HORROR STORIES

[Gallahan]

I bought BTS while stationed in an obscure Air Force base. Suddenly I found myself lacking in the knowledge of the genre of HORROR.

I bought horror soundtracks/scores. I watched horror movies. I read horror novels.

Wow.... was it all new and fascinating. I discovered Dean Koontz and H.P. Lovecraft, and some others. My girlfriend introduced me to Koontz, and soon I had five of his novels read: Lightning, Midnight, Strangers, Phantoms and Watchers. I read others, too. Lovecraft was mind-blowing.

What are some novels/stories that inspired you? What are some that you would recommend to others? There is a POWER to the written word. Share your novels/stories and insights....

[Gallahan]

Be sure to tell us WHY you liked it so much.

What were the characters like?
What was it about the nemesis that was wonderful to despise?
Did the plot move along quickly?
Was the concept just "plain cool!?"
Did the writing inspire chill bumps down your neck and back as you read?
How did you use this in your games (characters, NPCs, storytelling)?

[mrloucifer]

Poe: The Raven

Dang it Shang Li! I was gonna use that one first!

[Gallahan]

Now that I think about it, I had a really fantastic and scary book with scary short stories in it called "Vampires, Werewolves and Other Demons." I haven't seen it in years, and will probably try to find it on Amazon now.

I remember a couple of stories from it. One involved an Asian man who'd just attended his best friend's funeral. And, this took place in Feudal Japan, BTW. On the way home, he stayed at an inn overnight, since it was getting late. Sometime during the night, his dead friend's corpse climbed in through the window and got into bed with him. --No sexual overtones here, really. They were just good friends I suppose. The man was freaked out, of course. He lay there in frozen horror for about an hour. His dead friend then got up and climbed out through the window.

Another story involved two Vikings that were buried/sealed in a tomb for all eternity, bitter enemies doomed to fight each other and regenerate for all time. And, I think another one was about a man walking down a road and someone was approaching him going the opposite direction. This person turned out to be a corpse. There were many more stories obviously, but it's been a while, and I was only in the 5th or 6th grade when I read these chilling tales.

I found myself deeply interested in reading non-fiction or short stories about ghosts, paranormal investigation, demonology, etc. But, I never read horror novels until I was an adult.

[Cybermancer]

I think the closest thing to a horror story I enjoyed was told to me when I was six years old by my dad. We lived in a lonely rural house, there was snow storm raging outside and the lights were out. All we had were candles.

So obviously that was when he decided to read The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service to me.

[Cybermancer]

It is pretty horrific to anyone who's spent a significant amount of time in the North.

[Lord Z]

As much as I respect Lovecraft as a witer, I never found his horror very horrifying. I do, however, use his sci-fi concepts at the gaming table. The lost city in The Mountains of Madness was a setting for a couple of sessions olof Sen-Zar.

Poe frequently used time limits as a source of tension in stories like The Pit and the Pendulum or The Fall of the House of Usher. I do use that tactic a lot when I run games. Poe is the mother-fashion masta. I am still reading through his lesser-known stories. My favorite Poe poetry is the poem Alone.

The single scariest story I've read was probably Stephen King's N. It is very much in style of Lovecraft's cosmic horror, but King (who very much runs hot & cold) just works it better in this novella. The premise is an equation between obsessive-compulsive disorder and perception of a horrific world outside of human consciousness. The narrator is a psychiatrist who makes all the wrong decisions (dramatic irony) that we would make if we were in his situation (connection with the character). I've never used it at a table, but I have recommended it.

[Gallahan]

I spent 5.5 winters at Minot AFB. Note that time spent in North Dakota is measured in "winters," not months or years. LOL So, I can identify with stories involving winter, cold, blizzards, etc. The Cremation... -I haven't read, or heard of it, but that's one thing about this thread. Now I'll look it up and give it a read. Of course, now I'm in Florida, so it may not have the same resonance that it might have had if I'd read it in a snowstorm by candlelight when the power is out... Man, having a fireplace or wood stove at that point would have been so cool.

Yeah, Stephen King runs hot and cold. I even like his cold stuff, though. I just read a novel he wrote called UNDER THE DOME, where a New England town is surrounded suddenly by an inexplicable force field. The characters carry the story, and the concept is old (an Outer Limits episode sort of covers this idea), but King uses it in a refreshingly chilling kind of way as it affects an entire town. I read Salem's Lot and LOVED it. I have the audio book of IT on the way, to listen to during my drive to and from work (a great way to enjoy books, BTW, but do buy them used from Amazon at a great reduction if you want to save money).

Koontz, I would say, is the author whose stories would best translate to a BTS adventure/campaign. There are exceptions, of course, but for the most part, his stories would make great one-nighters to a full campaign. King and Lovecraft have their RPG gems too. I think that Lovecraft's stories are extremely psychological in nature, which makes them less "scary" when it comes to reading and gaming. Yet they retain a kind of sluggish horror that eventually sucker punches you when you realize the narrator has lost his wits and gone insane. Every autumn, when the cooler breezes whisper of Halloween to come... I make it a point to read at least one Lovecraft story.

[mrloucifer]

As much as I respect Lovecraft as a witer, I never found his horror very horrifying.

I couldnt agree more... his work never really felt "scary" to me either. I imagine back in his day, this "queer" style of writing may have been as offputting as his subjects, but today he confuses people more than anything else. I love his work otherwise.

[mrloucifer]

Stephen King can be a hit or miss writer, but his short story "The Mist", and some of his novels like "IT" and "Needful Things" are really good spine tinglers and I cant encourage you enough to read them.

[mrloucifer]

Brian Keene's work can be depivative to other works out there (you couldnt easily compare "Darkness on the Edge of Town" to "The Mist") but he has a very visceral and blunt style to horror that really messes with you. I havent read a bad book yet by this man. My favorite works of his thus far are "Dark Hallow" and immediatly followed up by "Ghost Trail" and his "working man's horror opus" titled "Terminal".

[Lord Z]

Poe is particularly tricky to translate into an RPG experience. Developing a original Poe-derived game is one of my long term projects.

[mrloucifer]

Poe is particularly tricky to translate into an RPG experience. Developing a original Poe-derived game is one of my long term projects.

Good luck and god be with you my friend... thats a tall order to do correctly. many have tried in fact and I dont know if anyone's really done a great job as of yet.

[Lord Z]

Stephen King, when asked about influences for N, once stated, 'Not Lovecraft; it's a riff on Arthur Machen's, "The Great God Pan," which is one of the best horror stories ever written. Maybe the best in the English language.'

Has anyone here ever read 'The Great God Pan'?

[Gallahan]

No, never heard of that book/novel/story.

Along the Lovecraftian bent, it was refreshing to discover that at least one of the numerous Lovecraft anthologies that you can still get today is composed of stories by authors (popular ones, too) that have each written short stories in the spirit of H.P. himself. I have one or two of them, but haven't read them yet. Still, I imagine that these stories, many of which are set in modern times, would be great background material (and idea generators) for BTS.

I recently moved, so most of my books are packed away, but I will put in line to be read.

I'm sure you can find these at Amazon or a good bookstore. -It's a good way of getting to know the feel and atmosphere of Lovecraft without some of the now archaic prose. In fact, I take it back, I did read one of the stories, and it was fantastic.

[Gallahan]

Another horror author whom I discovered during my initial research into "all things BTS" was James Herbert. While he has numerous titles under his belt, I found these two novels highly horrific...

1. Sepulchre: http://www.amazon.com/Sepulchre-James-H ... 60&sr=1-19

2. Haunted: http://www.amazon.com/Haunted-James-Her ... 659&sr=1-4

And, I remember that I BEGAN reading this novel, "Portent," but that life interfered. I LOVED the opening sequences which were extremely cinematic. I have lost my original copy, but will order another one so I can finish this wonderfully descriptive horror novel: http://www.amazon.com/Portent-James-Her ... 60&sr=1-15

---I only link it to amazon because that's what I use. You can also google the author/title and get other avenues to acquire the books. Note, that on amazon, some of these titles you can get USED for 1 cent + shipping. I know that I just saw "Sepulchre" for a cent + shipping. So, while some of these might be older novels, they aren't like Magic cards, rare and expensive.

His writing is really worth looking into.

[mrloucifer]

I assure you, I have nothing but love and respect for Lovecraft's work. And I know full well he wrote stuff that really bothered and haunting people in the day with material that most couldnt really grasp until decades later. This alien and ambiguous nature of his creations was his trademark and I love him for it. In many ways he was a pioneer of modern horror as much as he was a pioneer for madness & dream horror(something he shared with Poe) and cosmic horror, no one does cosmic horror better.

[Lord Z]

Regarding the Poe-themed RPG: It is tricky. I don't know of any previous attempts, but I think it can be done. I am sure that the answer is hidden somewhere in Edgar's lesser known prose stories. The poetry is great for atmosphere. The stories make for good adventure material. The Pit & the Pendulum is a very focused dungeon crawl story with two traps. Murders on the Rouge Morge would make for an awsome adventure using the Gumshoe System. The Maelstrom is a survival thriller, suitable for a satisfying non-combat adventure. The House of Usher is a good setting or an even better faction for sponcering PCs. None of them, however, are a good focus for creating a new RPG from them. I do think I found a game mechanic I like in the Imp of the Perverse, so that's a start.

[mrloucifer]

NICE! You go L.Z.!

[Gallahan]

All good points about H.P. What struck me the most about his writing was how sophisticated it was, truly prose from "a more civilised age..." It was in the tone of Poe, that proper gentleman's elaborations of a time truly gone, except in the realm of "remember when." He wrote with such complex, multifaceted power that it was easy for us to believe his characters were scientists, philosophers, wealthy scion explorers and the like. The writing also immersed me into his worlds, whether into an abstract kind fantasy world (The Silver Key) or flying over mysterious mountains in Antarctica (At the Mountains of Madness) or a strange, oceanic horror (The Call of Cthulu).

Personally, my writing was greatly influenced by Koontz, Lovecraft and (lately) King. I do feel the need to read a John Saul novel, since he had quite a few of them out there (any recommendations?). And, I'm behind on magazines like Realms of Fantasy (usually has a horror story every now and then) and Rue Morgue.

Back to H.P.... I agree; he was cutting edge for his time. And, really, we're quite jaded. The things that qualify modern R-ratings would have gotten theater owners arrested back in the 1940s, let alone the 1920s or 1910s. People from those times watching all the CGI and fangoria-gore would have passed out or run away, throwing up through fingers clenched over their mouths. Screaming would come later, and nightmares would haunt forever. We're so jaded. In fact, I think we're that way because of Lovecraft and the ever "one-upping" nature of Hollywood. --Oh, you showed a guy getting stabbed? In MY movie, I'm showing a guy getting eviscerated! OR getting sliced by a network of lasers in a grid pattern to the point where his eyeball is cleanly sliced as well as every other part of him (Resident Evil, I think). After all of the explicit gore and splatters of blood... we all are starting to realize that the true horror, the more intimate horror is as much psychological as it is gratuitous.

[Gallahan]

I just got my audio CDs of Stephen King's "It" a few days ago and listen to it as I commute to and from work here in Tampa. --Tampa traffic can be pretty heavy at times, and "It" makes it a drive I don't mind taking an hour. King's style is absolutely fantastic, and for some reason, he always gets true ACTORS to read his books, not just anyone (there are a LOT of badly read audio books out there). King's productions are absolutely superb. AND... "It" is very, very scary.

One of the best things I did as a new BTS GM was to immerse myself into the genre. King is a great way to do this, although his writing is more akin to modern literature than pulp horror. There's a gritty, expanded kind of backstory feel to his work, and, yes, it is rather lengthy. Still, highly recommended.

[mrloucifer]

Indeed... "IT" will probrably ALWAYS be one of the staples of modern horror, as it should.

[Lord Z]

G, are you in Tampa? A couple of days ago, I was riding towards Bradenton with my girlfriend. I read your post outloud while she drove. I stuck my feet in Tampa Bay later that day.

[Gallahan]

G, are you in Tampa? A couple of days ago, I was riding towards Bradenton with my girlfriend. I read your post outloud while she drove. I stuck my feet in Tampa Bay later that day.

Technically the Tampa Bay area. The Brandon area. Pretty close to Bradenton. That's fantastic that you could read my post while she drove! OK, I might be behind the times, but how did you do that? Blackberry, iphone? Way cool.

And, it's good that you put your feet in the bay while it is still as it was... I won't go into any details about the oil disaster because it's just about EVERYWHERE else and BTS is an escape. Let's just hope the horror stays confined to our online ramblings and adventures. So, are you from this area or just passing through? Personally, I'm not from here, but live and work here. It's a fantastic area (traffic and bad drivers aside).

[Gallahan]

And, speaking of real world horror... LOL... The interstate traffic in and around the Tampa Bay area qualifies as HORROR. And Terror. People here are nuts. Forget a safe-distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. If there is a single car length of space, be sure some whack-job with a death wish will try to shave 1.3 seconds off of his/her commute. Also be sure that they will be doing 1 of 6 things: (Roll D6...)

1. Putting on makeup (not limited to female drivers)
2. Reading a novel pressed firmly against the steering wheel (for real, no kidding, I've seen it)
3. Texting (again, deathWISH)
4. Changing into or out of clothes
5. Scanning other vehicles for attractive members of the opposite sex in a futile attempt at roadway romance
6. Trying to find some object located in the front seat, floorboard or back seat

The point is that interstate travel, these days, can be a horror story in and of itself. Which is why I wonder, sometimes, how I can listen to the unabridged audio CDs of Stephen King's "It." But, it doesn't take long to receive the answer. I'm on CD #4 and am captivated by King's mastery of the English language and his ability to evoke very real characters. I've listened to many Koontz novels this way, too. The two authors are fantastic contrasts to each other, with King being a darker glimpse into human nature and emotions and Koontz much more positive and upbeat (although both have villains you love to hate).

[Lord Z]

I live in Saint Augustine; I've been here about ten years now. Might I suggest a road rage entity?

[mrloucifer]

I live in Saint Augustine; I've been here about ten years now. Might I suggest a road rage entity?

You know, I've done something similar to that, but I think your title is better than mine, I think I had something trite & cliche'd like "Speed Demon" or "Street Demon". Nice one Lordy Lordy!

[Gallahan]

I live in Saint Augustine; I've been here about ten years now. Might I suggest a road rage entity?

You know, I've done something similar to that, but I think your title is better than mine, I think I had something trite & cliche'd like "Speed Demon" or "Street Demon". Nice one Lordy Lordy!

That reminds me of an episode from a popular sci-fi series (don't know if I'm allowed to actually name it here); the title of the episode was "Day of the Dove," in which an energy entity causes the elevation of hateful emotions and pits two crews against each other in what would have been an infinite melee between them if they hadn't discarded those negative emotions in favor of friendship, trust and laughter.

And, actually, who's to say that there aren't such entities here? It would explain A LOT. "Normal" people suddenly freak out and kill people around them, all because of what later seems a ridiculously minor reason. A few years ago it seemed that cheerleader mom's, soccer parents and hockey dads freaked out pretty regularly. One hockey dad got so upset about his son's bad behavior in the game, that when his boy got in fowled, he beat the father of the fowlee to death. -What a great way to illustrate "adult" behavior while simultaneously emotionally scarring EVERY KID THERE. Afterwards, I'm sure he wondered what had gotten into him...

Maybe "something" does "get into" people. Maybe we're vulnerable when we descend into intense primal emotions like anger and hate. Maybe those vibrational waves and states of consciousness associated with hatred and intense anger weaken that protective, spiritual or psychic "shield" that is otherwise present to keep these road rage / speed demon entities at bay. Maybe that is why almost all higher religions preach Jedi-like behavior, to maintain control and not to accept an invitation to madness.

[mrloucifer]

Survival mechanisms and "gut instinct" that developed over thousands of years of evolution is NOT going to be wiped away by a mere couple hundred years of civilized living.

Especially in a BTS world... the supernatural wont let them be silenced

[Lord Z]

What are higher religions?

I wouldn't want to completely rule out interference from a non-human influence. I firmly believe that nothing happens for only one reason. Suggesting that people suddenly freak out, however, is misleading and shirks personal responsibility. Every violent person I have ever known developed thus gradually, usually starting in childhood. I bet that hockey dad had a criminal record. Wrath and its accompanying alchemical cocktail of mostly testosterone and adrendaline are progressively addictive. Then again, BtS has entity which do exactly this sort of thing. A clever rage entity would exploit humans who were already predisposed to wild outbursts, violent or otherwise.

Here is an interesting plot hook. The PCs are investigators including at least one police psychiatrist. They are investigating a series of violent murders which break the template, non-violent people performing acts of wrath. As the rage entity becomes more careless, the attacks seem more random. Maybe the entity is drunk on wrath, or maybe it is desperate because a stronger entity has moved into its territory. It could be an interesting introduction to the paranormal.