Barks horror stories

[Martin S. Thoresen]

Daniel van Eijmeren wrote:
> JEAN MARC BANO to me, 12-04-2004:
>
>> may be my comments were exaggerated about The Golden Fleecin but
>> i feel that the harpies are a little bit creepy albeit the dragon
>> at the end of the story is very funny;
>
> I was curious about the definition of the word "horror", and if 'The
> Golden Fleecing' (US 12) would within that definition.
>
> I'm also thinking of stories like 'The Old Castle's Secret' (OS 189)
> and 'Voodoo Hoodoo' (OS 238). Do they fit within the definition of
> horror?
>
> Or are they "thrillers"? I've always thought that horror was about
> 10 litres of blood coming from just one person. But as I have a weak
> heart, I'm not quite an expert on either "horrors" or "thrillers". :-)

To me, 10 litres of blood define the limit when a "horror" becomes
a "splatter" and loses it's "scary-ness".
But, the definition of "horror" is a much debated one, and most people
differ in their opinions about the genre.
For instance, Agatha Christies crime-novels have often been defined
as "horror".
I can only give my own definition of "horror", and that is something that
gives me a creepy feeling, that has a definite spooky atmosphere and
builds up slowly. Think of the classic horror-writers, like Edgar Allen Poe,
and H.P. Lovecraft (allthough, for some reason, every single movie-director
seems to believe
that Lovecraft can not be filmed without the aforementioned 10 litres of
blood).
Even Arthur Conan Doyle's books about Sherlock Holmes contained genuine
scary elements that I would classify as "horror". (Among them the infamous
"Hound of the Baskervilles", re-animated in "Hound of the Whiskervilles",
also a scary Barks story.)

And back to the question at hand; yes, I Would place these Barks stories in
a "horror" kind-of genre, especially the "Golden Fleecing" story which
really
frightened me as a child.
It's a combination of Barks often creepy, "dark" drawing style (which he
toned down
in his later years) and scary, atmospheric plots I would say. Many of my
favourite
Barks stories as a child, (and to this day) were among the ones I found
"creepy".
Another particular story I remember quite vividly, was the story about the
forest-fire,
where the Ducks were out camping and the Pete-look-alike started the forest
fire
which they were trapped in. I remember that the whole situation felt more
"real" and
dangerous than any other Duck-story I'd read until then, and it was
suspensful when
they had to bury themselves in the ground to avoid being burned alive.
(Another think
I like about the story is that shows Donalds practical side, and how he acts
as the "adult"
for once in a truly life-threatning situtation.)

(I will finish off with apoligies for any spelling mistakes, but I wrote too
much, and
I'm tired, and I'm Norwegian, and I've run out excuses.....)

- Martin S. Thoresen