  Horror/Scary
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Torture presupposes, it requires, it craves the abrogation of our capacity to imagine others' suffering, dehumanizing them so much that their pain is not our pain. It demands this of the torturer, placing the victim outside and beyond any form of compassion or empathy, but also demands of everyone else the same distancing, the same numbness...
- from the book “Torture: A Collection” by Ariel Dorfman
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Torture is a difficult, disturbing topic. There are few (if any) more reprehensible deeds in our world than the deliberate infliction of pain and suffering upon another being. Reading graphic details of torture is a disturbing experience, because it can make the reader feel like the torture victim. Writing about torture is also an unpleasant experience. The writer has to delve into the darkest corners of his/her imagination and deal with the detail given by the description on the page.
So how far can you go when writing about torture?
Torture has a long history. Philosophers such as Aristotle and Francis Bacon advocated the use of carefully monitored torture to enforce the power of the justice systems in their respective countries. According to the Ancient Romans a slave’s testimony was only admissible if made under torture, because it was believed slaves were untrustworthy people who would never tell the truth. In medieval times torture was a legitimate part of the justice system, with the method used dependent upon the suspect’s social status and the crime believed to have been committed. It was used to extract confessions, obtain additional information about a crime and for obtaining the names of any accomplices. Sometimes people sentenced to death would be tortured prior to execution, to give them a last chance to disclose any names they were still hiding. The judicial inquisitors were forbidden to use torture methods that resulted in bloodshed, mutilation or death. Additionally, torture could be performed only once, although this was circumvented when a session was "suspended". When it was continued it would be regarded as the same session of torture. An example of one of the more common forms of medieval inquisition torture was strappado, where the victim’s hands were bound behind the back with a rope before being suspended, dislocating the joints painfully in both arms. Weights could be added to the legs dislocating those joints as well.
The rack was another popular torture method, where the victim’s joints were stretched to breaking point; the thumbscrew (self-explanatory) and the boot, which crushed the calf, ankle, and heel between vertically positioned boards. Another common form of torture forced the subject to ingest massive quantities of water that was sometimes mixed with urine, pepper, diarrhea or some other foul substance for additional persuasiveness). Red-hot pinchers were often applied to fingers, toes, ears, noses and other extremities. If none of these foul methods of torture worked the victim was sent to the secular authorities, who were not bound by any restrictions. If the victim was sentenced to death a tortuous execution was publicly conducted, such as crucifixion. The sentence of hanging, drawing and quartering was carried out in England, attracting large crowds to the execution sites.
Once it was believed “good” people wouldn’t commit torture; under the right circumstances “bad” people were happy to commit vile acts against others. Today it has been discovered this is not strictly correct – under the right circumstances and with the right supervision in the right place most people can be made to torture others. The mentality of torture can include:
 Reluctant or peripheral participation. This includes those who may bring food to the victim, or assist with setting up or cleaning the torture room.
Official encouragement. Many people will follow the direction of an authority figure, such as a superior officer in an official setting. This can be enforced as claiming the actions are mandatory, even if the potential torturer has reservations. Motivating factors appear to be the fear of loss of status or respect, and the desire to be seen as a "good citizen" or "good member of the team”.
Peer encouragement. Accepting torture as necessary, acceptable or deserved, or committing torturous acts so as not reject peer group beliefs. This has the potential to lead to torture gangs roaming the streets seeking dominant torture status.
Dehumanization. Belief that victims as objects of curiosity and experimentation, where pain becomes just another test to see how it affects the victim.
Socio-cultural and situational pressures may cause torturers to lower their moral inhibitions, thus acting in ways not normally countenanced by law, custom and conscience.
There have been occasions when the medical world has been accused of committing torture. This usually happens in war situations, when the medical practitioner conducts “experiments”. The torturer may be trying to determine how much pain an individual can endure, or what can be used to increase the horror of torture. It’s these kind of actions that caused inmates of Auschwitz to bestow upon Dr Josef Mengele the nickname “Angel of Death”.
Writing or reading about torture is hopefully the closest any of us will ever come to either experiencing or inflicting torture. For most fiction writers there’s a fine line to tread when describing torture. When handled correctly readers will empathise with the victim and the terrible suffering caused by the torture experience. A carelessly worded piece will have no effect on readers, and in a perverse way this makes them accomplices in the sanction and endorsement of torture. Horror writers are more “fortunate” – the genre often includes torture, and many readers expect depictions of torture. Many horror readers readily admit they look forward to the adrenaline rush they receive when reading a graphic torture scene, much the same way a horror film fan enjoys watching a terrifying scene.
To conclude I give you some examples of effective use of torture in literature:
In George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” the main character is tortured under the totalitarian government. A cage filled with hungry rats is put over his face.
Anthony Burgess’ “A Clockwork Orange” explores the use of psychological re-education to remove violent tendencies from members of society.
Gene Wolf’s “Book of the New Sun” tells the story of the travels of Severian, a professional torturer banished when he allows one of his victims to commit suicide.
Edgar Allen Poe’s brilliant “The Pit and the Pendulum” details the mental torture of a man sentenced to death during the Spanish Inquisition.
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My next Horror Newsletter is out on July 25, 2007 and will feature the Greek mythological hapries and sirens - thank you, likenion for your submission. |
The graphic torture of this victim is harrowing to read, particularly when no reason is given for it.
Can this individual survive the torture inflicted upon him, and move towards his destiny?
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A journalist discovers a terrible torture when he looses his freedom.
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The element of mental torture is evident in this story, as a killer toys with his prey.
A young man awaits his fate at the hands of a vicious killer. Is there anyone who will hear his cries for mercy?
Here’s a group for horror writers interested in taking their work further.
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Finally, a few contests for horror writers:
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fatchixrock2
It's interesting that you wrote this month's newsletter on a creature that, today, we often see as children fairy tale creatures instead of true beings of horror. Congrats on a job well done.
Thank you for the compliment. When researching creatures like these the potential for evil is there, and I feel they are quite an underused character in both horror and fantasy literature.
animatqua
I really enjoyed this issue. Quaquay, my Odawa monster hunter, was running out of monsters. This will help a lot when I return to writing the character!
Glad to have helped you out! A goblin monster may be small and housebound, but the story of goblins pulling people into cupboards haunts me to this day!
BranAPublishedAuthor!!! 
Great work on the newsletter! The idea about doppelgangers is very interesting and frightening! One of me in this world is more than enough, trust me!
I did think the doppelganger was perhaps an overused subject for horror writing, but when going deeper into the subject I found there was a lot of information that seems to have been overlooked by this genre. I’m glad you enjoyed the newsletter.
nomlet 
Another excellent newsletter. I like goblins (and gremlins) because they're fantastical characters for horror stories which can be scary without relying on blood and gore. I've always liked the baby-stealing angle personally. That's horror for sure, but sneaky slip-in-through-an-open-window horror rather than bang-down-the-front-door horror.
Goblins have become more associated with light horror (is there such a thing?) in recent years, but I believe their image centuries ago was probably far more terrifying than it is today. Imagine being held hostage in your own home by a disgruntled goblin! Almost like having an unwelcome houseguest.
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Horror/Scary: July 04, 2007 Issue [#1803]
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