blood and gore and guts

Here at Electric Spec we publish macabre horror. We enjoy horror of the spooky/creepy and/or reality subverting type. A certain segment of the horror story submissions we get involve blood and gore and guts. IMHO, this can be fun on-screen but rarely seems to translate well to written fiction.

Quite a bit of research has been done on the appeals of horror. For example, Dr. Deirdre Johnston's 1995 research into the motivations for viewing graphic horror said

• gore watching low empathy, high sensation seeking, identification with the killer
• thrill watching high empathy and sensation seeking, identifies with victims, likes suspense
• independent watching high victim empathy, high positive effect for overcoming fear
• problem watching high empathy for victim, but negative effect, sense of helplessness

As an author, you should consider these motivations. Which readers do you want to reach? Mold your story accordingly.

Good luck!