Writing Without a Safety Net: Why I Don’t Flinch (Even When Readers Do)

Extreme horror gets a bad rap. People assume it’s all edge, no substance. But for me, writing horror that doesn’t flinch is about honesty — emotional, psychological, and visceral.

I don’t write violence for shock value. I write it because horror should hurt sometimes. It should make you question the world, your own limits, your own fears. I want readers to come away unsettled, maybe even angry. Because that means the story did something real.

Some readers have told me I "go too far." That certain scenes were too intense, too disturbing. And to that I say: good. Horror isn’t supposed to be safe.

I write for the ones who see the monster and don’t look away. For the ones who understand that sometimes, the only way to deal with the real horrors of life is to face them head-on through fiction.

Stay Haunted,

E.M. Torrance