Frankenstein, Dracula, Goosebumps, Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark, Coraline, In A Dark, Dark Room - these titles are probably familiar and likely reach their slippery little fingers into childhood memories of fall alongside the smell of dirty linoleum and germ-ex that seemed to permeate every classroom. 

This summer seemed to stretch over the year like skin across bones, endless and all-encompassing. But finally, finally, autumn will reign in on the 22nd of September. So this week to gear up for fall we’re asking ourselves why, exactly, are we as a society reverting back to the gothic roots of our literature, especially in children’s books and YA? 

Truth be told, scary stories can be traced back to ancient cultures and have been prevalent ever since, with more elements of horror peeking through in the 18th century. Horror stories for children are just as historically steeped, though the themes of children’s horror versus adult horror hold distinct elements. Typical adult horror themes revolve around the fear of death, starting in young adult paranormal romances. Children’s horror is mostly about fear of abandonment and hunger or a warning against bad decisions. And, if you’ve watched any Disney movie made, well, ever, you can see these themes repeated over and over in a much more mild form than their original countertops. Snow White? Abandonment, bad decisions. Tangled? Abandonment, bad decisions. You get the idea.

Why children, though? Is our goal to traumatize the youth? Well, that depends on what you believe the purpose of horror, in all forms, is exactly. There’s not a unanimously agreed-upon reason why horror is a satisfying genre of storytelling, but we can speculate. Perhaps it’s a relief from our own daily horrors which seem so much smaller compared to these stories. That email doesn’t feel so difficult to respond to compared to fending off an army of vampires. It would be naive to think children don’t have their own versions of stress, leaving children’s horror as a place to escape the nightmare of memorizing multiplication tables or navigating social issues like bullying or parents divorcing, or other personal losses. 

We could also say that horror is a mirror of us; a friend to say, “You’re not alone,” in those moments when we feel so terribly singular. Life isn’t wrapped up in a pretty little bow and these stories are rarely pristine, either. For children growing up in this century and witnessing more than previous generations via many forms of media, it makes sense that children would need a story to let them know they’re not alone behind the screen. 

And, it’s about overcoming the hard things. Getting to the end of that horror story is a triumph itself, but following the story of a person just like you to their triumph is downright thrilling if the story is done well enough that the outcome feels satisfying. Neil Gaiman echoed this sentiment, saying, “In order for stories to work — for kids and for adults — they should scare. And you should triumph. There’s no point in triumphing over evil if the evil isn’t scary.”

Children’s horror is here to stay no matter for what reason we believe. For as long as humans have problems, children will need a place to process or hide or relate and books have their backs no matter which direction they run.