Full Tilt

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What does it mean when we say a literary work is a “horror” story? What have you read, watched, or played that fits into this genre? Why do people read and watch horror? What do you think “supernatural horror” is?

Teaching Suggestion: The precise definition of horror is less important than students having a general understanding of what is and is not horror. Students may benefit from debating the finer points of one another’s definitions, as this will encourage them to think about the somewhat loose boundaries around the term. They may also enjoy sharing examples they have encountered. Students may have difficulty moving beyond answers like “It’s fun” as they consider the purposes of the genre—the resources below may be helpful for teachers in generating ideas and providing specific language and terms for deeper discussion.

• This brief guide to the genre of horror explains its characteristics, purpose, and subgenres. (Content Warning: Site includes links to clips from The Shining and The Exorcist.)
• This article from the Harvard Business Review explains the psychology behind enjoying horror.
• This 22-minute TEDx Talk by psychiatrist Dr. Steve Schlozman explains what the horror genre can teach us about ourselves and others. (Teacher-appropriate; may not be appropriate for all classes.)

2. What are some amusement park rides that are designed to be scary? Do you think people enjoy them for the same reasons that they enjoy reading stories, watching videos, and playing games in the horror genre?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may at first focus exclusively on either physical scares—like roller coasters and gravity drop rides—or psychological scares—like haunted houses and dark rides. As you guide them to think about how rides are designed to appeal to different kinds of fear, it may be beneficial to ask them why people might have different reasons for enjoying these various rides. Since they are about to read a story in which carnival rides become genuinely dangerous and psychologically distressing, you might ask them to think about how far a ride can go and still be fun instead of upsetting.

• This article by Dr. Richard Stephens explains the psychology of enjoying scary rides like roller coasters.
• This 5-minute video takes viewers on a tour of an English “ghost train” attraction. (Note: This video contains flashing lights and is not appropriate for photosensitive students.)

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

What is one of your greatest fears? If someone designed a carnival ride specifically to scare you, what elements might it include? Describe the ride and explain how riding it all the way through would prove you had conquered your fear.

Teaching Suggestion: You may want to encourage students to have fun with their answers and approach the question with creativity and humor. It may be helpful to let them know that they can choose something that is common to many people, like a fear of bugs or public speaking, and that they do not need to share anything too personal. If you intend to have students discuss aloud or share their answers, it’s a good idea to establish clear guidelines in advance about what kinds of topics are appropriate for the classroom and what kinds of descriptions might be too graphic or vivid to share.