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Of all of the names associated with horror, the name Stephen King is considered a master storyteller. His work consists of gruesome stories complete with rich plots, fully developed characters and locations that come to life for the reader.
Born in Portland Maine on September 21, 1947, Stephen King spent some time as an English teacher while waiting for success. Before King’s work was known, the modern horror genre was held hostage by the popular slasher movies, noted for lots of gore, but compromised by weak plots and shallow characters. His novels, movies and short stories have brought tales of horror that could be enjoyed by the well-read person, but enough fun for those raised on comic books (Creepshow).
The settings of Kings novels take place mostly places that King himself has lived Most of his early work concerns the state of Maine, in particular a town known as Castle Rock which appears in King’s work time and time again. It is the reprise of these locations and characters, such as Sheriff Pangborn, that make King fans so devoted to his work. His formula sets up a contrast between small town values and the evil that resides there. King did successfully depart from Maine on several occasions, in particular for one of his most famous works “The Shining” (also made into a film) which takes place in a beautiful hotel with a terrifying history. In “The Shining” the hotel caretaker slowly slips into insanity (with a little push from the spirits of caretakers past) and tries to murder his snowbound family.
King’s novels are about characters that the reader can identify with and feel for. In one of his first famous novels, Carrie, (which became another popular movie) a high school social outcast gets revenge on her nasty, pranking peers by destroying the senior prom, killing many of those present. Carrie is a testament to human nature that causes the reader to dread what is about to happen at the prom, but secretly cheer for the title character as she gets her revenge.
According to King, evil can be anywhere. This evil can be confronted in the form of semi trucks gone amuck (Maximum Overdrive) a clown (IT) or even man’s best friend (Cujo).
This unmasked horror in broad daylight is more terrifying than the midnight serial killer in the “Scream” mask, as it takes the reader's ordinary world and turns it against them. In some stories the terror is supernatural, a vampire in “Salem’s Lot” and in some it quite natural, like a dog with rabies (Cujo). Either way, King takes the horror out of the house on the hill and into the backyard.
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