Horror logo

How to Write a Coming-of-Age Horror

It’s a familiar story, told many times, in many different ways, but we can’t stop watching. It’s a bunch of misfit kids banding together to defeat a monster.

By Stephen DaltonPublished 2 years ago 11 min read
Top Story - October 2021
9
Coming-of-Age Horror collage by the Author

It’s It, and it’s Stranger Things, Small Spaces, Ginger Snaps, Are You Afraid of the Dark, the Harry Potter series, Locke & Key, Nightbooks, Pan’s Labyrinth, Monster Squad, NOS4A2, or any of a hundred or so more. Can you think of any others? Remind me in the comments, please.

As my daughter described it, “…it’s innocent but not naive, just kids facing adult things before their time.”

These stories took what we feared as kids and blew it out of proportion. Our greatest childhood fears are thrown back in our faces. What's under the bed? Mom, would you check the closet?

Most of these “coming-of-age horrors” are most frequently watched jointly by kids 6–11-years of age with an adult 26 to 46, such as nannies, babysitters, parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. They frequently help the kids with popcorn and Kool-Aid and then pause for pee breaks. I mean, who can hold it when you are constantly screaming? Am I right?

In most cases, these stories have no blood or violence, and most of these have a happy ending. Not necessarily a “happily ever after,” though, because there’s usually a hint of more horror to come.

Rather than bore you with a bunch of nonsense about what these horrors are all about, I will remind you of some that you likely enjoyed or that you should enjoy soon — with a kid or parent, grandparent, aunt, or uncle.

“Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society followers, I call this story…”

Are You Afraid of the Dark

I just finished re-watching Are You Afraid of the Dark. This 2019 three-part coming-of-age horror TV series should not be mistaken with the novel by the same name written by Sydney Sheldon, which is quite good too, but for an older crowd.

This coming-of-age horror is a marvelously spooky TV series that was fun. Although it’s predictable at times, it has a good story and moves along quickly.

The new kid in town, Rachel, is invited to join “The Midnight Society” (TMS), but only if she can impress the other members of the group (Gavin, Akiko, Graham, and Louise) with a scary story. She tells them a story about the nightmare she has been having about Mr. Tophat, the diabolical ringmaster of the Carnival of Doom, who always says, "It's all part of the show."

It’s all fun and games until kids start disappearing after the Carnival comes to town, and no one remembers anything about the Carnival of Doom or the missing kids after it leaves, except Rachel.

She proves her point that no one can remember by asking about the other kids’ stories; they all remember, but when she asks, “What was my story”? Yet, no one could remember. “You mean to tell me that my story was good enough to get me into the TMS, but you can’t remember any of it”?

Somehow, they manage to talk a cop (Akiko’s brother) into helping them until he falls under the spell of Mr. Tophat. I won’t add any more spoilers in case you haven’t seen it.

Are You Afraid of the Dark? (2019) Official Trailer

#areyouafraidofthedark #areyouafraidofthedark2019

Season 2 of Are You Afraid of the Dark? Curse of the Shadows has six episodes and was released on Nickelodeon on 12 February 2021 and ran until 19 March 2021 with a new set of kids in the TMS.

The Curse of the Shadows was a lot of fun too. I think it was a little better than Mr. Tophat & the Carnival of Doom. Of course, I enjoyed both, and it is my opinion that you should watch both, but the Curse of the Shadows seemed more real somehow.

Mr. Sardo was a character in one of the older Nickelodeon’s SNICK episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark, The Tale of the Haunted Woods during the 1992 to 1996 timeframe.

Sardo’s son now owns Sardo’s Magic Mansion, in the new version, Sardo "That’s SarDO! No mister; accent on the doh!” helps the kids find their friend and leader of the TMS, Connor, rather unwillingly, I might add. However, he did try to charge them $5,000.

The story is that anyone who goes in the haunted woods after dark will be cursed, and the Shadow Man will come after them when it gets dark. The new TMS kids go into the haunted woods looking for Connor, who disappeared a couple of days before.

The light housekeeper created The Shadow Man after the town decided they couldn’t afford to keep it going anymore. He throws the key to turn the light on into the ocean, but it catches on a branch on the cliff.

When his daughter tries to get it to turn the light back on, she falls to her death. Her father tries a curse from the Book of Curses to bring her back, but it backfires and turns him into the Shadow Man.

This is really fun even though they break away from the actual midnight meeting around the campfire. That part is a little sad, though hardly noticeable.

Season 3 will likely come out around March of 2022, but who knows. There is no official word yet on Season 3, though fans are clamoring for it, so stay tuned.

If anyone hears anything different, let us know here.

Are You Afraid of the Dark? Curse of the Shadows (2021) Official Trailer

#AreYouAfraidOfTheDark #CurseoftheShadows #Nickelodeon

"I declare this meeting of The Midnight Society closed…" For now!

Locke & Key (Joe Hill)

Season 2 of Locke & Key will arrive on Netflix on 22 October 2021. It is another film adaptation of a Joe Hill comic book series if you haven't seen it. Netflix describes it as:

“After their father is murdered under mysterious circumstances, the three Locke siblings and their mother move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death.”

Locke & Key Season 1 | Official Trailer | Netflix

Locke and Key Trailer | Season 2 | Netflix

#LockeandKey #Netflix #Joe_Hill

An interesting tidbit about Locke & Key is that Keyhouse, in the comic book version, was in Lovecraft, MA to honor H.P. Lovecraft, but on Netflix, it’s in Matheson, MA to honor screenwriter Richard Matheson (The Legend of Hell House).

Nightbooks

Nightbooks is the latest coming-of-age horror to hit Netflix.

“When Alex (Winslow Fegley), a boy obsessed with scary stories, is trapped by an evil witch (Krysten Ritter) in her magical apartment and must tell a scary story every night to stay alive, he teams up with another prisoner, Yasmin (Lidya Jewett), to find a way to escape.”

Nightbooks | Official Trailer | Netflix

#Nightbooks #Netflix

Is Harry Potter a Coming-of-Age or Middle-School Horror?

If you look at it objectively, the Harry Potter series and the gang from Hogwarts is a “coming-of-age horror.” J.K. Rowling takes it to the billion-dollar level.

Harry and his Hogwarts troupe face frightening and disturbing events in all seven books and eight films. Each has elements of thrillers, mystery, horror, fantasy, and adventure; none would frighten anyone over age eight — though Prisoner of Azkaban is genuinely dark, IMO.

Another of the Most Prolific Writers of the “Coming of Age Horror” Is R.L. Stine

R.L. Stine Quote

Although R.L. Stine’s stories didn’t achieve the level of financial success that the Potter series did, he was indeed a master of the craft. His children’s books that he describes as “…scary books that are also funny,” include Goosebumps, Fear Street, Mostly Ghostly, Rotten School, and many other books and comics for kids of all ages.

R. L. Stine wrote more than 200 horror and thrillers for kids, teens, and adults.

R.L. Stine wrote in Zombie Town:

“Did you know that Halloween started because long ago people believed that one day a year at the end of the fall harvest, the spirits would return to walk the earth? On that day, people wore masks so the spirits wouldn’t recognize them.”

He created 62 original Goosebumps books that sold more than 400 million copies in various languages within five years from 1992 onward. Then came several spin-offs of the Goosebumps books, such as Goosebumps Series 2000, Goosebumps Horror Land, and many more. There was also the Fear Street trilogy, which was adapted into a Netflix TV series.

Actually, Jack Black plays Stine in several of the film adaptation, but Stine refused to let them make it a full-blown TV Series.

Goosebumps Official Trailer #1 (2015) — Jack Black, Amy Ryan Movie HD

#moviecliptrailers #Goosebumps

The Institute is not a film yet, but I’m sure it will be. Perhaps after The Talisman, which is coming soon.

How to Write a Coming-of-Age Horror

Many writers think, “How hard could it be to scare the doo-doo out of a bunch of kids?” Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. A coming-of-age horror is quite different than the “slasher teen horror.”

There’s no Jason, no Pinhead, and no Freddy Krueger. Don’t wait for these kids to run up into the attic (“Let’s hide behind the chainsaws.”) or down in the cellar to get away from the boogeyman slasher. For one thing, they aren’t running. Well, OK, they may at times. But it’s usually toward the demon to save their buddies.

Pennywise Cosplay 3 - Flickr Free Images - Juan Ruiz

Yes, there is a demon, a monster, a clown, or whatever, but they’re much more imaginative than a “slasher,” and much more diabolical. There’s probably none more diabolical than Stephen King’s Pennywise. And these kids are plotting to overthrow or destroy the demon.

Stephen King Quote PowerPoint Art

However, in the Stine books, there’s no death, no drugs, no depravity, and the kids are never put into a situation that we would consider too severe. Of course, it is a bit different for the movie and TV adaptions. They take liberties. I think that is why many children's horror writers do not like the film adaption of their books.

Another mistake or misconception many make/have about the middle school horror story is that it must take place in a scary place like a haunted house or a graveyard. It could, but not necessarily. It could be right there in plain sight like the school, or an entire town, like Hawkins, IN, Haverhill, RI, or Shadyside.

It’s not necessarily the place but the evil that the kids must defeat. As we now know, the kids from Stranger Things have moved away from Hawkins, IN.

April Tucholke shares in an article for Writer’s Digest: How to Give People Nightmares: 6 Tips for Writing Young Adult Horror.

The tip I found particularly useful is Number “5. There needs to be more people in danger than just your main character.”

Did you ever watch a movie and think to yourself, “Well, I knew he wasn’t going to get killed, he’s the star or the protagonist.” But you can kill off others who aren’t the “main character” or even the main character's pet, as April alludes to in the article.

These stories are about a group of ‘tween; they’re not teens yet, in most cases. Most writers will tell you these are the story’s “most valuable players.” You should meticulously plan these characters.

Many of the characters have a weakness or a strength that eventually makes them the perfect person to do away with the demon. However, you are the creator, so have fun with it, but make it believable… or not.

R.L. Stine, in an interview with The Author Hour, said about his writing process:

“I think of the titles first. I think I work backwards from most authors. Most authors get an idea for a story and they start to write it, and then later they think of a title. But I think of the title first and then the title sort of leads me to the story … I know the ending, so then I know I can always get there. I plan out every book first before I write a word. I do a chapter-by-chapter outline of every book. So, before I start to write, I know everything that’s going to happen in the book. I have it all planned, and then I can just enjoy the writing. I’ve done all the hard part. I’ve done the thinking before I start to write.”

Of course, you do not have to do it that way. In fact, many authors say they “fly by the seat of their pants.” These writers are called “pantsers.” These two variations are discussed in the article by the MasterClass Staff, Plotters vs. Pantsers: What Kind of Writer Are You? — 2021.

You might read this and discover you are another type entirely or a mixture of the two. You don’t have to have a set formula to become successful; just tell the story.

So, why not get busy and write your version of I Was a Teenage Graverobber? I know if you made it this far, you grave, I mean crave the dark.

About the Author Photo by Jean Springs from Pexels

Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Also, a Top Writer in Nutrition, Travel, Fiction, Transportation, VR, NFL, Design, Creativity, and Short Story.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Reddit | Ko-fi | NewsBreak

If you enjoyed this, consider the time that goes into researching and writing before you decide to leave a tip. Thank you.

how to
9

About the Creator

Stephen Dalton

Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Reddit | Ko-fi

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.