"Horror" Writer

[Wasp27]

So as this is the place for like minded peeps, I'm curious as to whether you consider Mr. King a "horror" writer and if so (or if not) what constitutes that definition? I ask mainly because whenever I'm telling non King fans/constant readers I'm reading an sk book or watching an sk related film they usually have the same response- "Oh no, too scary for me! I'll stick to my (insert crappy author/crap movie)."
I think the reason a lot of people assume King is just some "horror" writer is based off films primarily Carrie and It. In my experience, people automatically associate Stephen King with "here's Johnny!"/red rum or "that f*ckin creepy ass clown" which is totally understandable, pennywise has provided many a nightmare for my younger self. But then these same people are surprised if you tell the
King wrote the stories The Shawshank Redemption, green mile, stand by me, and hearts in Atlantis are based on.
Since those are some of my favorite works, I have never really considered King a horror writer...even his 'scary' works are to me, like that of hearts in Atlantis, pieces of fine fiction that speak to the human condition. It is frightening as hell for sure, but for me it's a story about the innocence of childhood and the WORLD is the truly scary place, the world made and ruled by adults. The Shining is about the damage of an alcoholic parent and spouse, and the ghosts (literally and figuratively) those people are left with. In any case, you see my point. King uses horror or supernatural elements to illustrate and highlight the very human story within, and I hope more people who may not be all that familiar with King can see that. I think his last works have accomplished that (11/22/63, great for history freaks, and Under the Dome tv series). Above all, I actually consider King's writing to be one long running commentary on both the complexities of human nature and modern American life. And for that, I am grateful.
Sorry if this want long and rangy, I'm just curious as to what you guys think.

 

[kingricefan]

King is a Writer. Capital W intended. Period. He has used his books to mirror the American life and this is what makes him a great Writer.

 

[doowopgirl]

SK is a writer who broke onto the charts with a horror story. If anyone still thinks he is primarily a horror writer they just aren't paying attention.

 

[fushingfeef]

SK is a fine writer and a master storyteller who is typecast. He has a good eye for the darker things in life. But a great deal of his work simply is not horror.

 

[hossenpepper]

He has written stories that fall in the horror genre, those being the ones with "supernatural" backgrounds. The others, though filled with graphic violence, I would call thrillers or suspense over horror.

For example: 'Salem's Lot... Vampires, therefore to me, horror. Cujo... A dog with rabies... lots of violence, but a suspense/thriller to me.

Then you have things like "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon". No WAY that is horror. That is just a great American style tale.

So like kingricefan said, he is a writer. Simple as that. I suspect the horror moniker came primarily from the fact that his stories lent themselves to what would technically be called a "horror movie" and that was how most people were introduced to King in the general public. Once he was tagged as such, shaking it is probably almost impossible.

 

[ghost19]

I consider Mr. King to be the premier, world class, badass, boss, honcho, alpha and omega, numero uno, big cheese, all and all best all around wordslinger there has ever been past, present, or future. Whether he writes horror, thrillers, it doesn't matter, Mr. King excels at all genres of writing in my opinion.

 

[NightShifter]

I agree that Stephen King is a Writer, with the intended capital W. He is as much fascinated with the human condition as he is with elements of horror, science fiction and the supernatural. Since he uses horror and the like to tell a very human story I believe he has been labeled a "horror writer" by the general public. In fact, I am confident in saying most of the general public know King by the movies based on his work rather than the stories he wrote. The King horror movies tends to sensationalize the horror and downplay the human element, such as in "The Children of the Corn." Constant Reader knows better though - King is a Writer. Period.

 

[Wasp27]

I agree that Stephen King is a Writer, with the intended capital W. He is as much fascinated with the human condition as he is with elements of horror, science fiction and the supernatural. Since he uses horror and the like to tell a very human story I believe he has been labeled a "horror writer" by the general public. In fact, I am confident in saying most of the general public know King by the movies based on his work rather than the stories he wrote. The King horror movies tends to sensationalize the horror and downplay the human element, such as in "The Children of the Corn." Constant Reader knows better though - King is a Writer. Period.

Totally agree with you, that's how I see it too.

 

[mustangclaire]

He writes about so much more than just horror. Friendship, especially amongst kids, is my favourite slant. Perhaps why IT is my favourite novel. But that's also full of horror!

 

[Haunted]

I consider Mr. King to be the premier, world class, badass, boss, honcho, alpha and omega, numero uno, big cheese, all and all best all around wordslinger there has ever been past, present, or future. Whether he writes horror, thrillers, it doesn't matter, Mr. King excels at all genres of writing in my opinion.

 

[Haunted]

I agree that Stephen King is a Writer, with the intended capital W. He is as much fascinated with the human condition as he is with elements of horror, science fiction and the supernatural. Since he uses horror and the like to tell a very human story I believe he has been labeled a "horror writer" by the general public. In fact, I am confident in saying most of the general public know King by the movies based on his work rather than the stories he wrote. The King horror movies tends to sensationalize the horror and downplay the human element, such as in "The Children of the Corn." Constant Reader knows better though - King is a Writer. Period.

 

[prufrock21]

Perhaps because he has been called the "Master of Horror," you might think horror is all he writes. Nothing further from the truth. He has written sci fi, fantasy, general interest, men's magazines (including a story in Playboy), screenplays and nonfiction. No doubt one of the most prolific writers of modern times, Mr.King writes of horror, but horror as it relates to human emotions, good versus evil and destiny, fate. In essence, pick a modern theme and he has touched it. And we honor him for it.

 

[blunthead]

When we follow closely sK's footprints whence, in an unlit forest of huge, dark trees we eventually find under one of them pieces of a broken shell. Upon examination, beneath the slimy mildew, moss, and dried mud covering it, we read, "or". (There are other eggs lying around; some of them seem to be moving. There are hatchlings feeding on the leftover shells, and occasionally on each other.)

Following sK's path forward we notice the landscape change from a dark, gothic quality to start including a variety of colors, and there are some strange and wonderful creatures. Human beings, some good, some bad, like you and me and our bosses and in-laws and people who look okay, begin to inhabit some areas. They are interacting well. We come upon civilization, as evidenced by the appearance of hospitals, schools, libraries, grocery stores, These are not always present day examples, though. There's plenty of light and plenty of shadow; lots of colors, some of which are constantly changing, wide open skies and paths in parks retreating into dark woods.

We are fascinated, and distracted, and so we slam into sK from behind, dislocating our glasses and knocking the book he is carrying out of his hands, which he then accidentally kicks away from himself as he goes to retrieve it. Finally, book back in hand, he turns to us and glares. Nervous, we say the thing we are thinking: This doesn't look like horror. He looks around, nods his head and says, "I know. I've always enjoyed experimenting."

Our answer intact we stand and watch as he proceeds along his way, never looking up from his book, never seeming to need to. In front of him is a large lake lying peaceful in the sun. A mountain range overlooked by the arc of a slowly turning unknown planet - or maybe it's Saturn; there's a ring - hides the horizon.

I watched The Green Mile (with story notes) on AMC last evening. The notes revealed something which Tom Hanks said during production which, though I don't remember it verbatim, went something like, "You think because it's a Stephen King story it's going to be a classical horror story, but that's not what this is at all."

 

[Wasp27]

When we follow closely sK's footprints whence, in an unlit forest of huge, dark trees we eventually find under one of them pieces of a broken shell. Upon examination, beneath the slimy mildew, moss, and dried mud covering it, we read, "or". (There are other eggs lying around; some of them seem to be moving. There are hatchlings feeding on the leftover shells, and occasionally on each other.)

Following sK's path forward we notice the landscape change from a dark, gothic quality to start including a variety of colors, and there are some strange and wonderful creatures. Human beings, some good, some bad, like you and me and our bosses and in-laws and people who look okay, begin to inhabit some areas. They are interacting well. We come upon civilization, as evidenced by the appearance of hospitals, schools, libraries, grocery stores, These are not always present day examples, though. There's plenty of light and plenty of shadow; lots of colors, some of which are constantly changing, wide open skies and paths in parks retreating into dark woods.

We are fascinated, and distracted, and so we slam into sK from behind, dislocating our glasses and knocking the book he is carrying out of his hands, which he then accidentally kicks away from himself as he goes to retrieve it. Finally, book back in hand, he turns to us and glares. Nervous, we say the thing we are thinking: This doesn't look like horror. He looks around, nods his head and says, "I know. I've always enjoyed experimenting."

Our answer intact we stand and watch as he proceeds along his way, never looking up from his book, never seeming to need to. In front of him is a large lake lying peaceful in the sun. A mountain range overlooked by the arc of a slowly turning unknown planet - or maybe it's Saturn; there's a ring - hides the horizon.

I watched The Green Mile (with story notes) on AMC last evening. The notes revealed something which Tom Hanks said during production which, though I don't remember it verbatim, went something like, "You think because it's a Stephen King story it's going to be a classical horror story, but that's not what this is at all."

WOW. Beautifully said- I love this. Truly captures stepping into SK's world, and the sometimes dark worlds within ours. Oh, and I totally watched green mile on AMC last night too! Lol. They played Shawshank right before it, good night of TV!

 

[Wasp27]

He writes about so much more than just horror. Friendship, especially amongst kids, is my favourite slant. Perhaps why IT is my favourite novel. But that's also full of horror!

His writings on friendship and adolescence are my favorites too. They perfectly capture what it's like to be lucky enough to have the kind of friendships you can only have for that brief period in your young life.

 

[kingricefan]

One wonders where Poe would have gone with his writings had he lived longer? One may also wonder where Dickens would have gone with his writings had he lived longer as he was heading down the 'horror' pathway at the end of his life (see his unfinished work in which the character of Drood appears)? What difference is it in what genre a writer chooses to write? If they are talented enough they can go anywhere......Besides, the Bible has many, many sections that could be termed 'horror'......

 

[mjs9153]

Frank,that was wonderful..to me,he has been a chronicler of the human condition,and couches it around horror..not always,but whatever he writes,resonates with me..

 

[Wasp27]

Frank,that was wonderful..to me,he has been a chronicler of the human condition,and couches it around horror..not always,but whatever he writes,resonates with me..

Truth speak! The real horror lies within the actions of seemingly normal men and women..the sociopaths living next door, the psychopath sharing your bed- that's the real scary stuff-and I think King reiterates that a lot in his work. Yeah, we're complex creatures alright, and maybe I'm just a pessimist, but I think the dark sides tend to overshadow the good ones more than we like to think.

 

[staropeace]

He is the best writer of fantasy that I have ever read.

 

[blunthead]

Truth speak! The real horror lies within the actions of seemingly normal men and women..the sociopaths living next door, the psychopath sharing your bed- that's the real scary stuff-and I think King reiterates that a lot in his work. Yeah, we're complex creatures alright, and maybe I'm just a pessimist, but I think the dark sides tend to overshadow the good ones more than we like to think.

I haven't read Dolores Claiborne yet, but saw the movie, and though the movie version, at least, can't be categorized as a horror story, what Dolores went through via her hubby certainly does not fall short of "horrible".