logo2

 

Teaching the Horror Genre

 

Horror is an exciting, High Interest genre.  Ask your students how many of them watch horror movies.  You'll probably find that it is one of the most popular genres.  Stephen King is the most popular living author, and R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books are a perennial hit.  Savvy teachers can harness the students' love of the genre to engage them in meaningful lessons that will get them excited about learning (yes, even those reluctant readers).  You will find that horror is not all immature blood and guts; there are some excellent materials (appropriate for whatever level you teach).  So, what are you waiting for? 

 

Horror Author WebQuest

Horror Author Interview Questions

Horror Genre Handout

Horror Genre Discussion Questions

A Teacher's Horror Reading List

 

Author Visits

Are you thinking about getting a local horror writer to come in and speak to your students?  Make sure to read the following links before you do:

An Author's Wish List (mirror)

Author Visits at Your Library!

 

Other WebQuests

Stephen King WebQuest

Edgar Allan Poe: Father of Horror (mirror)

Writing the Horror Genre (Poe)

Dracula

Frankenstein

Frankenstein 2018

Horror Workshop   

Vampires

Harry Potter    

 

Writing Horror

Writing Tips – from the Horror Writers Association

Writing Horror 

How to Write Your Own Give Yourself Goosebumps Books

How to Write Your Own Scary Story

Write a Suspense Short Story

Scary Story Prompts

 

Lesson Plans and Unit Plans

The Only Thing We Have to Fear... Exploring Beliefs in the Paranormal and the Appeal of the Horror Genre  
Ghosts and Fear in Language Arts: Exploring the Ways Writers Scare Readers
Modern Fear and Suspense Unit Plan

Selected Horror Stories of Stephen King Lesson Plans

A Teacher's Guide to Stephen King's Short Stories

Classic Tales of Horror from W.W. Jacobs and Edgar Allan Poe

TeachIt.co.uk – Explore this site, there is a ton of good stuff

History of Horror Films

Thrills and Chills! Using Scary Stories to Motivate Students to Read – also has a good horror themed writer's workshop

Halloween Activities and Lesson Plans

Ghosts and Fear in Language Arts: Exploring the Ways Writers Scare Readers

Modeling Reading and Analysis Processes with the Works of Edgar Allan Poe

Horror: a Study

Horrors!

Dissecting the Dark Side: Dragons, Demons and Dark Lords

CyberSchool Horror Unit

Elizabethan & Jacobean Horror – Shakespeare and his contemporaries

 

Lesson Plans for Individual Stories

The Lottery – Shirley Jackson

The Interlopers – Saki

The Monkey's Paw – W.W. Jacobs

The Cask of Amontillado – Edgar Allen Poe
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Robert Lois Stevenson
Pet Sematary – Stephen King

   

Articles on the Genre

A Few Thoughts on the Horror Genre a good overview of the horror genre

A Short History of Horror Literature

What is the Difference between Horror and Dark Fantasy?
What is Dark Fantasy?

Giving Rein to Horror - Darren Shan
With Reluctant Readers, Try Horror
- Edel Wignell

Sculpting Horror - A horror fan and author's look at the often shunned genre

 

Horror Reading Lists

American Library Association - Horror page
Spooky & Scary Books – PreK-8th Grade

Horror Fiction Lists for Kids

YA Horror Books

Readers Advisory - Horror Fiction

 

Public Domain Horror Stories

Arthur's Classic Novels - Gothic Tales from the Past (despite the title, is mostly short stories)

Works Referenced in Supernatural Horror in Literature

Literature of the Fantastic

Horror Masters Horror Library

DagonBytes.com Library

Project Gutenberg 

Litrix Horror Reading Room

Somnlioguy's Classic Horror & Fantasy

Classic Horror & Fantasy

Manybooks.net

 

Public Domain Horror Movies

Plan 9 From Outer Space

 

Edgar Allen Poe audio

Glowing Dial

HarperAudio

NPR

Other horror audio

The Monkey's Paw, written by W.W. Jacobs
The National Audio Theatre - Blue Ridge Radio Players  (14MB, 29 min) 

Frankenstein 1931 full-cast radio production. $12 for the entire radio production. (first chapter free) 

OTRCAT.com Mystery/Horror CD’s – all of your Old Time Radio favorites

skully

All contents © 2005-present by J.L. Benét unless otherwise specified.