If this question has been asked a lot I apologize. I'm heavily influenced by Dungeons and Dragons and horror movies in general. Whats the best way to combine the 2 or things that you think are needed from both the fantasy genre and horror. I have a hard time trying to write one of them because ill usually end up watching a horror movie and want to write horror instead of fantasy.
If you're being influenced by every different world you see then you need to take time crafting your own. When you have your own, you can incorporate those elements but they won't dominate the entire thing. Check out some of the stickied threads for how to do that
Basically you can combine elements from both worlds (genres) as you like, but you obviously need to make decisions. I think that you should first come up with a general idea on which you want to base your work, and stick to it! Make it original.
The crossover is monsters, but the presentation is key. Horror is personal and psychological on a much closer level, while fantasy doesn't really go for scares except maybe on a sort of socio-political commentary level like, "Oh, the slaughter of all the dragons is a metaphor for the bees disappearing... I see!" while horror is more about making you see your own pitfalls as a human being and exploiting them, so personal fears and stuff are worked on. From my experience of D&D the monsters aren't very horrific no matter how gruesomely your DM describes them for minute after minute of teeth and oozing things and missing parts, because you've basically walked in a door and either it was sitting behind it, or your rogue failed a trap check or something, so you're kind of wearily expecting it (and also drunk and have been laughing hysterically since the game began). Good mix of horror and fantasy can be seen in the LotR with things like Shelob, since both Tolkien and like, probably, everyone involved in making the movies was horrified by spiders, and Peter Jackson has experience with making horror movies, so I find those parts scary in both the books and film. The giant spiders in the hobbit are less scary because there's no real build-up - they just stumble into them, and Bilbo keeps the upper hand, and the spiders talk to each other in a way I found cutesy. In LotR (at least in the films - just a bit shy of that part in re-reading the book and I can't remember ) Shelob doesn't talk, and there's a much greater sense of dread what with Gollum always talking about leading them to her, etc. Shelob's just like a raw, relentless monster that attacks, and overpowers Frodo and presents a serious threat. /short essay on fantasy monsters I don't know if I'm quite sharp enough to round that off with a nice neat conclusion, but you get what I'm saying? Horror elements in Fantasy are often sprung on you, and if laboured too much the story becomes much more about the personal effect of the monsters, so however epic the setting, all the thrill comes from the immediate drama of the monster, and so wanders off into being a horror novel. Similarly when I write "Horror" I'm too used to fantasy so I forget to layer in suspense, and spend too long in mood-lightening scenes, and am too wussy to pose a threat to characters who have comic potential etc, so it just comes out as a fantasy comedy with incidentally is about a monster stalking and abducting the friends of my version of Buffy.
A horror story set in a fantasy world. That doesn't sound too difficult. They're both speculative so you really have no limitations when combining the too. You don't want to write a fantasy/ horror novel so it can tick off the relevant criteria for both genres. You want to write it because there's elements in both genres that appeal to you. You know what those elements are so do it. I'm not sure what the problem is here.
The best way is to develop your own storyline--and stick with it. If it's something you enjoy, find interesting, and have a passion for, you won't be easily distracted by a movie or other activity. Maybe try short stories first. There is nothing wrong with combining horror elements with fantasy (or visa versa). I've played more than a few RPGs, including D&D. My novel, Flank Hawk, was influenced by such experience. Although my Flank Hawk doesn't contain intense horror elements, the inclusion of zombies and such takes it a little off the 'standard' fantasy route. It will be difficult to succeed rewriting someone else's storyline--such as from a movie. But there is nothing wrong with learning what works from such works of fiction and applying the lesson to your story. If I can do it, there's little reason to believe others here, including you, behemothfan, can't succeed in getting your novel (or short story) written and finding a publisher. Good luck moving forward. Terry
I don't see why you can't mix and match - haven't got anything published but my stories often do: My second book is a spy/action/adventure set in a fantasy world. My third one is a mix of slapstick humour/psychological horror/romance/time travel set in a fantasy world My next planned one is a paranormal story crossed with a detective story.
