Splatterpunk

Splatterpunk is a movement within horror fiction originating in the 1980s, distinguished by its graphic, often gory, depiction of violence, countercultural alignment and "hyperintensive horror with no limits.""Schow, David J." by Gary Westfahl in David Pringle, ''St. James guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers''. London : St. James Press, 1998, (pp. 516–517. ). The term was coined in 1986 by David J. Schow at the Twelfth World Fantasy Convention in Providence, Rhode Island. Splatterpunk is regarded as a revolt against the "traditional, meekly suggestive horror story". Splatterpunk has been defined as a "literary genre characterised by graphically described scenes of an extremely gory nature."

History

Michael Shea's short story "The Autopsy" (1980) has been described as a "proto-splatterpunk" story.

Splatterpunk provoked considerable controversy among horror writers. Robert Bloch criticized the movement, arguing "there is a distinction to be made between that which inspires terror and that which inspires nausea". William F. Nolan and Charles L. Grant also censured the movement. Rob Latham, "The Urban Horror", in S. T. Joshi, ed., ''Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: an Encyclopedia of our Worst Nightmares'' (Greenwood, 2007), (p. 591-618) However, critics R. S. Hadji and Philip Nutman praised the movement, the latter describing splatterpunk as a "survivalist" literature that "reflects the moral chaos of our times".

Though the term gained some prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, and, as a movement, attracted a cult following, the term "splatterpunk" has since been replaced by other synonymous terms for the genre. The last major commercial endeavor aimed at the splatterpunk audience was 1995's ''Splatterpunks II: Over the Edge'', an anthology of short stories which also included essays on horror cinema and an interview with Anton LaVey. By 1998, one commentator suggested interest in splatterpunk was declining, saying it "seemed to have reached a peak" in the mid-1990s. The term is still sometimes used for horror with a strong gruesome element, such as Philip Nutman's novel ''Cities of Night''.

In 2018, the organizers of KillerCon established the Splatterpunk Awards (or "Bernies") to honor achievement in the fields of splatterpunk and extreme horror. An author who won a Splatterpunk Medal for his novel, '' Full Brutal'', was Kristopher Triana.

Though traditionally associated with literature, splatterpunk has also gained influence in other media, namely video games. '' The Coffin of Andy and Leyley'', a 2023 indie horror game, gained notoriety from this expansion. Initially banned in Australia due to its controversial themes, the game was later reinstated with an R-18+ rating due to primarily splatterpunk characteristics such as gore and high impact violence. The game is not the first in the splatterpunk genre within gaming, but is one of the more notable.

Genre writers

Writers known for writing in this genre include Clive Barker, Poppy Z. Brite, Jack Ketchum, Richard Laymon, J. F. Gonzalez, Joe Lansdale, Brian Keene, Richard Christian Matheson, Robert R. McCammon, Shane McKenzie, Wrath James White, David J. Schow (described as "the father of splatterpunk" by Richard Christian Matheson), John Skipp, Craig Spector, Edward Lee, Ray Garton, Dan Shrader, and Michael Boatman. Some commentators also regard Kathe Koja as a splatterpunk writer.

See also

* Splatter film
* Transgressive fiction

References

Further reading

* "Inside the New Horror" by Philip Nutman, ''The Twilight Zone'', October 1988
* "The Splatterpunks: The Young Turks at Horror's Cutting Edge" by Lawrence Person, ''Nova Express'', Summer 1988
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{{Horror fiction

1980s in literature
1990s in literature
1986 neologisms
Dark fantasy
Horror fiction
Horror genres