Taking YA Horror Seriously: What Can Fear Teach Us?

Before this presentation, I have to admit that horror was not a genre I spent much time considering as an educator. I personally detest scary movies and all things horror.  I can remember running out of the movie theater during the movie House of Wax. I also remember my mom having to put cold water on me to wake me up during night terrors...the result of staying up late and watching Freddie Kruguer, Jason and Candy Man (telling my age LOL!) 

While I understood horror's popularity among young people, I was biased because of my own lived experiences, and I often viewed it as a genre students might read independently rather than one that belonged in serious classroom study. However, our speaker, Kacie Cooper, challenged my bias and that assumption right away by arguing that we should not be afraid of YA horror or afraid to implement it in our classrooms. More importantly, she argued that we must take YA horror seriously if we expect students to do the same.

That idea immediately captured my attention because it connects to something I have been wrestling with throughout this course: whose reading interests are valued in schools? Kacie noted that young people are exposed to horror early and that it remains one of the most popular genres among teens and young adults. If students are already engaging with these texts outside of school, why would we ignore them inside the classroom?

One idea that particularly stood out to me was the claim that 'horror is a reflection of popular culture—what we cherish, what we hate, and what we fear'. I had never really considered horror from that perspective before. Instead of seeing monsters, violence, or fear as the primary focus, I began thinking about what those elements represent. Kacie encouraged us to ask, "What is YA horror trying to teach us about our culture?" That question shifted my thinking significantly. Rather than viewing horror as merely entertainment, I started seeing it as a space where cultural anxieties, social expectations, and power dynamics are exposed and examined. This aligns with research suggesting that monsters often function as representations of cultural fears and anxieties and can serve as important tools for examining social values and concerns (Golub & Hayton, 2017).

Another aspect of the presentation that challenged my thinking was the discussion of the "Youth Lens." Throughout this course, I have become increasingly interested in how literature represents adolescents. Kacie explained that adolescence is socially constructed and that many common assumptions about teenagers being rebellious, emotional, or immature are products of society rather than universal truths. The Youth Lens asks us to examine how texts create, reinforce, or challenge these ideas about young people. Petrone et al. (2014) argue that literature often presents a "single-story" of adolescence, positioning young people as incomplete or simply becoming adults rather than recognizing the complexity of their current experiences. This framework encourages readers to question how race, class, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality shape youth experiences and how texts position young people in relation to adult expectations.

This made me think about many of the books we have read this semester. Too often, literature presents adolescence as a predictable stage that follows a single path toward adulthood. Through a Youth Lens, we begin asking different questions: Are young people judged by adult standards? Are they forced into a traditional coming-of-age narrative? How do race, class, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality shape their experiences? Do they conform to or resist social expectations? These questions help move us beyond uncritical readings of YA literature and toward a deeper understanding of how youth are socially constructed (Petrone et al., 2014).

I found myself especially drawn to the connection between YA horror and the Youth Lens. Kacie argued that YA horror is uniquely positioned to explore the ways young people experience power, fear, and vulnerability. Monsters and antagonists often function as metaphors for the real constraints adolescents face in society. Research on YA and children's horror literature suggests that horror elements can provide opportunities for young readers to engage with difficult topics in meaningful ways while developing resilience and critical thinking skills (Antonaros, 2020).

One question from the presentation that has stayed with me is: When is horror harmful, and when is it appropriate? That question feels particularly important for educators. Kacie referenced the debate about whether it is ethical to frighten students for educational purposes. I do not think there is a simple answer, but I do think context matters. Arnzen (2008) argues that horror can serve a transformative educational purpose by disrupting assumptions and challenging readers to think differently. In this sense, fear becomes more than an emotional response; it becomes a tool for inquiry and reflection. Horror becomes productive when it encourages students to think critically about the world around them, question dominant narratives, and analyze the fears and anxieties embedded in culture. (Whew!)

This presentation has also encouraged me to think about student choice and engagement in new ways. If literacy is social and discussion-based, then students' interests' MATTER. Kacie emphasized that reading develops through relationships and meaningful conversations, and horror is clearly a genre many students already enjoy. Rather than dismissing it because it can be uncomfortable or controversial, teachers can use it as an entry point into discussions about identity, power, fear, and social expectations. After all, research on teaching horror suggests that the genre can create powerful opportunities for critical literacy when students are encouraged to analyze what scares us and why (Golub & Hayton, 2017).

Ultimately, this presentation expanded my understanding of what valuable classroom literature can look like and eliminated my bias. While realistic fiction may continue to be my personal preference as a reader, I now recognize that horror offers important opportunities for critical thinking and cultural analysis. More importantly, it reminds me that students' interests matter. If literacy is social and choice-driven, then our classrooms should make space for the genres students are already using to make sense of themselves and the world around them. Kacie also challenged educators to take YA horror seriously because, if we do not value the genre, our students are unlikely to value it either. As educators, we should not be afraid of YA horror. Instead, we should thoughtfully consider what it reveals about society, what it teaches about adolescence, and how it might help students better understand themselves and the world they inhabit.

References

Ahmad, A., & Moreland, S. (Eds.). (2013). Fear and learning: Essays on the pedagogy of horror. McFarland.

Antonaros, C. (2020). You got to know when to scare them: A brief study of the usage of horror elements in YA and children's literature. Magnificat: A Journal of Undergraduate Nonfiction, 91–97.

Arnzen, M. A. (2008). The unlearning: Horror and transformative theory. Transformative Works and Cultures, 1. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2008.0113

Cooper, Kacie (2026). YA Horror: Not Fearing Fear, I Fear https://drive.google.com/file/d/151GQFcS-IoMvfjlPBOohu1gZCpYpkfKa/view?usp=sharing

Golub, A., & Hayton, H. R. (Eds.). (2017). Monsters in the classroom: Essays on teaching what scares us. McFarland.

Petrone, R., Sarigianides, S. T., & Lewis, M. A. (2014). The youth lens: Analyzing adolescence/ts in literary texts. Journal of Literacy Research, 46(4), 506–533. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296X14568864