Horror is a genre in fiction (or film and other types of media) intended to produce feelings of unease and terror in the reader. Horror may include elements of the supernatural, or it can have an earthly setting. In the construction of a horror narrative, the author needs to elicit a series of emotions that gradually accumulate to a feeling of terror or disgust—usually a combination of both.

The first narrative element that a horror story requires is imagery that evokes horror themes. This imagery can be subtle, but it must stick in the background of the reader’s mind. The first image King uses is the farmer’s murder of his family (46). In the same section Gary mentions that when he was young, Motton was full of ghosts. King does not dwell on these details, but their presence creates a vague feeling that something is amiss.

The second narrative element in horror is a warning. The warning is usually a direct statement to the protagonist not to do whatever they are about to do. In this story, Gary’s parents warn him not to go beyond

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