Violence in Horror

It is past time that horror writers and filmmakers tone down the level of violence in their works. I admit I have enjoyed my share of slasher films, but after a while the rolling heads, spilling guts, oozing brains, and bodies split down the middle get old. But lately some writers have become too lazy to build suspense, to do the difficult work of characterization and plotting, and write violence instead. Anyone with good descriptive skills who can paint an image in the readers' minds can write a violent scene. If violence is an integral part of the plot that is one thing--if it is only there as filler material for vacuous minds--that is another thing.

As movie special effects become more sophisticated, violent scenes have become more realistic, and makers of slasher films seed bigger and better special effects. They miss the fact that the movie Halloween, one of the finest films in the horror genre, had little explicit violence. Even the first Nightmare on Elm Street was restrained compared to today's horror/slashers, and it had a decent plot and characterization.

Contemporary filmmakers might respond that violence is what the audience wants, especially the younger audiences that make the bulk of horror/slasher fans. I have noticed this myself as a university professor--when I taught a class on philosophy and horror fiction, I would invite the students to watch a horror movie. They were only interested in the violent ones; a classic horror film such as the original version of The Haunting, did not interest them at all. One can legitimately ask whether the bloodthirstiness of today's students has formed a symbiotic relationship with contemporary horror/slasher films. Young people are becoming more violent due to many factors, but I doubt that watching more realistic slash-ups will alleviate their violence; it might even enhance it.

Though overdone on the violence aspect, the first Saw movie was saved by the deep moral implications regarding duties to self and other people. Would it be right to shoot an innocent person to save one's family? Yet after the first films, the others were redundant and were more bloodfests than anything else. I know the producers made money, and that's all that matters, right? Not when it comes to good writing and making a quality film. Keep your integrity and your soul, writers.

Movies such as Sinister and The Conjuring have brought back the old tradition of holding the audience in suspense until the monster (in the case of these films, a ghost and a demon respectively) appears. That involves suspense, but the presence of a monster brings in the horror element. I hope that trend continues.

New Horror Novel Released: Obedience

What if Satan shape-shifts to look like Jesus? Would he fool you? He fools Sheldon Sprigg, a Fundamentalist preacher from Tennessee. Satan convinced Sheldon that the only way to save his mildly rebellious daughter, Ginny's, soul is by killing her. Now Ginny struggles to survive, with the help of her boyfriend Paul, her best friend Susie, her mother Elma, and an eccentric elderly neighbor, Herbert Miller. Can she live through both her father's and Satan's attacks? Will she be forced to kill her father to defend herself? Obedience has the answers.

In our own world, we have seen what harm toxic religion can do, from 9-11 to ISIS. Toxic religion, religion without love, law without grace, obedience only out of duty, damages people and places their loved ones, such as Ginny, in what seems to be a no-win situation. Trapped in a false world not of her making, Ginny must escape the trap of toxic religion before it destroys her and those she loves. 

Purchase at WordCrafts Press, amazon.com, and other fine online booksellers.

www.wordcrafts.net/obedience

https://www.amazon.com/Obedience-novel-Michael-Potts-ebook/dp/B01GGXRQTC/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1467721387&sr=8-1&keywords=potts+obedience

Writing from One's Background

No writer, no matter how experienced, ignores personal background and history in his or her work. Stephen King makes ample use of his working class background, for example, in his skilled characterization of ordinary people in his work. J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings cannot be adequately understood without understanding Tolkien's Roman Catholicism. One of many examples is the "lembas," "the way-bread," that Galadrial and Celeborn gave to the Fellowship of the Ring as they departed Lothlorien. In the Catholic tradition, the final communion wafer a person receives before death is called "the way-bread," the body of Christ to prepare for the journey across the threshold of earthly life into Purgatory and eventual Heaven. It is nourishment for an arduous journey. The Fellowship was going on an arduous journey to do what seems impossible--to destroy the One Ring of Power. The lembas, the way-bread, sustains Frodo and Sam and their final journey into the shadow of death as they face Mordor and Mt. Doom. The Catholicism would not be noticed by many non-Catholics, yet it is an integral part of Tolkien's story line.

My own work reflects my background and history--rural Tennessean, Southerner, traditionalist, being reared in the Churches of Christ (though later leaving), having a sister and two brothers, was close to my maternal granddaddy, etc. To understand this background aids someone to better understand my books, but is not required--the story should be what drives everything else. Didacticism has no place in good fiction. Yet all my novels are clearly Christian in tone and world view. That should be no surprise, and if I have focused sufficiently on plot and characterization, anyone, no matter what their background, can enjoy my novels. To the extent that I fall in the preachiness is the extent to which I have failed.

Use one's background creatively. Develop characters from people you have known and hopefully from those you have known well. Take events from your past or local events you remember and expand those into a story or novel. Combine several people you've known into one character. Add or remove details from your experiences in a way that you write unique scenes that fit into your novel. Seek out new experiences you enjoy to add more fuel to your idea file. Imaginatively place some of the events of your life into a past or future era and explore what happens. Your background and world view should be fuel that adds another dimension of meaning to your fiction.

A Review of UNPARDONABLE SIN by Tru Review Online

UNPARDONABLE SIN: UNPARDONABLE SIN by Michael Potts. WordCrafts Press (www.wordcrafts.net), 2014, 222 pp., $15.99. ISBN 978-0-69227-591-1. . Jeffrey Conley is older now, teaching Biblical studies at Southeastern North Carolina University. Every once in a while he delves into his past as a teenager in rural Tennessee, when he re-reads his journal. In one instance, he recounts the time when, as an impressionable 14-year-old, Conley learns from a preacher about the “unpardonable sin” from which there is (Jeffrey’s literal mind translates) no forgiveness - that is, blaspheming the Holy Ghost. As a result of his belief, Jeffrey realizes a “portal” has been opened, letting in a demon from hell. The demon is obsessed with Jeffrey and works toward his downfall, bringing in shady characters, including a twisted teacher, and even going as far as killing a friend. How to get rid of the demon? Jeffrey battles with his pubescent self, with a mind full of doubts, while dealing with his high-functioning autism (Asperger Syndrome) and his ongoing war with the demon. This makes the novel a great insight into the struggles an autistic boy faces. There is a “Catcher-in-the-Rye” feel to this novel by Potts. I would love to read more of his work.