deserter who fled from the Wall. Meanwhile, the bastard Jon Snow joins the Night's Watch. And Daenerys Targaryen becomes betrothed to a Dothraki warlord.

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson  (2010)

Cast out by his people, a Shin man is sent to murder the king of one of the world's most powerful nations. He possesses magic such as Honorblade, used to cut anything, and Surgebinding, that renders him able to bind things together.

SCIFI SUB GENRES

HORROR FICTION

HORROR FICTION – There are 2 main horror fiction sub genres, with further delineations and specificity. Classic slasher, serial killer and gore--undiluted by any paranormal or fantasy element--features a psychopath/s on a murderous killing spree. These always take place in a conventional world but flexibility happens at times with alternate timelines/ histories. Supernatural horror covers everything else: a creature, supernatural entity, monster, ghost, etc. These stories take place in a conventional world with the monster inserted. Or in an imagined world built from pure fantasy. Either variety (slasher or supernatural) can be told from the point of view of the killer/ monster, the victim or both. Obviously, some stories blend both elements. As part of speculative fiction (supernatural, fantasy, superhero, science fiction, horror, etc.), supernatural horror features worlds with fantasy or futuristic elements. Classic slasher is closely related to crime and thrillers, but the focus is on the act of terror itself, not the crime and investigation elements.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 1818

A scientist develops a technique to impart life into a non-living humanoid, pieced together from collected parts.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 1890

A hedonist wishes his image would age instead of himself. He experiments with every vice, influenced by a morally poisonous French novel. 

Dracula by Bram Stoker 1897

When a solicitor visits a Transylvanian castle, he soon realizes he’s the Count’s prisoner.

The Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft 1928

A writer working on a manuscript discovers a cult that worships the Great Old Ones and awaits the return of a monstrous being.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson 1959

A paranormal investigator rents Hill House for a summer, inviting guests who have had past paranormal encounters.

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty 1971

Two priests attempt to exorcise a demon from the 12 year old daughter of a famous actress.

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice 1976

A vampire tells a reporter about an encounter, whereby another vampire turned him into his immortal companion.

Pet Sematary by Stephen King 1983

When a doctor and his family moves into a new house, his elderly neighbor warns him about the highway that runs past them.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis 1991

An investment banker narrates his midnight murders in Manhattan during the late 80s. 

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill 2007

An aging collector of the macabre gets more than he bargained for when he buys a heart-shaped box.