I’ve loved reading horror since my best friend in middle school introduced me to Stephen King, Dean Koontz and John Saul. The books spoke to me in a way that most other adult books (save for some Gothic ones) didn’t. At that point, if you had asked me why, I would have said that I like the intensity and the frequent emphasis on the supernatural. The monsters in Horror are something more than just a vengeful person. They represent something much deeper, something that I wouldn’t have been able to articulate at that age.
But for some reason I never wrote horror save for one horroresque short story in college.
Then recently, two things collided. The first was a new writing contest that I decided to enter. This time it’s a Campfire Ghost story. It has to be a horror short story between 600 and 5,000 words. It appealed to me so I started working on an idea I had.
The second was an article that I encountered about personality types and writing (or reading) preferences. I’m a huge fan of personality typing for a lot of reasons, but usually from a Myers-Briggs perspective. I’ve never liked the Enneagram as much, although I do know my type – 5w4. If that means nothing to you, a 5 type is usually someone like an INTJ (my Myers-Briggs typing) who is an introverted intuitive person; someone who naturally picks up underlying meaning, especially with respect to trends or patterns, over long periods of time. A 5 with a 4 wing is a more creative, artistic version of a pure 5. [That’s the short description. It’s really much more complicated – more so than we need for this article.]
In this article, Judith Searle paired each of the Enneagram types with a genre of literature. I read through it, intrigued, but not expecting anything in particular. When I finally arrived at the section on 5s, she said that a 5 type person is naturally drawn to…you guessed it, horror.
I was stunned. If I could have fallen off of my seat, I might have.
And she explained why this is the case:
Five stories are basically survival stories; the Five protagonist survives through her intelligence and coolheadedness.
Searle, J. Story Genres & Enneagram Types. 1998. https://www.judithsearle.com/story-genres-enneagram-types. referenced June 2022.
That hit me like a load of books. Horror ones. I had never considered the fact that horror is essentially an intellectual survival story. Survival, sure. But she’s right. There’s always an element of problem-solving in any horror story. She uses an example from a horror-science fiction story, the 1979 movie, Alien, with Sigourney Weaver. As the alien presences infiltrate and destroy her fellow astronauts, Weaver is forced to find a way to out-smart the alien in order to escape and survive.
That’s true in Summer of Night by Dan Simmons, Salem’s Lot by Stephen King and Swan Song by Robert McCammon. In each case the protagonists have to find a way to outwit a formidable and seemingly insurmountable adversary.
[If you’re asking how this is different from a Thriller, she addresses that indirectly. She points out that Thrillers are about who is trustworthy. This appeals to Enneagram 6 types who are predominantly focused on survival and loyalty. The use of allies in these books will either prove (through their steadfast support) or disprove (through their betrayal) the idea that others can be trusted.]
I loved this article and found Ms. Searle’s insights to be profound. However, I would add to her assessment of Horror and 5/ INTJ types.
Horror & The Intangible
There is a natural overlap between Horror and Gothic writing, but not in the way that most people think of it. It isn’t the dark ambiance or the supposed evil (which usually isn’t what the books are promoting) that makes them similar. It’s the use of a trope that makes the theme tangible.
In Horror writing according to Jessica Brody, there are three essential elements: a monster, a sin and a house (which may be a metaphorical house, but must be some kind of confined situation or place). What’s most interesting is that the monster should be a tangible manifestation of the sin in the story. That means that whatever failing the protagonist is hiding, or has been done to him or her (or mankind) takes on a life of its own in the form of the story’s monster.
In Swan Song, McCammon presents a landscape of horror after the detonation of nuclear weapons on U.S. soil. In the aftermath, a number of characters struggle to survive. Some are benevolent people who want to help others and restore the world to place of mutual benefit to all. Others are self-centered and vicious, wanting only to take everything for themselves at any cost.
Of course, this is tied to the theme of the story. It was the greed of those at the top of the world that precipitated the nuclear disaster. That’s the sin that the characters are left to contend with throughout the tale. But McCammon doesn’t leave it as an abstract idea. Rather, he uses those very vicious characters I mentioned to exemplify that fact.
Colonel Macklin and Roland Croninger are two of the lead monsters. They rape, loot, steal and murder. They take advantage of everyone and everything they encounter in order to benefit themselves. When their faces grow masks and then crack open, their character is on full display as grotesque forms that barely reflect any humanity. But these two, as horrible as they are, are nothing but a tangible representation of the greed that is at the heart of the nuclear war that others began.
This is akin to Gothic writing in which authors use the tropes to make an irrational theme tangible. My point is that in both Horror and Gothic writing, there’s a very intangible thematic element that lies beneath the surface. It’s something that can’t be perceived through the five senses. It’s deeply intuitive. The sort of deep intuition that appeals to an INTJ or Enneagram type 5.
So it isn’t just the problem-solving ability of the protagonist that makes a Horror story so appealing to these types of people. It’s also that underlying meaning that their intuition picks up and relishes.
Conclusion
I’m thriving as I craft this horror short story. So much so that I might try writing it (and some other ideas) into Horror novels. There’s just something about them that suits me so well. If you’re also a 5 type or an INTJ, you might consider reading more horror and trying to write it as well. And if you are one of these types and already enjoy and write horror novels, let me know. I’d love to check out your books.
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I checked out Hudith Seattle’s article that you quoted bc I was curious about type and genre. I’d also never considered this connection. While I know my Meyers Briggs type, the annegram has always placed me in a waivering 3-4 type situation. While looking at her lit connection analysis, both spoke to me: the underdog who must find a work-love balance and a melodrama that sets up good and evil clearly. I write and read both of these types consistently in my life, and it’s also probably why I feel confortable writing middle grade. Thanks for the great post!
Thank you Emily! I’m glad you found it as interesting as I did. I felt like I came away with an even richer, more well-rounded understanding of the bones of each genre as well. Take care.