Behind The Mask

IX. Supernatural Thriller

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Supernatural Thriller
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Supernatural thriller is a subgenre that blends supernatural, paranormal, or otherworldly elements with a traditional suspense-driven plot. Often one of the main characters will have a supernatural power. Well-known authors include the writing team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. If you write supernatural thrillers, explore the subgenre to connect with other like-minded writers, workshop, and publish your book.

Readers often say they like books about the supernatural because they stretch the borders of ordinary life, which seems to imply that "ordinary life" is pretty damn dull. This tends to ignore the fact that we live on a spinning ball made mostly of molten lava with a thin egg-shell of dirt and air and water that keeps that lava contained-barely-and that this spinning ball does not fly apart because it is held together by an invisible force called "gravity," which everybody counts on and no one truly understands.

I believe that novels about "the supernatural" are stories that come ghosting out of the cosmic darkness beyond the edge of our known universe, and who knows what is lying out there in that infinite velvety night, with "lidless eyes and sleepless malice," waiting for our earthly lights to flicker and go out. Well, in fact, somebody does know, and those somebodies write novels about The Supernatural.

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"The history of the supernatural thriller is longer than you may expect."

• The genre of supernatural thriller has been around since the early ages in the form of oral stories passed down from one generation to another. • Within this storytelling construct, the conflict tends to be between two main characters whereby one of them has some sort of supernatural power. • An early example of this can be seen in Homer's 'The Odyssey'
• Another early example is 'Beowulf'.

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Supernatural thrillers are influenced by folktales...

• Over time, the supernatural thriller style of storytelling evolved into stories of a Gothic nature such as 'Frankenstein'.
• Stephen King would use the epistolary format when writing his breakthrough work, Carrie.
• Stoker contribution to the supernatural thriller uses the inherent mystery and exotic nature of old superstitions to add intensity to the story.
• While writing 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would base the hellhounds on a folk tale about a supernatural dog who would howl at a cursed squire's tomb. Folklore, belief and myths are integrated into the otherworldly conflict of the genre.
• The supernatural invades real life.

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Target Audience

The genre is very popular among women who want the thrill of suspense, the mystery and the horror of the supernatural without the gratuitous use of gore.

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Sources of information:
https://crimereads.com/classic-supernatural-thrillers/

https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/jasminelight/history-of-supernaturalthriller-genre

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thank you.