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Ad Astra, v. 1, issue 5, January 1940
Page 5
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AD ASTRA Page 5 THAT MOMENT Of HORROR by Henry Kuttner Weird fiction is one of the most difficult of all types to write, and it attracts nearly all authors,modern as well as classic. Inevitably few masterpieces of fantasy are produced. But occassionally we read a story that sticks in our memory, because it has produced a real emotion or mood for a fleeting time. An effective weird tale should give us what the Scots call a"cauld grue" -- a moment in which intellect is in abeyance, and emotion rules , the emotion of half-instictive fear. It is this that makes us look up from the pages of a book to glance at a dark doorway. Nothing is there, of course, and we know it. Yet if a weird story can make the reader feel, however briefly, [[underline]]that he may not be alone[[end underline]] it has fulfilled its purpose. Too many modern writers, in an attempt to achieve this affect, smear horror upon horror. Vampires and incubi pop up on the first page, and each scale and tentacle of every demon is described and minute detail. The result is often sheer boredom.... Restraint, that vital factor in a weird tale, is omitted. I can recall no great masterpiece of fantasy that poured such floods of fear upon the reader's shrinking head. Most of these classics are remembered for the single moment of stark,abysmal terror that created a mood not easily forgotten. Often this effect is achieved, by strong contrast. Atmosphere, characterization, style and sometimes irony may play their part, but int he ghost stories of James, the ultimate horror is heightened by the antiquarian data and the earthy,familiar touches that have gone before. Not until the climax as a rule, does James introduce, the inexplicably supernatural. I recall one charming tale by this author in which a man,digging for treasure in a dark well,uncovered a recess containing a mouldy sack. He pulled the sack toward him; it fell against his body and [[underline]]put its arms around his neck[[end underline]]. The ghastliness of this unexpected, horrible situation is irresistable. The same writer mentions a man who, dozing in his armchair,found himself sleepily stroking the back of his dock, crouching beside the chair unseen. The moment of horror occurs when the man realizes, that he has no dog, and when the faceless, hairy thing at his side rises into view.
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AD ASTRA Page 5 THAT MOMENT Of HORROR by Henry Kuttner Weird fiction is one of the most difficult of all types to write, and it attracts nearly all authors,modern as well as classic. Inevitably few masterpieces of fantasy are produced. But occassionally we read a story that sticks in our memory, because it has produced a real emotion or mood for a fleeting time. An effective weird tale should give us what the Scots call a"cauld grue" -- a moment in which intellect is in abeyance, and emotion rules , the emotion of half-instictive fear. It is this that makes us look up from the pages of a book to glance at a dark doorway. Nothing is there, of course, and we know it. Yet if a weird story can make the reader feel, however briefly, [[underline]]that he may not be alone[[end underline]] it has fulfilled its purpose. Too many modern writers, in an attempt to achieve this affect, smear horror upon horror. Vampires and incubi pop up on the first page, and each scale and tentacle of every demon is described and minute detail. The result is often sheer boredom.... Restraint, that vital factor in a weird tale, is omitted. I can recall no great masterpiece of fantasy that poured such floods of fear upon the reader's shrinking head. Most of these classics are remembered for the single moment of stark,abysmal terror that created a mood not easily forgotten. Often this effect is achieved, by strong contrast. Atmosphere, characterization, style and sometimes irony may play their part, but int he ghost stories of James, the ultimate horror is heightened by the antiquarian data and the earthy,familiar touches that have gone before. Not until the climax as a rule, does James introduce, the inexplicably supernatural. I recall one charming tale by this author in which a man,digging for treasure in a dark well,uncovered a recess containing a mouldy sack. He pulled the sack toward him; it fell against his body and [[underline]]put its arms around his neck[[end underline]]. The ghastliness of this unexpected, horrible situation is irresistable. The same writer mentions a man who, dozing in his armchair,found himself sleepily stroking the back of his dock, crouching beside the chair unseen. The moment of horror occurs when the man realizes, that he has no dog, and when the faceless, hairy thing at his side rises into view.
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