Michael McDowell and the lasting appeal of Southern Gothic Horror Lit, Part 1
by E.G. Rand
Despite the problematic elements, Southern Gothic Horror Literature remains a top genre.
Southern Gothic Horror literature is a magic set of words. On its utterance, images appear– wrap around porches, mint juleps, death and decay, civil war ghosts, wealth and aristocracy for the few created by the blood of the many. These works use the fantastical, the grotesque and the macabre, but they center around real horrors. And the American south has no shortage of horrors.
Southern Gothic literature is defined by the Oxford Research Encyclopedia as works that “ bring to light the extent to which the idyllic vision of the pastoral, agrarian South rests on massive repressions of the region’s historical realities: slavery, racism, and patriarchy.”
Southern Gothic horror is steeped into America’s literary soul. Many argue that Edgar Allen Poe introduced the genre, and hundreds of writers have contributed over the years. But I would like to submit for consideration some of the best southern gothic novels I have ever read, all by author Michael McDowell.
Michael McDowell: A master of the pulp horror novel and the Southern Gothic genre
Michael McDowell was unabashed about writing “pulp” horror novels. He wasn’t trying to create the great American novel, at least not initially. ( Though he went on to pen many famous novels and screenplays, including the screenplay for “Beetlejuice” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” ) Born in 1950, McDowell’s work is decidedly old fashioned. I think that is what is so appealing to readers.
In a nascent country like America, we aren’t big on ancient history. All of the ancient history here belonged to the indigenous people, whose stories and cultures were destroyed by colonizers. Southern gothic horror is uniquely American, and it speaks to the horrors that exist within our cultures today. Michael McDowell's work is bloody, brutal and haunted, just like our history.
Make sure to tune in for part two next week when I list the best southern gothic horror novels by Michael McDowell!
What do you think? Comments are open!
