Short story writer and novelist Irenosen Okojie (Nudibranch, Curandera, Speak Gigantular) discusses how folklore, oral history, traditions and mythology can and has been used to inspire the truly frightening.
From the very real fears faced by isolated communities and the impact of the wilderness, to the disturbing ritualism of some beliefs, cultures and tradition, Irenosen looks at how aesthetic and storytelling can be twisted into horror elements and the books and media that inspired her.
Folklore provides a framework from which to tell stories of the ghostly and the uncanny, tales that are often so deeply ingrained into our cultural psyche they possess a sense of existing in perpetuity. For audiences who love both genres, the connections between the two is rich terrain for storytelling. The folklore and horror crossover provides an abundant source of supernatural entities, such as the undead, spirits, vampires and deities, all of which can be deployed as antagonists and sources of fear.
Often the foundation of horror stories, folklore – with its mercurial entities, narratives and symbolic meanings – leans into the most unsettling elements of the human experience. Folkloric stories are usually located in isolated rural landscapes, exploring tensions between ancient persistent darkness and modern civilizations, thus providing the imaginative scope for horror to dissect such themes. Both genres can explore the secret terrors of place and history, unsettling familial inheritance, ancient and pagan traditions, ritual, as well as cultural identity and regional beliefs. There is an almost symbiotic relationship between the two that often sees the stories and themes of folklore reinterpreted through a modern horror milieu.
English author Algernon Blackwood (1869 -1951) is recognised as one of the original masters of ‘folk horror’.
A passionate lover of nature, Blackwood’s books were often filled with the wonder and mysticism of the wild and his surroundings as well as the terrors of the forests and the mountains. Blackwood draws from Anishinaabe folklore in his most well-known novella, The Wendingo (1910). Set in the Canadian wilderness, it follows a hunting party on the search for moose, a sense of fear spreads when one of the party is kidnapped by the moose and the tables are turned.
Blackwood takes the old myth of Algokonian lore then remakes it. Rather than examining the taboo subject of cannibalism which the original myth was focused on, he interrogates the threats that occur when man ventures far from civilization and the dark side of wanderlust which forces the protagonist to confront the violent forces of nature within himself.
Another strong illustration of the relationship between folklore and horror is Shirley Jackson’s short story, The Lottery. Perhaps an unexpected reference because there is no direct connection to the supernatural, however it does centre a rural community who participate in an ancient tradition of ritualistic sacrifice. That being the annual lottery which on the surface sounds benign however the communal practice of the lottery end in violent result.
The strange farming community coupled with the character Old Man Warner representing a dissenting voice against tradition and a new way of thinking. The story shows the innate violence within human nature and how easily people, including neighbours and children, can harm and turn on each other, particularly when pushed to by tradition or conformity. The sharp contrast between the domestic, familiar setting of a summer day and a shocking act of ritualistic murder amplifies the horror.
The intersection of folklore and horror is also perfect for film as a medium. A great example of this is Ari Aster’s Midsommar (2019). With its nature aesthetic, weird community practices and unravelling into horror, the term ‘sacrificial lambs’ takes on new and increasingly disturbing meaning as we follow the plot. Inspired by Swedish traditions and Norse mythology, it also incorporates a personal story of a toxic relationship and the traumas that come with it. The story is set in a commune during a Midsummer festival.
Dani, the main protagonist is struggling after the loss of her family and in some ways the commune’s twisted rituals reflect her need for belonging. While horror stories are often set at night, the film upends expectations by depicting events in the daytime. This is risky because darkness usually appears to contain the most mystery and terror due to the element of the unknown.
The film also uses classic folk horror elements such as an isolated rural community, outsider characters meeting an insular cult and pagan rituals. The film’s ritualistic sacrifices are inspired by Viking traditions and Swedish folklore and the commune is based on villages in the Halsingland region of Sweden, using local traditions and old farms to create its distinctive visual aesthetic.
In Hag, an anthology of modern feminist retellings of folktales (Virago Press 2021), women writers reimagine old regional folk tales. For my short story Rosheen, a retelling of The Dauntless Girl, I wanted to reconfigure the story by responding to a core image from the original – that of the protagonist visiting the space of the undead to get what is her due.
The Dauntless Girl, set in Suffolk, follows a young girl who earns her moniker by accepting a bet to retrieve a skull bone from ‘the dead house’ (a farmhouse) in the middle of the night. Although a disembodied voice constantly tells her to ignore the skulls, she locks the voice in, physically, approaching the ‘haven’ of the farmhouse to claim her winnings. The voice turns out to be a verger, bribed to scare her away, who ends up dead from fear after being left with the bones in the dark.
For my folk horror version, reckonings occur in the barn at a farm owned by a cruel overseer. My ‘dead space’ lingers on the macabre by using visceral, violent imagery. Bloody-mouthed heads floating in the barn in my tale have painful histories connected to the farm. Whilst the original feels ghostly and gothic, I dialled up the body horror aspects to give my take its own specific feel. My story has a mixed-race woman who leaves Ireland to find her father, a fighter pilot who fought for Britain in the second world war, ended up in Norfolk then disappeared.
My muse is a young woman, a Black, Irish, sleep-deprived protagonist with daddy wounds, fighting for survival and vengeance. I found blending folklore and horror the perfect milieu for this story, not only did it allow me to explore a complex female protagonist but also the darker elements of human psychology, which was endlessly fascinating.
Writing exercise
Choose an old folktale, write your own modern ‘folk horror’ short story version by responding to an image in that story and bringing it up to date. Use the horror aspects in your piece to explore the character’s fears and personal evolution.
Irenosen Okojie
Irenosen Okojie is a Nigerian British author whose work pushes the boundaries of form, language and ideas. Her novel, Butterfly Fish, and short story collections, Speak Gigantular and Nudibranch, have won and been nominated for multiple awards. Her journalism has been featured in The New York Times, the Observer, the Guardian and the Huffington Post. She is a Contributing Editor for The White Review as well as And Other Stories. She co-presented the BBC’s Turn Up for The Books podcast, alongside Simon Savidge and Bastille frontman Dan Smith.
Her work has been optioned for the screen. She has also judged various literary prizes including the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Gordon Burn Prize, the BBC National Short Story Award and the Dublin Literary Award. She was a judge for the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Formerly the Vice Chair of the Royal Society of Literature, she was awarded an MBE For Services to Literature in 2021. She is the director and founder of Black to the Future Festival. Her new novel, Curandera is published by Dialogue Books and Soft Skull Press in the US. It was longlisted for the Ondaatje Prize.
Horror: a resource pack for writers
Dare to frighten your readers! From timeless traditions to the unconventional and downright strange, our new Horror pack is filled with insights and inspiration from Irenosen Okojie, Zoë Apostolides, Julia Armfield, Adam Z. Robinson, and more.
Our online resource packs offer practical advice, techniques, and inspiration for writers just starting out (or for those keen to refine their craft). While the focus is on fiction, the insights are valuable for all forms of writing.
Each pack features articles, podcasts, and videos featuring acclaimed authors. Covering everything from Beginnings and Method to Character, Research, Routine, and Editing, this growing library is designed to help you develop your voice and strengthen your practice.
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