It was the 1960’s horror movies that fuelled our desire for crime thriller fiction
Showing scenes of blood, violence and death that stimulated anxiety, fear, anger, confusion and a lot of edge-of-seat excitement!
In the 60’s Horror stories became the most popular genre of all time. Film stars such as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing were frequent heroes in Hammer Horrors. Some say that the reason for the rise in horror literature and films were because of the uncertainty caused by wars and invasions.
While 60s horror films were not focusing on science-fiction, fear of invasion was prominent.
There were “rising internal tensions about the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement led to a boom in films that focused on how people responded to "invasions." The best example of this is Night of the Living Dead. After the dead come back to life, a group of survivors must work together to get away from the impending threat, however, internal tensions lead to a divide amongst the group and in turn their deaths, commenting on the societal divide during the 60s.” (Chappell, 2020).
The 1960s saw some of the best films ever made, as evidenced by the fact that the decade began with a bang. Psycho titillated audiences by showing Janet Leigh in a bra before delivering one of the most terrible death sequences ever committed to film - a sight that still shocks audiences 60 years later. Both Psycho and Peeping Tom were released in the same year and both make voyeurism references, with the latter even implicating the spectator in its POV murder shots. Peeping Tom was taken from theatres after introducing such a gruesome premise, effectively ending director Michael Powell's career.
Earlier during the 1950s films were packed with prestige such as The Seventh Seal and Seven Samurai, genre films from overseas began to light up theatres, thanks to the introduction of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in the late 1940s. Horror classics such as Eyes Without a Face, Kwaidan, Black Sunday, Blood and Black Lace, and Hour of the Wolf fall under this category. With The Haunting, House of Usher, The Devil Rides Out, and Village of the Damned, British horror entered a prestige era after ramping up in the 1950s.
The 1960s films era became the forerunner for graphic horror and violence
Similarly, Black Sunday, the 1960s film, plays on the themes of witch burnings and torture, as well as revenge in the present day. Whilst the film was not well received in its native country Italy, it was far more successful in the US. Today, it is widely regarded as a success and a pioneer in the horror genre, also combining eroticism and graphic violence.
Watch the trailer for Black Sunday (1960) here:
Black Sunday (1960) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p] - YouTube
The 1970s were a watershed moment for horror, with The Exorcist establishing the genre as a legitimate vehicle for award nominations and the emergence of the blockbuster (Jaws). Here, Hammer's gothic horror reign came to an end (Vampire Circus), giving way to Italian giallo's whodunit sleaze (Deep Red), American realism (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and grindhouse's grindhouse (Last House on the Left). Meanwhile, future legends such as Steven Spielberg (Duel), Ridley Scott (Alien), David Lynch (Eraserhead), and John Carpenter (Halloween) made their names in the horror genre. Before we sorted by a ranking methodology that considers a movie's number of reviews and release year, the sole requirement for inclusion on this list was that it had a Fresh rating.
The use of Black Magic in crime thrillers
Black magic has long been associated with the dark and bad side of humans and juxtaposed against white magic, which is seen as good and pure. The use of black magic in crime thrillers gives them an extra edge and introduces themes of the supernatural, uncontrollable as well as horror to it. It keeps the reader gripped and hooked, as the element of the unknown and unfathomable adds an extra thrill and tension.
The fascination with real black magic horror stories
To this day, people are fascinated and intrigued by the unknown and events we cannot comprehend. Tours of haunted houses, staying in a haunted hotel or Ouija board sessions to talk to the dead are popular as never before whilst reality-like films such as The Blair Witch Project enjoy a continuing following, with some even claiming that it was unique in capitalising on the rise of reality TV. The ongoing debate as to whether the film was actually real creates an even bigger pull for people to watch it.
An evergreen appeal to readers and a loyal fanbase
Whilst some people can’t think of anything worse than immersing themselves into the depths of a gruesome and frightening story that will leave them sleepless for months, others thrive on the extreme emotions of shock, disgust, terror and unthinkable destruction. The fact that the reader or viewer is safe after the experience, allows them to be exposed to a barrage of negative and challenging emotions without actually being harmed. It’s a safe trade-off and an adrenaline fuelled adventure in the spectator’s head. It sure as hell is not for the faint-hearted.
The popularity of the crime thriller genre that keeps readers coming back for more
Horror literature is situated in a setting similar to our own, but it features horrible invasions of supernatural (or at least exceptional) beings or events into this world. Magical or supernatural abilities also intrude in romance, which is frequently a story of a purposeful quest—but these powers are more understandable, and some are more beneficent, than those in horror fiction.
According to Britannica, “in Western literature the literary cultivation of fear and curiosity for its own sake began to emerge in the 18th-century pre-Romantic era with the Gothic novel. The genre was invented by Horace Walpole, whose Castle of Otranto (1765) may be said to have founded the horror story as a legitimate literary form. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley introduced pseudoscience into the genre in her famous novel Frankenstein (1818), about the creation of a monster that ultimately destroys its creator.”
Furthermore, “in the Romantic era the German storyteller E.T.A. Hoffmann and the American Edgar Allan Poe raised the horror story to a level far above mere entertainment through their skilful intermingling of reason and madness, eerie atmosphere and everyday reality. They invested their spectres, doubles, and haunted houses with a psychological symbolism that gave their tales a haunting credibility.
The Gothic influence persisted throughout the 19th century in such works as Sheridan Le Fanu’s The House by the Churchyard and “Green Tea,” Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone, and Bram Stoker’s vampire tale Dracula. The influence was revived in the 20th century by science-fiction and fantasy writers such as Mervyn Peake in his Gormenghast series. Other masters of the horror tale were Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, H.P. Lovecraft, and Stephen King” (Britannica, 2021).
Horror Crime fiction, including crime thrillers, is a favoured choice by readers, with up to 40% of all fiction sales falling into that category.
A good crime thriller will take you on a rollercoaster ride of suspense, intrigue and apprehension from the first until the last page. They wrap you into their story, keep you guessing at all times and have you at the edge of your seat. One of the most popular literary genres, crime thrillers tell dark and captivating stories that are steered by often complicated plots. Not for the faint-hearted, thrillers rarely contain comic features and their main focus is to keep the reader hooked at all times. This is best achieved through a constant circle of excitement, suspense, and relief. The author’s tricky job is to keep their readers interested at all times.
A genre of two halves
As a genre, crime thrillers are a combination of a crime and thriller. Crime stories mainly circle around a criminal who stands in opposition to the police, a detective or another force of justice. The traditional “good prevails over evil” is central to a crime novel.
A Thriller’s job, on the other hand, is to create a constant state of fear and dread. The suspense and anticipation of a pending crime is central to the story and the story’s main characters often engage in a game of cat and mouse to prevent the villain from another act of immorality and misconduct. The antihero is often known to the reader, who can follow their story in parallel to the ones chasing them.
Therefore, a crime thriller will offer its readers the best of both genres.
Why do we enjoy crime fiction?
Most humans will never commit a crime comparable to those in crime fiction. Therefore, the fascination and intrigue has many of us hooked on thrillers and murder mysteries. People love the storytelling of a crime thriller. They do not just want to know who committed the crimes or attoricities, they also want to understand the Why and the background stories and motives. The quest for the truth is enticing and keeps the reader interested.
The Black Candle Killings - Andrew Segal’s latest release
“When the candle burns down the victim dies, watching their life melt away with the wax of the candle.”
Happy London Press has recently published the second of Andrew Segal’s books in The Tammy Pierre Series. In her second outing, Private Investigator Tammy Pierre investigates Voodoo killings in a quiet North London suburb, where a number of business and professional women are found horribly murdered. They are all discovered with a black candle burning by their bodies, their names inscribed down the side in wax. The victims are all linked by a common historic association with an orphanage run by nuns on the island of Trinidad. Half Trinidadian, Private Investigator Tammy Pierre flies to the island to discover a catalogue of abuse and killings going back more than twenty years, and a killer who has re-emerged in London with the specific aim of killing anyone who can throw light on the mystery. Tammy finds herself trapped, bound and gagged, watching a black candle etched with her name gradually burning down. There are ways in but there’s no way out. Sometimes even the most experienced private investigators can get it wrong. Dramatically wrong.
About the author
The author, Andrew Segal, is a licensed insolvency practitioner by profession but also a fabulous author of children’s fiction, dark short stories and crime thrillers. Based in London, his day job provides the basis for many entertaining tales and his imagination conjures characters and situations that will leave you eager for more.
Amazon:
The Black Candle Killings eBook : Segal, Andrew: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
Waterstones:
The Black Candle Killings by Andrew Segal | Waterstones
Happy Story Store:
Special Offer Books | Happy Story Store
Tips For Writing Suspense And Creating Fear In Fiction
Great Protagonists to care about - we don’t have to be likeable, but they do need to be relatable
Squirming Antagonists - don’t reveal too early - keep ‘em guessing
Dark atmosphere - People have always been afraid of the dark.
Isolate Your Characters - alone to face their fears
Focus On The Breath. When people are frightened, they breath fast
Call An Expert have one of your characters be an expert or a figure of authority
Remember Humor. By introducing a bit of lightness into even the darkest moments of suspense
A Strong Twist is essential to giving the reader a good thriller
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