Stories that Stick

When it comes to being willing terrified by media, I prefer to be psychologically horrified, rather than jump-scared. This means that I am more drawn to thrillers and cosmic horrors than monsters lurking in the shadows. Essentially, I generally prefer stories that twist your insides and boggle your mind rather than get your heart racing.

I've been very busy with work this past weekend, and I found myself binging Netflix on my time off. Having loved The Fall of the House of Usher late last year, I decided to watch another work of Mike Flanagan's; Midnight Mass. I had it done in two days. Still wanting more, I bit the bullet and started The Haunting of Hill House. Why hadn't I watched it before? I was convinced it was more in line with "creatures that go bump in the night" than I typically enjoyed. Honestly, I was scared to watch it! While there are some scary scenes, the show predominantly scares with psychological torture and mystery than anything else. It's no wonder that this is its style because The Haunting of Hill House is based on the 1959 book of the same name written by Shirley Jackson.

Shirley Jackson is a name that will always stand out to me, as will her infamous short story that I first read in high school. The Lottery is a spectacular piece of short fiction so well crafted that I still think about its twists and turns regularly. It's a story with real staying power, a tale that lives in your mind long after you put it down. Beyond the horror it contains, it is the way it is revealed that captivates so completely. While the works I've created thus far are not in the same genre as Shirley's, I hope that they have even a sixth of her staying power in the minds of my readers.

If you're looking for some non-jump-scare horror that stays with you, I have some recommendations in addition to The Lottery (they are very science-fiction heavy - sorry, not sorry):

• DARK (2017 TV show, 3 seasons, completed)

• I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967 short story by Harlan Ellison)

• 1984 (1949 novel by George Orwell)

• SOMA (2015 video game)

• Black Mirror (2011 TV show, 6 seasons, ongoing)

• I Origins (2014 film)

• Annihilation (2018 film based on Jeff Vandermeer's 2014 novel of the same name)

• The OA (2016 TV show, cut down in its prime after 2 seasons, still very much worth a watch)

• AI: Artificial Intelligence (2001 film based on a 1969 short story called Super Toys Last All Summer Long by Brain Aldiss)

• Another Earth (2011 film)

• MaddAddam Trilogy (2003-2013 books by Margaret Atwood)

• The Time Machine (1895 book by H.G. Wells)

• Cargo (2009 film)

• All Tomorrows (2006 book by C.M. Kosemen)

• Melancholia (2011 film)

• And a movie (that I've forgotten the name of) that used to be on Netflix and was about older people that lived in the bodies of younger people during the day, while the bodys' original owners had autonomy at night

If you enjoy being scared, what type of scare thrills you the most?