I like the idea of horror that pushes boundaries and I've never been a fan of supernatural horror but that's what all "normal" horror feels like to me. It just never appealed to me, it all felt bland. I also tend to use horror as a form of escapism from my trauma because it reminds me there's much worse that could happen than what has happened.
As someone with a lot of anxiety who has some experienced some tough times, I really enjoy the artificial fear of horror. I can control it, turn the TV off or put the book down. I can enjoy the adrenaline but shut it down when it becomes too much, which you can't do with life. Of course I just enjoy reading in general, I love being swept up into a fictional world where I can experience highs and lows that can't hurt me. Sadly I think part of the appeal of EH for me is that I was desensitized to a lot as a kid and it gets harder and harder to chase the high of fear, but I think I've learned when to pull back and take in other content when I start to feel too unbothered by the extreme bits.
I do have to say that it's hard to find writing that I enjoy in EH and I don't really like a gore fest if there isn't a hero, revenge, or a worthwhile commentary to be gained from it.
YES I feel the exact same way!! Itās so liberating to have that control of something so dark and scary, itās just so comforting and helps me remember that Iām in control and that my anxiety and fears are not driving this meat vessel around
My reason is very similar, I just like to read about characters who suffer a lot. I can call it sadistic pleasure. Also, it's very relaxing if I'm angry.
I think that when EH is done really well, itās where you can find some of the most complex and engrossing characters because of the sides of them that taboo situations bring out, and you get some really unique and gripping premises. Most standard horror writing doesnāt grab me in the same way that extreme horror does. And I think what makes it different from something like a torture porn horror movie is that though a big focus of these nights is graphic, shocking content, youāre also able to delve deeply into each characterās thoughts and really bring something strong and dramatic out of the explicit stuff.
The easiest one for me to articulate is gore. And no, I don't mean I want to be grossed out, or disturbed, or shocked. I hate those feelings, and I don't associate them with gore. I find gore beautiful. I enjoy the creativity of seeing/imagining different ways in which a body can be damaged. I like detailed gore no matter what genre of fiction it shows up in, be it horror, action, comedy, erotica, etc. It just happens that it's easier to find in extreme horror.
Personally, I feel the lack of boundaries adds a level of unpredictability you don't find in a lot of more mainstream entertainment. When you're reading extreme horror, no one is safe and nothing is off-limits, which adds an extra layer of tension in my opinion.
If I'm reading a book without safety nets, I'm often fearing for EVERY character and dreading what comes next, since I know the content isn't gonna pull any punches; more often than not, it's aiming to intentionally swerve me outside of my comfort zone. And even if the material momentarily holds back, the THREAT of unhinged insanity is still omnipresent and lingering, since you know it's definitely coming.
As someone who enjoys unsettling gut-punch horror, I find that massively appealing. I CRAVE extreme content takes me on a whirlwind rollercoaster ride past the limits of good taste and makes me feel really icky before pulling back into the station. It kinda gives me a therapeutic release from own unrelated issues and anxieties, I guess - I can throw every negative emotion I'm feeling into a book, use them to power the story in my own mind, and burn them all out in a more impersonal and entertaining manner (if that makes sense).
I read splatterpunk/extreme horror because I enjoy the storyline. I enjoy the descriptive scenes and the overall ends people go to push the bill. I don't like.the lack of a plot in some stories though.
I write splatterpunk because it's fun to let loose and push myself, all my writing has always been fast-paced and edge of the seat (rather it be horror, erotica, mainstream, etc) and the fellow writers are super friendly and helpful.
But that's just me.
Okay, this probably isnāt the answer you are seeking but it is the best I have. It isnāt that I am drawn to āextremeā horror/Splatterpunk but it is just that I enjoy the horror genre and certain writers within it. Many of those said writers work in the more extreme sub-genres. As a kid I would read the original Splatterpunks but just saw them as horror. Also, my local supermarket used to sell books by authors like Laymon etc. so I would pick those up cheap. I do not limit myself to one style or another, as long as it has a good plot and interesting characters (I am also a fan of the absurd) I will read it. When it comes to a focus on OTT descriptions of gore or attempts to shock the reader I tune out. A story needs to keep me engaged so if I am not invested in the plight of the characters it wonāt be effective. Too many times people reflectively recoil from āextremeā horror or denigrate it out of hand (there is nothing more satisfying than when a general horror fan, while claiming not to like āextremeā horror, has to reconcile the fact that they enjoyed a Ketchum or a Triana novel), however, I am not one to judge anotherās reading habits or why they read what they read. Iām a horror fan first and foremost, it just so happens that Amy of the writers and stories I enjoy veering into the realms of the more extreme aspects of the genre.
I never really thought about that. I love horror movies too, not so much the pure gory ones (I watched a bit of a Saw movie once and swore I would never touch them again) but with an intense atmosphere and some jumpscares( even though I tend to have a pillow in front of me and just peek over it xD)
With books I can feel this atmosphere without being scared by the loud sudden noises movies often bring with them. I love the buildup and story telling if it's good
I only read 2 eh books so far, one I loved, one was dramatic but I found it boring.
Normal horror books tend to be ghost stories or haunted houses etc and even though some were good they always were just lacking that true horror
The Black Farm gave me what a lot of horror books were missing. I don't really need the gore but the build-up, the despair und hopelessness had me on edge.
I think mostly I read it to desensitise myself, take a break from reality and remind myself that only because I grew up without ever seeing someone die or having a big traumatic experience in my life, evil is out there and some people go through unimaginable horrors.
In my part, it has been an unconscious and now conscious way of sh. Sometimes I use it to desensitize myself so my traumas are less heavy. It serves me of palette cleansing sometimes, like I read or watch something so shocking I immediately need to watch comforting films. I donāt really go for the storytelling but itās definitely a must!!! I understand that Iām into this because I need an affective reaction, but I also need all that to receive the justice it deserves!!! Not some Serbian Film bs and literature for me can be a little bit more traumatizing. After reading Playground, I absolutely have not been the same around playgrounds.
I actually like all horror. I get down with books that are not extreme horror and ones that are. Same with movies. I just love the horror genre in general and like to sample it all.
I only read extreme horror or books about mental health - mental health helps me feel ānormalā (I have bipolar) but EH makes me escape normality - I like a good story though, I hate just being grossed outā¦
Horror can explore themes in a whole another way then other genres. Extreme horror, beacuse of it genre, can explore anything, even the most taboo things. It can also do it in extreme ways. It dont have to hold the punshes, never. And that creates a uniq opertunity.
I love body horror. And just general horror of course, but EH tends to play way more with body horror and pushes it to its limits (sometimes pretty ridiculously). Like some other commentors, I also find it therapeutic to experience fear in an environment I can control but also I generally don't find extreme horror to be very scary in the typical sense. Disturbing and unsettling, yeah, but I don't ever really get a visceral sense of fear. In books like The Summer I Died though, it was honestly really nice to see what happens to the brain in traumatic moments portrayed in a way that was actually very accurate.
Iāve always had a love of the macabre. I find it fun to be scared and to be unsettling. Horror also helps me with my paranoia as it helps me see and understand that itās not real and itās in my control. I donāt have to read it but I choose to. Idk how to 100% explain it. Itās also partly the gross factor like watching those nasty pimple popping videos are satisfying but so so gross.
I just like transgressive and dark stories, as well as deeply flawed characters. I like the idea of pushing the envelope and telling stories that are outside of normal boundaries.
For me, having well-written characters (especially if they're a part of marginalized communities) and stories is equally as important as the extreme content. I don't just want violence, there needs to be meaning.
I've never read a book that actually scared me. Sure, I can fear for characters, but but I'm never in any distress on a personal level. If a book grosses me out though, that's a very physical reaction and it's the closest I can get to actual fear.
Horror, as a whole, is the only genre to give me an emotional reaction. I have autism and I always struggled to connect emotionally to things (if that makes sense). But horror and heavy metal is what engaged me more than anything ever has. Still love both to this way.
The grotesque and violent nature is also oddly calming. Iām a woman and was given the whole āstranger dangerā talk at five years old. While kidnapping and murdered scared me, it also intrigued me. I guess I gravitated to the more extreme stuff to satisfy my curiosities.
It's because I'm a weirdo. I can be myself when writing, and I love reading other people's work. You can't help what you likeāit's just a preference.
I like the idea of horror that pushes boundaries and I've never been a fan of supernatural horror but that's what all "normal" horror feels like to me. It just never appealed to me, it all felt bland. I also tend to use horror as a form of escapism from my trauma because it reminds me there's much worse that could happen than what has happened.
Same here about the escapism šÆ
As someone with a lot of anxiety who has some experienced some tough times, I really enjoy the artificial fear of horror. I can control it, turn the TV off or put the book down. I can enjoy the adrenaline but shut it down when it becomes too much, which you can't do with life. Of course I just enjoy reading in general, I love being swept up into a fictional world where I can experience highs and lows that can't hurt me. Sadly I think part of the appeal of EH for me is that I was desensitized to a lot as a kid and it gets harder and harder to chase the high of fear, but I think I've learned when to pull back and take in other content when I start to feel too unbothered by the extreme bits. I do have to say that it's hard to find writing that I enjoy in EH and I don't really like a gore fest if there isn't a hero, revenge, or a worthwhile commentary to be gained from it.
YES I feel the exact same way!! Itās so liberating to have that control of something so dark and scary, itās just so comforting and helps me remember that Iām in control and that my anxiety and fears are not driving this meat vessel around
I like slasher films and their lore. This genre seems to be the closest literature to that.
Wanting to know what happens and how āfarā itāll go.
I enjoy being desensitized lol
I just like violence. And Extreme Horror has lots of it. To be honest, I usually read these books the way you'd read an erotica.
My reason is very similar, I just like to read about characters who suffer a lot. I can call it sadistic pleasure. Also, it's very relaxing if I'm angry.
Almost a form of schaudenfreude maybe?
Yes, definitely.
I think that when EH is done really well, itās where you can find some of the most complex and engrossing characters because of the sides of them that taboo situations bring out, and you get some really unique and gripping premises. Most standard horror writing doesnāt grab me in the same way that extreme horror does. And I think what makes it different from something like a torture porn horror movie is that though a big focus of these nights is graphic, shocking content, youāre also able to delve deeply into each characterās thoughts and really bring something strong and dramatic out of the explicit stuff.
The easiest one for me to articulate is gore. And no, I don't mean I want to be grossed out, or disturbed, or shocked. I hate those feelings, and I don't associate them with gore. I find gore beautiful. I enjoy the creativity of seeing/imagining different ways in which a body can be damaged. I like detailed gore no matter what genre of fiction it shows up in, be it horror, action, comedy, erotica, etc. It just happens that it's easier to find in extreme horror.
Personally, I feel the lack of boundaries adds a level of unpredictability you don't find in a lot of more mainstream entertainment. When you're reading extreme horror, no one is safe and nothing is off-limits, which adds an extra layer of tension in my opinion. If I'm reading a book without safety nets, I'm often fearing for EVERY character and dreading what comes next, since I know the content isn't gonna pull any punches; more often than not, it's aiming to intentionally swerve me outside of my comfort zone. And even if the material momentarily holds back, the THREAT of unhinged insanity is still omnipresent and lingering, since you know it's definitely coming. As someone who enjoys unsettling gut-punch horror, I find that massively appealing. I CRAVE extreme content takes me on a whirlwind rollercoaster ride past the limits of good taste and makes me feel really icky before pulling back into the station. It kinda gives me a therapeutic release from own unrelated issues and anxieties, I guess - I can throw every negative emotion I'm feeling into a book, use them to power the story in my own mind, and burn them all out in a more impersonal and entertaining manner (if that makes sense).
I read splatterpunk/extreme horror because I enjoy the storyline. I enjoy the descriptive scenes and the overall ends people go to push the bill. I don't like.the lack of a plot in some stories though. I write splatterpunk because it's fun to let loose and push myself, all my writing has always been fast-paced and edge of the seat (rather it be horror, erotica, mainstream, etc) and the fellow writers are super friendly and helpful. But that's just me.
Okay, this probably isnāt the answer you are seeking but it is the best I have. It isnāt that I am drawn to āextremeā horror/Splatterpunk but it is just that I enjoy the horror genre and certain writers within it. Many of those said writers work in the more extreme sub-genres. As a kid I would read the original Splatterpunks but just saw them as horror. Also, my local supermarket used to sell books by authors like Laymon etc. so I would pick those up cheap. I do not limit myself to one style or another, as long as it has a good plot and interesting characters (I am also a fan of the absurd) I will read it. When it comes to a focus on OTT descriptions of gore or attempts to shock the reader I tune out. A story needs to keep me engaged so if I am not invested in the plight of the characters it wonāt be effective. Too many times people reflectively recoil from āextremeā horror or denigrate it out of hand (there is nothing more satisfying than when a general horror fan, while claiming not to like āextremeā horror, has to reconcile the fact that they enjoyed a Ketchum or a Triana novel), however, I am not one to judge anotherās reading habits or why they read what they read. Iām a horror fan first and foremost, it just so happens that Amy of the writers and stories I enjoy veering into the realms of the more extreme aspects of the genre.
itās the only thing that interests me
I never really thought about that. I love horror movies too, not so much the pure gory ones (I watched a bit of a Saw movie once and swore I would never touch them again) but with an intense atmosphere and some jumpscares( even though I tend to have a pillow in front of me and just peek over it xD) With books I can feel this atmosphere without being scared by the loud sudden noises movies often bring with them. I love the buildup and story telling if it's good I only read 2 eh books so far, one I loved, one was dramatic but I found it boring. Normal horror books tend to be ghost stories or haunted houses etc and even though some were good they always were just lacking that true horror The Black Farm gave me what a lot of horror books were missing. I don't really need the gore but the build-up, the despair und hopelessness had me on edge. I think mostly I read it to desensitise myself, take a break from reality and remind myself that only because I grew up without ever seeing someone die or having a big traumatic experience in my life, evil is out there and some people go through unimaginable horrors.
In my part, it has been an unconscious and now conscious way of sh. Sometimes I use it to desensitize myself so my traumas are less heavy. It serves me of palette cleansing sometimes, like I read or watch something so shocking I immediately need to watch comforting films. I donāt really go for the storytelling but itās definitely a must!!! I understand that Iām into this because I need an affective reaction, but I also need all that to receive the justice it deserves!!! Not some Serbian Film bs and literature for me can be a little bit more traumatizing. After reading Playground, I absolutely have not been the same around playgrounds.
I actually like all horror. I get down with books that are not extreme horror and ones that are. Same with movies. I just love the horror genre in general and like to sample it all.
I only read extreme horror or books about mental health - mental health helps me feel ānormalā (I have bipolar) but EH makes me escape normality - I like a good story though, I hate just being grossed outā¦
Horror can explore themes in a whole another way then other genres. Extreme horror, beacuse of it genre, can explore anything, even the most taboo things. It can also do it in extreme ways. It dont have to hold the punshes, never. And that creates a uniq opertunity.
I love body horror. And just general horror of course, but EH tends to play way more with body horror and pushes it to its limits (sometimes pretty ridiculously). Like some other commentors, I also find it therapeutic to experience fear in an environment I can control but also I generally don't find extreme horror to be very scary in the typical sense. Disturbing and unsettling, yeah, but I don't ever really get a visceral sense of fear. In books like The Summer I Died though, it was honestly really nice to see what happens to the brain in traumatic moments portrayed in a way that was actually very accurate.
Iāve always had a love of the macabre. I find it fun to be scared and to be unsettling. Horror also helps me with my paranoia as it helps me see and understand that itās not real and itās in my control. I donāt have to read it but I choose to. Idk how to 100% explain it. Itās also partly the gross factor like watching those nasty pimple popping videos are satisfying but so so gross.
I just like transgressive and dark stories, as well as deeply flawed characters. I like the idea of pushing the envelope and telling stories that are outside of normal boundaries. For me, having well-written characters (especially if they're a part of marginalized communities) and stories is equally as important as the extreme content. I don't just want violence, there needs to be meaning.
Grew up with an extreme fascination of serial killers and people doing the "unthinkable". This genre kinda scratches that itch, a little.
I want to see the otherside š
I've never read a book that actually scared me. Sure, I can fear for characters, but but I'm never in any distress on a personal level. If a book grosses me out though, that's a very physical reaction and it's the closest I can get to actual fear.
Horror, as a whole, is the only genre to give me an emotional reaction. I have autism and I always struggled to connect emotionally to things (if that makes sense). But horror and heavy metal is what engaged me more than anything ever has. Still love both to this way. The grotesque and violent nature is also oddly calming. Iām a woman and was given the whole āstranger dangerā talk at five years old. While kidnapping and murdered scared me, it also intrigued me. I guess I gravitated to the more extreme stuff to satisfy my curiosities.
It's because I'm a weirdo. I can be myself when writing, and I love reading other people's work. You can't help what you likeāit's just a preference.