I've been trying desperately to write a fantasy/horror story lately and found myself listing out motif after motif, theme after theme. After trying to apply them to the storyline I was constructing, I found that some were really quite engaging on a visceral level as well as an intellectual level, which is absolutely necessary when trying to evoke fear.
Obviously, everything starts with the unknown; it's the source of everything we fear. In any great, thrilling tale, there is something great and unknown. It's Pandora's Box, it's something hunting you; it's something for which there isn't necessarily reason or obvious motive. But from this there springs a well of different possible themes that can be used as tools to help weave a story.
Themes that I'm currently trying to use are death and rebirth, impure religion, mistrust of authority, and drug use. I'm also tossing around the theme of identity, what makes someone a unique individual.
What are your favorite horror motifs and themes? How do you think they've been best applied? Have you ever used them in your own writing?
Thanks!
Oh, and BOO!