Horror Aficionados discussion

Does anyone else feel like there isn't a lot of horror books in the YA section?

I know there are tons about vampires, werewolves and such but they're more romantic interests than antagonists. It's not intense stuff usually. All I can remember was R.L. Stein novels, but I don't remember finding them scary - more hokey and weird. I just ended up reading a lot of Stephen King as a teen because book for my age weren't thrilling me.

Do you think publishers don't want to put out books too scary or violent or do YA readers not want horrific books?

I've been reading a lot of YA horror. Most of what I have read was published when I was well beyond YA according to my age. I think there is a lot more than there used to be when I was a kid. But, what there is tends to be a bit more subtle, more like classic horror in terms of scare factor.

The authors I have liked the most are:

Neil Gaiman
Avi
John Bellairs
F.E. Higgins
Joseph Delaney
R.L. LaFevers
Darren Shan
Christine Morton-Shaw
Darren Pillsbury
Andrew Nance


I am always looking for new recommendations!!!!!

Because YA isn't horror. Those who write YA aren't thinking of scaring people they are thinking of getting out romance and other type genres. Horror doesn't really pertain or go with YA.

Publishers may feel since the majority of their readers are much younger, they want to stay away from extremely violent/horror filled books. Perhaps they feel those types of books are suited for adult readers only. I have read some YA books and they are filled with romance, maybe publishers feels that is what their target audience wants.

Justin wrote: "Because YA isn't horror. Those who write YA aren't thinking of scaring people they are thinking of getting out romance and other type genres. Horror doesn't really pertain or go with YA."

That's not true at all!

Thanks, Ken! I've been a fan of Neil Gaiman a long time. He's so mysterious and mythical, though he has scared me at times.

Hi, Justin and Erin!

I do agree with both of you, but I almost feel like YA pitches romance a little hard. It becomes the whole point of the story, which I feel is a shame. I think readers - even teens - appreciate a good scare. I'm not saying it needs to be graphic violence, but what's wrong with a story that focuses on surviving a horrific encounter without a relationship being a result of it?

I always found horror cathartic in a way. Like I get to vent fears and emotions I don't have an outlet for. I don't want kids to end up with a warped imagination, but I don't think all these intense love-stories are healthy all the time either.

When I was a kid/teen there was a lot of YA around and I gravitated towards the romance or true life stuff. When I wanted horror I read the big people books, stolen from my dad's night stand, because I didn't want anything that might be watered down and back then I didn't enjoy "quiet" horror. Now I have two teens and horror books all over the house that they have no interest in reading. One kid never reads for pleasure and the other refuses to read anything remotely scary. She likes the John Greene type books. Sometimes I wonder if these kids are mine ;)

I think if kids are going to read horror they're not going to be looking in the YA section of the store anyway.

BarkLessWagMore wrote: I think if kids are going to read horror they're not going to be looking in the YA section of the store anyway.


I think that's a shame. I read plenty of stuff that, looking back, was not appropriate for my level of maturity and don't feel influenced me in positive ways. Not in a violent sense, but gave my a cynical attitude and apathy towards things that weren't normal for that age. If the rest of my environment wasn't functional, I'm not sure if reading the adult version of horror would helped make things better.

Anyway, I think that's why I feel it would be great for YA to introduce some scary stories. That way teens won't have to look to authors of adult books who describe grotesque violence or other situations that might be a different type of horror (i.e. rape, molestation, psychological abuse) that might warp how they see the world in unpleasant ways.

It was the psychological stuff I ended up being disturbed by and I don't think it contributed to me being a wiser, more aware individual of the problems in the world. I think it made me too suspicious of people and more likely to judge people as villains rather than someone who needs help of their own.

I WISH there had been YA horror back in the day. I read adult horror - Stephen King and whatnot. I think it would be a good thing. YA often LIKE horror - I think publishers are nervous and so are parents.

I feel like there are horror elements to a lot of YA books, but they're not really straight horror. I contribute this to the paranormal romance trend that still hot and heavy in YA literature.

I'm not sure whether it's the publishers or the audience who want this. I think that YA is innately more focused on entertainment than real gritty issues, so this limits the horror elements severely.

I feel like I know I can grab a YA book when I want something light and fluffy. It almost never fails to be light entertainment.

I just have to ask: What's the point of looking for YA horror?

Why did our culture suddenly become obsessive about this pseudo-genre called "YA"?
I just don't get it...
Children's books exist for varying ages beased on reading level and appropriateness... but by the time you're a high school student or adult and get into the YA category, you should be both at an adult literacy level and mature enough to handle adult content.

I understand that some people might wish to make novels that focus on younger characters, themes related to younger adults, or possibly just use less mature content in a book that is at an adult reading level.
These three motives are of course different, so it seems weird that we have so much that puts them all together.

It seems to me that the obsession with this classification leads to more artistic shoe-horning.
And it's kind of absurd... We wouldn't call "Ghost Story" Elderly Fiction because the characters are old and focus on old people worries and the book doesn't shy away from adult content, would we?
Especially absurd since it seems like many of the people reading YA fiction are not young adults.

But what's most absurd is that it ends up shoving together a lot of unlike books.
I guess the point is... a person who wants to read a horror story would not be looking to read "Twilight" or "The Hunger Games" or "Gossip Girl"... A person interested in horror would seek out a horror novel, probably in the horror section.
It seems to me that classifying something as also YA just would make it harder to find... and since the people searching through a YA section would not be looking for horror books, I can't imagine why anyone would see it as a boon to make their horror novel also YA.

It really just seems like how the movie industry uses ratings... Push a movie to R (plus some NC-17 content on the unrated DVD)to pull in adults; push a movie to the PG-13 limit to lure in teens and maximize profits!

If anything that system compromises artistry... but even beyond that, we would not find ourselves avoiding a PG-13 horror movie or going to see a shitty romance movie because it's rated R (unless we are lured to movies purely by nudity... but then you might as well wait for the unrated DVD).

So to summarize:
Why?

Courtney wrote: " BarkLessWagMore wrote: I think if kids are going to read horror they're not going to be looking in the YA section of the store anyway.


I think that's a shame. I read plenty of stuff that, looki..."

But YA does have disturbing stuff in it.
They just sugar-coat it.

I think that in many ways is sicker.
If you really think about the relationship dynamics in "Twilight". There's tons of abuse... and most of it is glossed over, like it's normal behavior or something.

It sounds like your learned lessons from psychological horror were either because of the specific way the writer wrote (a lot of writers consciously portray psychopaths as evil that cannot be helped and should not be pitied; others have a more nuanced approach) or because that's just the way you saw it at that time-- and if you regret that, it means it did not impede your ability to grow and change.

Complex literature, the complicated stuff that doesn't gloss over hard topics but that also gives more nuance and ambiguity, is the type that helps you exercise empathy.
Simplistic stories that hide the dark stuff don't do anything to exercise empathy.

I guess it depends on the age and maturity level of the kid. I would never let my daughter watch American Horror Story because she's easily frightened and not emotionally able to deal but I recently learned that a shocking amount of her 14 and 15 year old friends all watch and LOVE it. It's their favorite show and that's a show that sometimes shocks even me! Beheadings, gang rape, dismemberment? It's all there. They are pretty jaded already and exposed to so much more than I was as a kid.

There are a many scary/horrorish/fantasy stories that I see marketed to YA readers. Feed by Mira Grant, The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman, Angelfall by Susan Ee, Article 5 by Kristen Simmons, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan and on and on. They may not be strictly horror, they may have some love story mixed in (or not) but much of the memorable horror I read as teen was character/relationship driven. That's why I loved it so much. Also, adult horror isn't something that is easy to find right now (unless you're active online). I really have to dig and seek it out when in a bookstore unlike romances which I can find anywhere. Publishers may be hesitant to publish and market it for this reason. The cross-overs are probably much easier to sell and market and it's all about the sale (sadly).

I can see where you are coming from but my perspective is very different. When I was a teen I read Clive Barker, Poppy Z. Brite, Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon and Stephen King to escape my horrid home life. They made me feel better because good sometimes won and because I could read about people whose lives were even worse than mine. Flowers In the Attic was my favorite book when I was way too young to read it but it didn't make me think that incest was in any way OK or that all parents were selfish, or that child abuse was the norm. I don't think books twisted or warped me any worse than my own mother did ;) I guess it all depends on the teen and what they take home from the book at the end of the day.

Absolutely, always take the emotion of a teen into account. That's why I approve that there's a genre that's trying to give adolescents and young adults an entire library of protagonist and stories they might be engaged by and relate to. Not many adults write about teenagers, then target their books for adults. I like relating with a protagonist and some adults might shut down if they think a teen's story wouldn't compel them.

I'm glad young adults have an outlet for lighter adventures that aren't focused on "adult concerns" and maybe the reason adults enjoy those books is because they have nostalgia for that period of their life.

I guess when it comes to horror and YA, I think it's like the difference between a PG-13 horror movie and a R-rated one. You can have all the scares (maybe even more) without worry about how much violence or sexuality should be included. Something tailored for teens that allows them to be introduced to the horror genre without it being too much.

And thanks all of you for jumping on this thread and chatting about this. It's great to hear other people's thoughts.

I definitely agree that the YA energy is directed towards vampires and werewolves. But when I was growing up I was never a fan and now I feel vampires and werewolves are overdone.

I was very big on John Bellairs books growing up. No romance and very entertaining. I'll also second Neil Gaiman as a great example of young adult horror done right. As to why this particular sub-genre seems limited in scope (romance, vampires, werewolves, etc.), it's most likely because publishers are focusing on what's already been proven to sell rather than producing innovative, quality content. So instead of the next Graveyard Book, young readers are stuck with more Twilight clones.

It is a travesty that all YA horror is being lumped into the same category as YA paranormal romance. Not every YA author is putting out sparkling vampires or lovelorn werewolves. There are some good books being written that are worth checking out.

Patrick, I read The Graveyard Book not long ago and thought it was a great, like Coraline.

Ken, I agree that YA paranormal romance needs to be its own section almost. It gets a little tedious segregating books, but fantasy/horror books distinguish themselves from paranormal romance. There could be plenty of stories getting lost on shelves that are talking about supernatural things but not having romance drive the plot.

I'm not even against paranormal romance, but I'm taking a break from the angst and brooding. There's always so much drama because a human and ____ dare to love one another or incompatible/waring preternatural creatures are acting like Romeo and Juliet. Why not more relationships featuring two supernatural beings who are burdened by circumstance and conflict, not fantastic racism or preserving someone's humanity?

I remember YA horror when i was a teen. A series called point horror, sort of like teen slasher books. One i read was called horoscope which i reread so many times as i loved it. They were sort of one step up from goosebumps.

Generally I don't read ANYTHING with a love story. I prefer my romances written by Edward Lee.

Type in Point Horror on Goodreads and all the titles come up. I read lots of them when i was a teen :-)

Well, I'm a teenager and I don't usually read YA unless its something that has been highly recommended to me. I read a little of everything but YA mainly doesn't appeal to me. In my opinion they give you an unrealistic perspective on life, whether its relationships or something even more difficult, I don't enjoy something being swept under a rug because its unpleasant. I would rather have it in my face, know what expect with it. I read more along the lines of Stephen King and I have alot of respect for him and his writing style.

If I remember being a YA correctly, there was enough horror in daily life...I didn't need to read about it. Oh wait...that was Drama....hmmmmm.

I don't believe that horror and YA can successfully coincide. My love of horror began as far back as I can remember. I was one of those strange kids who actually welcomed nightmares because they were so entertaining. I always watched and loved scary movies and read (and loved) horror novels. My older sister was an avid reader and fan of horror so I would swipe her books. I read Ray Garton's "Live Girls" when I was around twelve or thirteen. It didn't corrupt me or traumatize me, which I think may be a concern amongst publishers and parents. I think many elements within the horror genre are erroneously deemed inappropriate. Thus, we find "horror" for young adults infused with lighter elements of romance and humor--it's not true horror. I think there's too much of an effort made to shield young adults--many of whom, ironically, have already been rendered numb and desensitized by the violence and mayhem in video games anyway. (And for the record, I'm definitely not against video games)! I think efforts to "protect" young adults from fictional horror is overly paternalistic and stifles the imagination. Young adults, in particular, love thrills--just like roller coasters, for example. Horror novels are not much different, offering temporary thrills for sheer amusement. Why should young adults be sheltered from horror when there are many horrors all around us on a daily basis anyway?

I personally believe that there aren't many genuine horror novels geared toward young adults because authors and publishers fear being persecuted for tainting such a "vulnerable" and impressionable population. Little do they realize that young adults can and do acquire books and movies intended for more mature readers and viewers anyway. They'll read and watch what interests them one way or another, period.

I think anything designated as "YA horror" woud not be true horror, but rather a diluted imposter. Of course, I'm not saying it wouldn't be enjoyable. I'm a big fan of RL Stine and his horror for kids and YA. But it's just not horror--not real, genuine, scary, gory horror. I just don't think YA and horror can really coexist.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding this thread. I interpreted it to mean that there should be more horror in YA novels. But is there really a need for gorier and scarier YA novels? Wouldn't that just be considered horror anyway?

If a young adult enjoys true horror, they can (and will) just acquire a regular novel/ movie designated as horror.

Okay, enough rambling from me...! :-)

'The Enemy' series is fantastic for horror! I think it's a crying shame there isn't more horror in YA, I love horror, and it would have been great to get something aimed at my age yet still hard hitting horror when I was younger.

I remember reading some good scary stuff as a youngster; John Bellair's A House With A Clock In Its Walls was a particular favorite.

There was no genre for younger readers and so we did two things. We read the classics, Poe, Hawthorne and James's Turn of the Screw. Our only other option was to read the adult horror fiction available at the time. As a result I also read Carrie at the age of 13, Salem's Lot at 14 and Ghost Story at 15.

I dug this thread out of the HA vault from five years ago. lol

I agree with everything that has been said on this thread. I am not sure either why there are not very many horror novels out there for YA. I do know that when I was young there was nothing for my generation with horror. Everything was mostly fairytale books and books that pertained to different things that revolved around life.

I got bored with a lot of that during my teen years, so I started meandering in the adult section finding crime fiction, espionage, westerns, and horror. I remember an incident at the library that I frequented where the librarian asked me if I was sure I wanted to read some of the books I pulled out as they were for adults and I told her that yes I wanted to read them as I couldn't find anything interesting for my age group.

Now days it doesn't matter I don't think for the younger generation as I figure they are going to read what they want to read. They will try to get their hands on horror no matter what whether it is for adults or not. Maybe authors don't tend to write the horror for YA because they know that the younger adults will be able to find horror in other places.

Holly wrote: "I remember reading some good scary stuff as a youngster; John Bellair's A House With A Clock In Its Walls was a particular favorite.

There was no genre for younger readers and so we did two thing..."

I am currently reading this one. Have never heard of Bellairs before. But I did some research and it was just published in Germany after Harry Potter got so hyped and they tried to sell it as 'a must read for all HP fans' with similar covers and all. Well, that didn't work...

I just discovered this thread so I haven't read all of it yet. I'm sorry if anything I'll write was mentioned before.

I really don't know about YA literature... this isn't a term I grew up with. There simply was none. In Germany we have the term 'Jugendbuch' which means roughly translated 'books for youths' but those aren't what typically YA is now... it's all about 'don't drink, don't smoke, beware of sects... blah' (everything moral you could say.) or the typical 'girls/chick lit'-stuff. Everything beyond that is just fantasy for younger readers (but that wasn't there when I was a young reader').

Marie wrote: "I got bored with a lot of that during my teen years, so I started meandering in the adult section finding crime fiction, espionage, westerns, and horror. I remember an incident at the library that I frequented where the librarian asked me if I was sure I wanted to read some of the books I pulled out as they were for adults and I told her that yes I wanted to read them as I couldn't find anything interesting for my age group. "

I agree with you there: I was bored by all this stuff pretty soon and after reading for half a year everything I could get from R.L. Stine I got bored with those, too, and went on to read some Stephen King. I too had a discussion with the librarian about that...

But maybe there are some attempts for YA-Horror. I know about some books by Darren Shan for example which are quite brutal (in my opinion). Like it's written in the Wikipedia:

"James Delingpole, writing in The Daily Telegraph described the book as dark but moral, "The scene in which the boy's father, mother and sister are disemboweled and shredded by the demon Lord Loss and his vile familiars Artery and Vein, must surely be the most jaw-droppingly grisly in children's literature."."
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Loss)

I think YA deals more in concepts than outright scares. Maybe it should be seen as a gateway to more interesting reads. That being said I have recently read “unwind” at it contains one of the most horrific scenes I have ever read

Feli wrote: "...must surely be the most jaw-droppingly grisly in children's literature."

Evidently, he never read the original version of Grimm's Fairy Tales:

http://www.denofgeek.com/us/culture/g...

Randy wrote: "Feli wrote: "...must surely be the most jaw-droppingly grisly in children's literature."

Evidently, he never read the original version of Grimm's Fairy Tales:

http://www.denofgeek.com/us/culture/..."

Haha, okay. I absolutely agree with you on that point!

When I was younger it was R.L. Stine who had some for younger, but some aimed at teens. Christopher Pike was more aimed at teens. I think there were a bunch of others.

This stuff goes in waves. Right now YA seems to be mostly following either Twilight or Hunger Games types. So the stuff you're looking for is harder to find right now.

Did you check Listopia? I can't imagine there's now YA Horror lists.

Because the youth may like horror but not in this sense. I feel they are opposites.

Justin wrote: "Because YA isn't horror. Those who write YA aren't thinking of scaring people they are thinking of getting out romance and other type genres. Horror doesn't really pertain or go with YA."

Agreed. I have a soft spot for Neil Gaiman and John Bellairs (and maybe one or two others, but I need to think on that), but otherwise I can't stand most YA fiction. I find it to be overly commercialized and formulaic. Especially "twilight" and "the hunger games", I despise those two.

I enjoyed Sarah by Teri Polen. I do agree it's harder to find good YA horror. Growing up I read R.L. Stine but most of his stuff is aimed at children.

YA Horror wasn't even an option when I was growing up, so like Holly said above, I read a lot of the classics like Poe and Hawthorne, H.G. Wells and Jules Verne-stuff like that. Also, mags like Fangoria, or Alfred Hitchcock's.

The first moment I laid my hands on adult horror-which I think was Carrie, I was hooked.

YA horror doesn't interest me much now, as I find myself pulled in more by adult themes. I like quiet horror more than the brutal type of horror these days and I do enjoy me a good creature feature now and then. That said, I wouldn't rule anything out completely based on a genre label.