How Much Gore Is Too Much When Writing Horror?

What would you consider to be the cornerstone of horror? Is it the atmosphere? The setting? For many, the horror films and literature we remember have the most iconic death scenes. That then begs the question – what makes those scenes stand out? Is it the amount of blood or the creativity? Perhaps it is the delicate balance of both.

If you write horror, you understand there are two camps – those that love gore and those that feel it should only be completely relevant to the plot. When it comes to writing horror, how much gore is too much? Here is how you can effectively balance shock value with storytelling substance.

Extreme Horror Versus Splatterpunk Versus Exploitation Horror

Before we explore the squishy, bloody, disgusting depths of gore, let’s first get our terminology right so that we are comparing apples to apples.

• Extreme Horror: Also known as grindhouse or visceral horror, extreme horror is more concerned with creating reflexive fear in horror through disturbing mental images and overtly detailed descriptions. You will find extreme graphic violence, including SA, cannibalism, and mutilation.

• Splatterpunk: Originating in the 1980s, splatterpunk often has extreme horror elements but is done so as more of a revolt against the subtle scares of the day. For example, the work of Clive Barker and Jack Ketchum. Eschewing against popular trends and social norms is common in many “punk” subgenres such as cyberpunk and steampunk.

• Exploitation Horror: The goal of exploitation horror is also to disgust, shock, or titillate, but I think its hallmark is that it is exploiting something or someone (hence the name). The themes of exploitation horror can be the civilized versus the uncivilized (such as the idea of jungle cannibals) or the exploitation of race, sexuality, gender, etc.

As you can see, all of these can have a healthy amount of blood, guts, and, of course, gore.

However, regardless of what subgenre of horror we refer to, like any facet of good storytelling, using death scenes, especially ones with gore, requires skill, nuance, and plenty of restraint. Do it right, and you can use elements of gore to shock and disturb your readers in a way that provides complexity and thought but do it wrong, and it’s a gratuitous mess.  

Knowing Your Audience

Before we dive into some examples of good gore, let’s first consider our audience. Many writers, especially those who are new and still honing their craft, often make the mistake of writing for anyone.

However, you should always write for a specific audience in mind. Even though horror fans may seem similar universally, they are not a monolith. Even considering the genre, consider how some horror fans are more into gothic horror while others are really into found footage-style horror.

Spend time thinking about your audience and what they might want to read or see. Are they more into pushing boundaries or enjoying the slow build-up? You can also spend time watching horror films or reading horror works that are similar, subgenre and tone-wise, to what you want to write.

What is Good Gore in Horror?

At the most basic level, whether there is too much gore in your writing, ask yourself a simple question – does this scene serve the story’s purpose or overwhelm it?

For example, let’s look at three pieces of gore from various horror novels and dissect the writing and purpose in each.

“I stab at the clown’s face and its wide red mouth, moving my knife in a makeshift sawing motion, and I keep stabbing until its head detaches itself, blood spurts out in twin faucets, staining the clown’s face red, and finally, after a sickening popping sound, the head falls off.””

— American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

In the above quote, Bret Easton shows Patrick Bateman’s detachment from reality and his sadistic impulses. As you can read, Bateman cannot help himself – he doesn’t just stab the clown; he cannot stop himself from stabbing over and over until the head “detaches itself.”

In addition, the writing uses technical language to describe what is happening, which also helps to underline Bateman’s lack of empathy. Even though the act itself is brutal and shocking to the reader, for Patrick Bateman, because of his sociopathy, it works to show his emptiness and the mechanical nature in which he kills, driven by compulsion, which helps to reflect the consumer-driven culture of the 1980s he lives in.

“Her skin came off in great, red welts, as if it were latex paint. I could see the muscle underneath, and the muscle was bleeding too, and she was struggling and screaming, even though her mouth was stuffed with cloth”

— The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum

Notice how the emphasis is placed on the woman screaming and struggling, unlike the American Psycho quote, which places it on the action and detachment. In my opinion, Ketchum’s brutal and explicit scene is more directed towards the audience. It is meant to make the reader uncomfortable and highlight the brutality of abuse.

Ketchum takes this unflinching foray into extreme violence in a deliberate way to make the reader complicit in the pain and fear experienced by the protagonist. It both highlights a justification for later revenge and helps the reader understand the worst aspects of humanity. It is also worth noting that the story was inspired by the real-life murder of Sylvia Likens, who sadly did not get similar justice.

“Hooks tore into his flesh, clawing him open as they surged upward. His mouth opened, and the sound that came from it was the roar of a beast, drowning out the din of his body’s tearing.”

— Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

What is interesting about the above quote is that it is done from more of a bird’s eye view. Although there is obvious gore, there is no emphasis placed on it, nor is there emphasis placed on the victim either.

In fact, one could almost say the language has more poetic undertones, which makes sense because the cenobites enjoy blurring the line between sheer pain and complete ecstasy. We can further see this as the victim opens their mouth, and instead of screams of anguish, there is the “roar of a beast.” This phrasing puts some power back into the victim, blurring those lines between desire and despair.

Prestige Versus Pushing the Envelope

Now that you have some examples of good gore, I wanted to add a caveat about prestige versus pushing the envelope. In other words, do you want your novel or film to be more mainstream, or do you want to push the envelope of your own writing?

I won’t go into the weeds with this, but it is something to consider. For example, if you want to use a traditional publisher, especially one of the top mainstream publishers, or wish to submit your story to publications, you may want to reign back on the shock and disgust.

At the same time, is this work experimental? For instance, during my undergraduate degree in creative writing, I purposely tried to experiment with levels of gore, not to bother my classmates but to understand better what works and doesn’t work in writing.

There is no right or wrong answer here, but this is another area of consideration you must consider before you finalize your work.

The Risks of Too Much Gore

There is certainly too much gore, and using too much can be a major pitfall in your writing. For example, in the first rendition of my short story “Come Play, Bent Man,” which will be in an upcoming horror collection, I originally workshopped this in class and had a graphic scene at the beginning. The story was intended for me to explore my own trauma but also forced the gravity of real-world situations on the reader. I failed in this task miserably. It made the readers disgusted and uncomfortable from the jump, which then made them uncomfortable with me.

Why?

Because I did not give the readers enough time to understand what was going on, from the stakes to the characters. Thus, readers did not know who else to blame for their disgust or shock. Similarly, if you have gore at the beginning, you also create a problem with desensitization. The rest of the story becomes less shocking because readers have already been there and done that.

Moreover, if you have too much of an over-reliance on gore throughout the novel, not only can your readers become desensitized through that, but it can also make your writing seem shallow like you do not know how to create atmosphere or dread.

How to Gauge When It’s Enough

So, what is the golden rule when it comes to writing horror? There isn’t one. Sorry! But here are some questions to ask yourself to find what works best for you:

• ·Does the gore drive the plot forward or develop a character? If it doesn’t, consider removing it or reformatting it so that it is purposeful.

• ·Does it fit the tone of the rest of your work? You want to jar your readers, but you do not want them to be confused. For example, if you have a slow-burn horror, ramping up the pacing to the nth degree does not make sense.

• Have you given your readers a break? Your readers need to take a breather after horrific scenes to compartmentalize and reflect on it. Give them a moment of respite so that the next gory scene hits even harder.

Striking The Right Balance in Your Horror Writing

When deciding how much gore to include in your horror writing, remember the old idiom that less is often more. Horror certainly has a place for gore, even the most extreme versions of it, but your ultimate aim should be to tell a story that will resonate with your reader.

If every moment you present is drenched in blood, remember that the emotional impact will wear thin and could even bore your reader. So use a balance, self-reflect, and make your gore count.

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