Typical Horror Story in Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band

Typical Horror Story in Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band

There are many different types of horror e.g. comic horror, gothic

horror, and mystical horror. In a murder mystery, there is usually a

mystery, victim, villain, weapons, secrets, cliff-hanger endings and a

detective. These create the typical mood of uncertainty which is

present in a typical horror story. The facts in the case are not

revealed until the last minute creating a mystical atmosphere. The

Speckled Band is set in the Victorian era and includes a cold-blooded

killer which fits the genre of the time where there were many such

incidents such as with Jack the Ripper, suicidal, disgusting and

mystical deaths. Lamb to the Slaughter is set in the more modern 1950s

and the beginning gives the impression of a romance novel but this

homeliness aurora creates an even more sinister atmosphere when the

result comes unexpected to the reader. This discussion will focus on

the resemblance and non-resemblance The Speckled Band and Lamb to the

Slaughter have to a stereotypical horror story.

Helen Stoner, the victim in The Speckled Band is the image typical

victim of a horror story. She is passive, timid and introvert,

'dressed in black and heavily veiled'. She is dominated by men, 'five

little livid spots' where her stepfather hurt her and scared, 'It is

not cold that makes me shiver'. Her fear is emphasized in her use of

words related to horror, 'terror', 'fear', 'grey', 'restless',

'frightened' (p.152 Stories Then and Now, Heinemann 1993). She puts

her trust in the detective,

'Oh, sir, do you not think you could help me too, and at least throw a

little light throu...

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...creates an

even more satisfying feeling for the reader. The words used in this

story are archaic as they are not used in everyday modern life. The

sentences tend to be longer than in Lamb to the Slaughter and are

broken up by semi-colons. The language is old-fashioned which reflects

the time in which it was written as well. The language is also quite

formal whereas in Lamb to the Slaughter, it is more informal, 'For

God's sake..'. This reflects the also informal and comfortable

atmosphere Lamb to the Slaughter sketches which creates an

uncertainty, about what is going to happen, with the reader. The

Speckled Band's formal language creates a more sinister atmosphere and

the many clues, and also red herrings to fool the reader, intrigues

the reader to follow Holmes' case and attempt to solve it by

themselves as well.