Halloween Haunts 2013: Anti-Christ Devil Children by J. Thorn

Fans of horror and dark fantasy love Halloween. There’s a reason people watch frightening films or walk through “haunted houses” to be terrorized by college students dressed as zombies: There is something incredibly exciting and entertaining about being scared. Not “being chased by a crazy man with a knife” type of scared, but rather, the kind of fear that you know is artificial but COULD be real. Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft are often cited influences of many authors and that is true for me as well. However, the biggest name in the history of horror is not lost on anyone.

Stephen King inspired me to begin writing fiction, turning my juvenile fascination with horror into a lifelong passion. My parents are both staunch Catholics and therefore we did not watch a lot of scary movies or read frightening books. To this day, I know my mom still thinks that AC/DC stands for “Anti-Christ Devil Children”, which it probably does. Not by coincidence, the movie and book that confirmed my affinity for dark horror came from the nightmares of Stephen King. Pet Sematary was the first book that made me fearful of a dark room. I remember reading it at age eleven and thinking that Gage was hiding in the corner. The storytelling was masterful and reanimation is a timeless theme of literary horror.

The Shining, quite simply, scared me to death. Although Kubrick’s film interpretation had elements that “fell flat” according to Stephen King, the movie is still the most frightening ever made. Shocking, gory films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Exorcist, and the Saw franchise have a place in the history of cinematic horror. But nothing terrifies like the human psyche in a downward spiral. That and Jack Nicholson.

This is why writers of horror and dark fantasy exist. We love to create these worlds and entertain you with fear that is almost real. Producers and directors of horror films have traditionally had more tools in their arsenal than writers. Films, by their nature, immerse the viewer in a way the written word cannot. I love movies and I love books and both are entertaining. However, technology is now blurring the lines in a way that I find exciting.

If you want to get a taste of an evolutionary strand of storytelling, check out BookTrack.com. The site allows authors to embed sound effects, songs, and ambient noises in their electronic books which is synchronized to the text. Check out The Hunt which is a short story I wrote and then turned into a BookTrack. It’s free and you only need the Google Chrome browser to read it.

I am honored and thrilled to be part of the Horror Writer’s Association “Halloween Haunts” blog promotion in celebration of our favorite holiday; Halloween. Make sure you come back every day this month and enjoy the incredible posts by a talented group of writers.

TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: J. Thorn is offering a personalized version of any of his novels for Kindle or ereader (.mobi and .pdf file format). The lucky winner chooses the book, tells him how you want it personalized, and he’ll include that message along with an authentic digital signature in the front of your customized, one-of-a-kind version. Happy Halloween!

Giveaway Rules: Enter for the prize by posting in the comments section. Winners will be chosen at random and notified by e-mail. You may enter once for each giveaway, and all entrants may be considered for other giveaways if they don’t win on the day they post. If you would like to comment without being entered for the giveaway, include “Not a Giveaway Entry” at the end of your post. You may also enter by e-mailing memoutreach@horror.org and putting HH CONTEST ENTRY in the header.

J. THORN believes in the imaginative power of the horror novel and the escape from reality it provides. He knows that embracing the entire spectrum of human emotion, even its dark realms, makes for a more meaningful and authentic life.

J. Thorn is a Top 100 Horror Author (Amazon Rank 2013). Several of his short stories have won awards, including “Ten Days”, the 2009 New Author Short Story Contest winner, as well as “The Hunt” (formerly titled “Retrograde”), winner of the Lullabies Short Story Contest, 2009. In addition, J. Thorn is a supporting member of the Horror Writers Association, a member of the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers, and a writer for disinformation.com.

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