Well, the themes play a big role. Themes like the loss of sanity, the breakdown of society, or the exploration of the darkest parts of human nature can make a horror novel disturbing and insane. For instance, if a novel delves into the idea of a person slowly losing their grip on reality and starting to do unthinkable things, it's both disturbing and shows a form of insanity. Additionally, the setting can contribute. A desolate and otherworldly setting, like an abandoned asylum or a haunted forest, can enhance the disturbing and insane aspects as it creates an atmosphere of dread.
It depends. Some might find them disturbing because they often deal with mental illness, which can include dark and difficult themes like hallucinations, severe depression, and abnormal behavior.
The unknown. In insane horror stories, there are often elements that are not fully explained. Like in a story where a person keeps seeing a strange figure in the corner of their eye but when they look directly, it's gone. It creates a sense of unease and fear because our minds try to fill in the blanks.
One major factor is the violation of the natural order. In sick horror stories, we might see things like the dead coming back to life in a wrong or corrupted way, or the innocent being targeted in the most brutal fashion. The sense of helplessness it instills in the reader or viewer is also a big part. When we see characters being subjected to these sick and cruel situations and they can't escape easily, it makes us feel uneasy and disturbed.
Well, body horror novels are disturbing mainly because they violate our sense of self and physical integrity. Our body is something we identify with, and when we read about it being violated, invaded, or transformed in unnatural ways, it creates a sense of unease. Take a novel where a character's body is slowly being consumed from the inside by some unknown force. The thought of that happening to our own bodies or even just seeing it happen to a fictional character makes us squirm. Also, body horror often uses the body as a battleground for some greater horror, whether it's a supernatural power or a mad scientist's experiment, and this combination of the body and extreme horror concepts is what makes these novels so disturbing.
Taboo horror stories are disturbing because they often touch on things that society considers unacceptable or immoral. For example, stories about incestuous relationships within a horror context are deeply unsettling as they go against basic moral norms.
The unpredictability. Schizophrenic characters often act in ways that are difficult to anticipate because their perception of reality is distorted. This can lead to sudden and shocking actions or reactions in the story.
The isolation. Insane asylums are often in remote locations. In a horror novel, this means the characters are cut off from help. For example, in many such novels, when the protagonist realizes something is wrong, there's no easy way out.
One such novel could be 'House of Leaves' by Mark Z. Danielewski. It has a very disturbing and complex narrative structure that can seem almost insane at times. The use of footnotes and different typefaces adds to the sense of unease. Another is 'The Haunting of Hill House' by Shirley Jackson. Although not strictly in diary form, it has that sense of a creeping insanity as the characters experience the horror of the house. It's a classic in the horror genre.
The fact that 'Barney and Friends' is a show aimed at young children makes the horror stories so disturbing. We expect Barney to be a source of joy and learning for kids. When horror stories are created around it, it's like corrupting that innocent image. For example, if Barney is depicted as a puppet being controlled by some evil force in these horror stories, it plays on our fears of the unknown and the violation of the safety that the original show represents. This clash between the expected and the horrifying new take is what causes the disturbance.
The element of surprise. In short horror stories, things can quickly take a turn for the worse. For example, a seemingly normal situation like a person walking down a quiet street can suddenly become terrifying when a strange figure emerges from the shadows without warning.