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N is for Nuances
So, what do I mean when I say nuance in conjunction with creating a ghost story. Well, what I'm talking about is the subtleties of plot and character that add to the back ground of a story and give it substance. Now there are out and out bits of information, not subtle at all, like the discoveries in this part of The Burning Web, that's not what I mean. I mean the character observations, hints about the presence of the supernatural, the little things that might not seem important at the time of reading, but become important, or make more sense later.
Some people may think horror can't be subtle, it's all about the big scare, but there can be moments of subtlety. One of those, although not executed particularly subtly thanks to the inexperience of the filmmakers, is the use of a gift from Ash to his girlfriend, Linda, in Evil Dead. It binds them together, is a link between them, even when she is possessed by a demon, it becomes the way Ash gets hold of the Necronomicon later in the story. It's also important in Evil Dead 2, where it becomes a symbol of strength for Ash when he gets possessed.
Nuances in ghost stories can also be little observational things too: an open book where one was closed; a flickering candle when there is no breeze; a character's breath becoming visible in a warm atmosphere. It's these added extras, the consequences of hauntings, that send the shivers down the spine, In a good spooky story, they are never over the top, not full on terror, well not until the time is right, anyway. Nuances can be used to build the tension slowly, dropping in when we're not expecting them. Used right, I think they're one of the best bits about spine chillers :).
So, what do I mean when I say nuance in conjunction with creating a ghost story. Well, what I'm talking about is the subtleties of plot and character that add to the back ground of a story and give it substance. Now there are out and out bits of information, not subtle at all, like the discoveries in this part of The Burning Web, that's not what I mean. I mean the character observations, hints about the presence of the supernatural, the little things that might not seem important at the time of reading, but become important, or make more sense later.
Some people may think horror can't be subtle, it's all about the big scare, but there can be moments of subtlety. One of those, although not executed particularly subtly thanks to the inexperience of the filmmakers, is the use of a gift from Ash to his girlfriend, Linda, in Evil Dead. It binds them together, is a link between them, even when she is possessed by a demon, it becomes the way Ash gets hold of the Necronomicon later in the story. It's also important in Evil Dead 2, where it becomes a symbol of strength for Ash when he gets possessed.
Nuances in ghost stories can also be little observational things too: an open book where one was closed; a flickering candle when there is no breeze; a character's breath becoming visible in a warm atmosphere. It's these added extras, the consequences of hauntings, that send the shivers down the spine, In a good spooky story, they are never over the top, not full on terror, well not until the time is right, anyway. Nuances can be used to build the tension slowly, dropping in when we're not expecting them. Used right, I think they're one of the best bits about spine chillers :).
by Sophie Duncan
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Tris straightened up from the microfiche reader and rubbed his eyes. He really didn't want to tell Julienne that he was flagging, because it had been such a great day of discovery, but the truth was, he was seeing double.
"Well, well, well," Julienne nodded to herself her glasses almost off the end of her nose as she looked at the screen and made some notes on a pad next to her, "so this obituary for 32 year old Harold Senderman from," she squinted at the screen, "1st August 1913 makes a total of five untimely deaths. There's the death by poisonous mushrooms in 1921."
"Almost two if the husband had eaten more of the soup as well," Tris agreed and then continued the recap with, "And we have a murder-suicide in 1946."
"Poor girl," Julienne sat back with Tris then, taking off her glasses and chewing the end of one arm. "If only she'd known the rumours about her fiance's philandering in France were all false she wouldn't have taken the shotgun to him and then hanged herself."
"One thing we have learnt today," Tris muttered, uncomfortable with some of the things they had found out, "Berwick House and all around about are really good at stirring up vicious rumour. Even when there's no death, the newspaper reports are positively venomous."
"There's a suggestion of that in this obituary as well, but it's not clear enough," Julienne mourned, tapping the side of the viewer. "See the mention of the widow's new friend accompanying her at the wake. That's no innocent acquaintance, at least the writer of this didn't think so. Oof! I wish it said more!"
"Were they that nasty about your husband's family?" Tris asked and reached for his tablet to do a search of the library's catalogue for the local newspaper in the sixties.
Julienne, however, waved her hand and dismissed, "I have all that at home, remind me to look it out for us from the attic."
Tris put the tablet back down and rubbed his face again. Julienne saw him this time and she gave him a condescending look.
"You are pale as a ghost," she observed, rubbing his shoulder gently.
"Can't see too well anymore," Tris decided to be honest after Xander's lecture the night before. "I think I need to stop."
"We can step back into the 1800's another time," Julienne agreed and began to pack up the old records into their boxes.
Tris moved to help, but she tutted at him, so he relaxed back into his chair and closed his eyes gratefully. He had no idea how long he remained like that, but a light touch brought him back and he drew in a deep breath, realising he had been asleep. Julienne was leaning over him.
"Let me drive you home," she offered, "you look awful."
Tris shook his head though, he couldn't impose on a new friend that much.
"I'll be fine if you can just get me onto the London train, thanks," he declined politely.
Julienne did not look happy, but Tris smiled at her sleepily and then stood up, forcing her to back off.
"Really, I'll phone you when I get home if you like," he tried to soothe Julienne's concern.
"You are as stubborn as Michael was," she tutted again, but then took his offered arm and they headed out of the library.
"Well, well, well," Julienne nodded to herself her glasses almost off the end of her nose as she looked at the screen and made some notes on a pad next to her, "so this obituary for 32 year old Harold Senderman from," she squinted at the screen, "1st August 1913 makes a total of five untimely deaths. There's the death by poisonous mushrooms in 1921."
"Almost two if the husband had eaten more of the soup as well," Tris agreed and then continued the recap with, "And we have a murder-suicide in 1946."
"Poor girl," Julienne sat back with Tris then, taking off her glasses and chewing the end of one arm. "If only she'd known the rumours about her fiance's philandering in France were all false she wouldn't have taken the shotgun to him and then hanged herself."
"One thing we have learnt today," Tris muttered, uncomfortable with some of the things they had found out, "Berwick House and all around about are really good at stirring up vicious rumour. Even when there's no death, the newspaper reports are positively venomous."
"There's a suggestion of that in this obituary as well, but it's not clear enough," Julienne mourned, tapping the side of the viewer. "See the mention of the widow's new friend accompanying her at the wake. That's no innocent acquaintance, at least the writer of this didn't think so. Oof! I wish it said more!"
"Were they that nasty about your husband's family?" Tris asked and reached for his tablet to do a search of the library's catalogue for the local newspaper in the sixties.
Julienne, however, waved her hand and dismissed, "I have all that at home, remind me to look it out for us from the attic."
Tris put the tablet back down and rubbed his face again. Julienne saw him this time and she gave him a condescending look.
"You are pale as a ghost," she observed, rubbing his shoulder gently.
"Can't see too well anymore," Tris decided to be honest after Xander's lecture the night before. "I think I need to stop."
"We can step back into the 1800's another time," Julienne agreed and began to pack up the old records into their boxes.
Tris moved to help, but she tutted at him, so he relaxed back into his chair and closed his eyes gratefully. He had no idea how long he remained like that, but a light touch brought him back and he drew in a deep breath, realising he had been asleep. Julienne was leaning over him.
"Let me drive you home," she offered, "you look awful."
Tris shook his head though, he couldn't impose on a new friend that much.
"I'll be fine if you can just get me onto the London train, thanks," he declined politely.
Julienne did not look happy, but Tris smiled at her sleepily and then stood up, forcing her to back off.
"Really, I'll phone you when I get home if you like," he tried to soothe Julienne's concern.
"You are as stubborn as Michael was," she tutted again, but then took his offered arm and they headed out of the library.
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Author Info: E Nesbit
E Nesbit is another of those authors that most of us have known since childhood for her books adventure books such as Five Children & It, and The Railway Children. However, she also wrote for adults, and she produced some great Victorian horror stories.
One collection you can download for free is Grim Tales, which is a collection of short, scary stories. One particularly chilling tale is called John Charrington's Wedding. All begins well, John courts the fair May and they set a date for the wedding, but then he has to head off just before, swearing he'll be back to be married, not even death would stop him. I'll leave you to guess what happens next, but let me just say, Ms Nesbit does not shirk from the consequences of a ghostly bridegroom.
British Hauntings: The Nag's Head
Now, I've never been to the Nag's Head in Shrewsbury, what I know of it comes from a fantastic book called, The Haunted Pub Guide, by Guy Lyon Playfair. This is a great book cataloguing the spooks and spectres of our many and varied taverns up and down the UK. I've chosen to share the Nag's Head with you, because it has the unusual turn that the landlord and his family are uncomfortable living with said spoke. Most landlords are stoic about their ghosts, some not even admitting to their presence. However, after the opening of a sealed room in this pub, doors were seen to open slowly by themselves and footsteps and heavy breathing could be heard.
You might think these phenomena could be put down to something natural, and yes, perhaps you are right, an old Seventeenth century coaching inn is bound to have some old timber creaks and doors that don't fit properly. However, the daughter of the house also claimed to have seen a man in a long coat and funny hat step right out of a wall. Add to that a strange portrait of an unknown, odd-looking figure in the inside of a cupboard door, and it all gets a bit weirder ;P.
I'd love to hear your own spooky stories, add them to the blog comments. :)
One collection you can download for free is Grim Tales, which is a collection of short, scary stories. One particularly chilling tale is called John Charrington's Wedding. All begins well, John courts the fair May and they set a date for the wedding, but then he has to head off just before, swearing he'll be back to be married, not even death would stop him. I'll leave you to guess what happens next, but let me just say, Ms Nesbit does not shirk from the consequences of a ghostly bridegroom.
British Hauntings: The Nag's Head
You might think these phenomena could be put down to something natural, and yes, perhaps you are right, an old Seventeenth century coaching inn is bound to have some old timber creaks and doors that don't fit properly. However, the daughter of the house also claimed to have seen a man in a long coat and funny hat step right out of a wall. Add to that a strange portrait of an unknown, odd-looking figure in the inside of a cupboard door, and it all gets a bit weirder ;P.
I'd love to hear your own spooky stories, add them to the blog comments. :)
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I never have to think about adding subtleties when I'm writing because it happens naturally. But they are so important in horror and supernatural stories. I was going to name a few, but you already listed the ones I had thought of. :)
ReplyDeleteSubtleties are something, I think, that come with practice and yeah, they are so important. At least if we thought of the same ones, it means I was on the right track :)
DeleteI adore nuance in horror stories, especially symbolism. Too bad much of it is lost on today's readers who don't bother to seek deeper levels in books (or films)...
ReplyDeleteIt is a pity, yes, some folks are too attached to all the action to care about the subtle things.
DeleteI have just caught up on all your posts from G-N, though I admit I haven't read the fiction parts yet. I pretty much just skipped to the British Hauntings sections on them all, because right now that's what I find the most fascinating!
ReplyDeleteAlthough now I must admit that every little creak I hear in the house is making me jump.
LOL - sorry, maybe I should put a warning at the top of the post 'don't read alone'!
DeletePoor Tris. Doesn't sound like he's doing too well. I don't think he should be traveling alone...
ReplyDeleteNo, you're probably right...
DeleteI don't know that I'd be okay with a ghost in my tavern. lol Doors opening maybe but I'd have to draw the line at walking through walls and creeptastic portraits too. Whew!
ReplyDeleteHappy A to Z-ing!
~Anna
herding cats & burning soup.
Nearly every pub in the UK has a ghost or three, I wonder if they write it into the publican's contract - 'must nurture ghost'? ;P
DeleteHhm, Berwick House definitely has some stories to tell. I wonder if the gossips have a few about Julienne and her late husband Michael?
ReplyDeletePubs are notorious for ghosts, I know of that first hand. ;)
Berwick House certainly has a history!
DeleteMy brother-in-law's cousins used to live in a pub, and he remembers the ghosts they had there - first hand it must be scary :)
Hubby and I worked in pubs in London, a couple which were quite old, but we didn't see any doors opening or hear footsteps. Thank goodness!
ReplyDeleteShelley Munro
:) I concur with you on that one, thank goodness - I may be fascinated with ghosts, but if I saw one, I think I'd run a mile! ;P
DeleteIt is the small little hints that make the stories so affective. After all if it's something so ordinary and screams look at me then the story or movie could lose all value. In my opinion that is.
ReplyDeleteA very sound opinion :)
DeleteI agree about the subtle and nuanced moments in horror and ghost stories. They might not be the outright scary shocker moments but their creep factor gets me every time. Shudder. :)
ReplyDeleteMadeline @ The Shellshank Redemption
Minion, Capt. Alex's Ninja Minion Army
The 2014 Blogging from A-Z Challenge
I think they're sometimes better than the out and out scary moments, because they're the ones that get you looking over your shoulder and wondering who's there ;P
DeleteSophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles - A to Z Ghosts
Fantasy Boys XXX - A to Z Drabblerotic
I love subtlety in spooky stories. For me, a lot of the time it's the nuances that make a story creepy. I've never thought over-the-top gory horror movies to be particularly scary, for example. Just gross.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, even when I do like a horror movie that has gore in it, it's usually the subtle bits that are scarier, like in Boo! - there are plenty of gross-out bits, but it's the shape at the end of the corridor, and the clown suit moving on its own that really got me :)
DeleteIf the story has subtleties that build up slowly, it can be ever so much more scary in the end.
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right, it can really work in a story's favour. :)
DeleteThat does sound like a spooky pub. Nuances really make a ghost story, they make for a scarier atmosphere than more obvious methods.
ReplyDeleteIt does, doesn't it :) i love reading ghost stories where everything build slowly :)
DeleteIf I add nuances to my stories, it's unconsciously. ^^;; Those are the best though and can really creep me out.
ReplyDelete~Patricia Lynne~
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, YA Author
It's cool when you can creep yourself out ;P
DeleteThe trick with nuances is to not overdo it. I can't stand it when authors give me too much detail. Let me figure some things out for myself!
ReplyDeleteThat's the tightrope walk isn't it - how much information is enough, but how much is too much? ;)
DeleteI am currently reading a story about the Bell Witch. There are some nuances, but most it is a straight up narrative scare.
ReplyDelete--
Timothy S. Brannan
The Other Side, April Blog Challenge: The A to Z of Witches
OO, I've heard about the Bell Witch, well documented US haunting - I don't remember the details, though, it's been a while :)
DeleteFriends keep telling me I should read Nesbit. It's on my TBR list.
ReplyDelete@TarkabarkaHolgy from
Multicolored Diary - Tales of colors
MopDog - The crazy thing about Hungarians...
There's a little bit for everyone in Nesbit :)
DeleteI would love to read the Haunted Pub Guide and keep myself up with the chillers in it. E. Nesbett's book - John Charrington's Wedding will be a must have on my list. It sounds eerie and I like that. Poor Trish, I feel sorry for him, and look forward to reading more of his story.
ReplyDeleteThey're both interesting reads :) Tris is pushing himself too hard...
Delete