Horror novels are experiencing unprecedented popularity, especially in 2023, with a significant surge in sales in Western countries. According to the British magazine “Bookseller,” from 2022 to 2023, sales of horror novels and ghost stories increased by 54%, reaching £7.7 million, the highest recorded sales. Furthermore, data from the British industry research company Nielsen shows that sales of horror genre novels in the first three months of 2024 increased by 34% compared to the same period last year. Analyses by British and American media suggest that this trend is closely related to the social anxiety caused by the current turbulent world situation.
A Golden Age for Horror Genre
The “Library Journal” reports that John Rosen, chairman of the Writers and Horror Novelists Association, said: “We are now in the golden age of (horror writing), not limited by the peaks of past horror themes.” Today’s horror themes extract the essence and discard the dross, creating new trends; horror themes are also fully integrated with other literary genres. “People like to peer into the darkness, curious about what they will find; they also like to gaze at the night sky and ponder what lies in the dark,” Rosen said.
The overall growth of horror genre works extends to each of its subgenres. The oldest and most traditional themes in horror novels, including ghosts, vampires, and small towns, are the biggest winners of 2023. Recently popular ghost novels include “Apology” by author Han Jimin (phonetic), which tells the story of a Korean heiress breaking a family curse that has threatened her family for years after her death. Author Meredith Long’s debut novel “The Ghost Tamer” is about a woman who can see ghosts after being hit by a train.
Reflecting Real-World “Global Issues”
According to the British “Guardian”, the surge in horror novel sales is somewhat related to the turmoil and anxiety of the real world. Western societies face a series of global issues such as wars, climate change, and pandemics. These real-world “horrors” are reflected in the popularity of horror novels to some extent. Horror novelist Jane Williams believes that the themes of horror novels tend to fluctuate with changes in the real world. Horror novels are like a magic mirror, reflecting the real world’s “horrors” in a dark playground.
“Fear is essentially politicized,” said Joanna Lee, an editor at Atlantic Books. Lee cited “The Invisible Hotel” as an example, where the author uses wild and uneasy elements of horror novels to describe the fear of facing the unavoidable shadow of war. In some ways, this conveys a reality that is difficult to describe otherwise. Susie Dollar, an editor at Bola Publishing House, said experts say readers like to pursue better things during economic downturns, but another mindset may be at work: horror novels explain more frightening situations; by comparison, reality is not so bad.
Social media has made the promotion and spread of horror novels faster and wider. Through social media, readers can share their reading experiences and recommend books to others, driving the growth of horror novel sales. The “Library Journal” states that the demand for horror novels from readers stimulates more publishers to expand the diversity of horror novel writers, especially giving more opportunities for people of color and female authors to publish horror novels.
In addition to changes in the diversity of writers, the themes of Western horror novels are also undergoing a transformation. The earliest horror novels can be traced back to 18th-century Gothic novels, set in the Middle Ages, describing mysterious stories and murder cases in eerie castles. Modern horror novels are no longer limited to traditional Gothic elements, beginning to incorporate more realism and psychological depictions. Stephen King’s works have elevated horror novels to a new height.
In recently published horror novels, female elements have significantly increased, gradually breaking away from the “classic horror style” of authors like Stephen King. On overseas social media, horror novels with feminist elements are becoming popular. Works on themes such as sexual consent, motherhood, and transgression are rising in popularity. The expression of long-repressed female anger is finally exploding, attracting readers’ attention to these areas that “perfectly fit” with horror novels.
More Attractive to Anxious People
In addition to horror novels, horror movies have also become more popular in recent years. Scholar Cotan Scrivener stated that horror movies achieved the largest box office share in modern history in 2020. The “New York Times” reports that studies show people prefer horror movies when they are anxious, possibly because horror movies help anxious viewers divert their attention. When watching horror movies, people temporarily forget real-world worries, such as financial crises, and instead feel anxious about the zombies in the movies. Researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark say watching horror movies can “divert anxiety,” and when the movie ends, the anxiety might be alleviated.
Anxious people enjoy watching horror movies more than ordinary people, Scrivener analyzed. The main theme of horror movies is usually some kind of monster, and the threat posed by the monster triggers the audience’s fear and anxiety. For those who are anxious, the visual bias toward focusing on threats is exaggerated, which is why horror movies are more attractive to anxious people.
One of the most uncomfortable aspects of anxiety is often the feeling of being unable to control the situation, while horror movies can provide a sense of control by shifting the source of anxiety. Once captivated by a horror movie, the audience can immerse themselves in the film’s narrative, changing the source of anxiety from real-world concerns to the screen’s monsters. Importantly, watching horror movies is an active choice to feel anxious, rather than events happening beyond one’s control.
Author Jane Fret said: “The popularity of horror works reflects a strategy for coping with disaster events encountered in reality. When many things are in a broken state, curling up in the dark can bring a twisted comfort. More importantly, horror themes allow us to explore both power and helplessness simultaneously. It is a good way to vent emotions, especially in this time and space where it is easy to get lost.”
