Abstract:
Horror fiction plays an important part in the cultural landscape of contemporary world, being integral to the popular culture in many modern societies. This chapter compares and contrasts the structure and characteristics of horror narratives from two distinct cultures—American and Japanese—with a focus on the mechanisms that make them successful, and on their culturally-specific aspects. The aim of this work is to shed light on the differences and similarities in the depiction of fear and horror in American and Japanese realities, while at the same time emphasizing narrative patterns in the context of their respective cultures.
