Confronting Fears Through Horror by Craig Crawford

Confronting Fears Through Horror by Craig Crawford

I think the discussion of mental health works perfectly with horror, movies, books—you name it. For the author, I think it’s a great outlet. Let’s face it, all of us are dealing with something and often more than one something. I’ve always used writing as a sort of therapy: take me away from the really real world for a couple of hours. 

I actually wrote my first full novel in the aftermath of my dad and grandfather dying. They both went within a span of three weeks and it was not a good time. After the dust settled with funerals and cleaning out my dad’s place I needed some escapism. I ended up pulling out the beginnings of a novel from a drawer and buried my head into it. I spent the next eight months tackling it almost every night until it was done. 

In retrospect, it was perfect. I could spend my day dealing with the usual nonsense, but at night, I could slide into the book and push everything else to the side. In small ways it helped me compartmentalize my stress and grief, and gave me a quiet safe place to cut loose with characters as they battled and stabbed their way through a dark fantasy world. 

In years since, my horror writing serves similar purposes. After a crappy day at work or dealing with some other day-to-day nonsense, writing, and especially writing horror gives me the outlet to work out that stress.

I think horror novels and movies provide stress relief for audiences too. It’s a perfect backdrop for characters dealing with scary shit, dying, watching friends die—the whole gamut. Horror gives you a place to experience someone else’s terrible situations from the comfy of your own couch or a movie theater. 

I know the satisfaction I get after coming to the end of a horror movie after someone survives and you breathe that sigh of relief along with them (even though you usually have to sit through one more jump scare at the very end). Horror can provide a great setting for people to relate to characters going through their own hells. 

My Project Threshold novels take on mental health directly. It’s set in a multiverse where monsters and entities intrude into our world and the group, Project Threshold, intercedes, either capturing or killing things threatening normal people. The horror side is really the backdrop for how the main characters handle their own stressors. Or don’t. My main character, Harris Berger leads a team and he has to live with the burden of people dying under his command, attempted suicide of one of his people and even the failing of his own marriage because he can’t talk about work. 

The horror genre gives you an escape just like other genres, but you get the added emphasis of mental adrenalin rushes from ratcheting tension, horrific escalation and even jump scares. I look at horror as a safe way to deal with real, everyday problems in the story context. It’s satisfying on a lot of levels.

Craig Crawford

BIO: 

Craig Crawford grew up reading all the time but it’s when he discovered fantasy and science fiction he got to wondering whether he could create his own stories. He spent the next decades writing and improving his skills. He published two non-fiction indexes with Palladium Books in 1994 and 1997.

In 2008 he happened into an internship working with an editor on a fantasy novel and a novella. In 2019 he got interested in writing horror and got his first fiction story published. Since then he’s published thirty short stories with twenty-two different presses in a variety of genres. In 2023 he published a novel length, dark sci-fi/horror serial in four parts thanks to RedCape Publishing. The next installment is releasing now. 

He writes in fantasy, sci-fi, YA, horror, humor—whatever his imagination gives him. You can learn more about his writing and what makes him tick at  https://craiglcrawfordbooks.com. 

Currently he’s published two novel length serials titled under Project Threshold under Red Cape Publishing. For his novel length serial you can find our more at https://projectthreshold.com. 

Craig’s twitter account is: @CraigLCrawford

Project Threshold: Team Berger: Division 1 by Craig Crawford 

In a multiverse where the walls are thin between our world and others, Project Threshold stands between humanity and monsters crossing over to threaten us. Harris Berger and his team intervenes on our behalf. Death waits around every corner but dying isn’t the worst thing they have to endure. Berger wades in with his team: Sam, Billy, Jacks, Jessie, and their new recruit, Pendelhaven. Team Berger faces an unknown advanced civilization, mimics loose on the streets of Chicago killing homeless people, dealing with the aftermath of witnessing awful things, mermaids in the Midwest and an apartment where people start committing suicide for no apparent reason.

Project Threshold Season 2: Team Riker by Craig Crawford 

Hannah and McCoy lost two of their closest friends during the confrontation with the genocidal Alaskan entity and they’re not sure how to move on. Kurt and Cass bolster their ranks but Kurt struggles against his Alaskan curse. Riker continues hunting the monster that killed her parents while trying to stop an entity killing those who trespass on its domain, and they enter the most dangerous house in Alaska . . .

Horror Features on Ginger Nuts of Horror

If you’re a fan of spine-chilling tales and hair-raising suspense, then you won’t want to miss the horror features page on The Ginger Nuts of Horror Review Website. This is the ultimate destination for horror enthusiasts seeking in-depth analysis, thrilling reviews, and exclusive interviews with some of the best minds in the genre. From independent films to mainstream blockbusters, the site covers a broad spectrum of horror media, ensuring that you’re always in the loop about the latest and greatest.

The passionate team behind The Ginger Nuts of Horror delivers thoughtful critiques and recommendations that delve into the nuances of storytelling, character development, and atmospheric tension. Whether you’re looking for hidden gems to stream on a dark and stormy night or want to explore the work of up-and-coming horror filmmakers, this page is packed with content that will ignite your imagination and keep you on the edge of your seat.

So grab your favourite horror-themed snacks, settle into a cosy spot, and immerse yourself in the chilling world of horror literature and film. Head over to The Ginger Nuts of Horror and embark on a journey through the eerie and the extraordinary. It’s an adventure you won’t soon forget!