Beyond the Blood: Professor and Author Sachar Finds Meaning in Horror

For anyone who thinks of horror fiction as just cheap thrills delivered for shock value, Dr. Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar wishes for you to think of it from another perspective: Horror is as important to literature as a raven is to Edgar Allen Poe.

A lover of all things that go bump in the night, Sachar, associate professor of English at Commonwealth University–Bloomsburg, has edited, written, and taught everything horror. Her experiences as a writer and an educator shape her feelings on why horror should be as respected a literary genre as any other.

Sachar’s dark suspense novel Darkness There but Something More was published by Wicked House Publishing in March 2024. Her horror short story collection, Keeper of Corpses and Other Dark Tales, debuted this September 13.

And Sachar has more chills up her sleeve with three more books set to be published next year: a horror novella, a young adult mystery, and a middle-grade mystery. She has also edited a horror scholarship book and a not-yet-published horror anthology. Additionally, she has served as the fiction editor of the River and South Review and will soon begin her tenure as co-editor in chief and creative prose editor of Pennsylvania English.

Sachar’s relatively new class for the Jones Honors College, “Writing Horror Fiction,” allows students to conjure some thrills of their own by writing original short horror stories. “I hope that they’ll have some fun, whet their creative appetites, and that they’ll feel free to try different things .”

Psychologically, horror fiction gives people a way to experience danger without putting their lives at risk. “Reading horror, watching horror is safe,” Sachar says. “Some of us who love horror go through life with a lot of anxiety. Experiencing horror through the screen or book makes it safe. It’s not about you. You can work through your fears that way, but at the same time, many are not comfortable facing what scares them.”

“There is a stigma that all horror is bad writing, cheap and easy to write. That is false. There is bad writing in every genre, and also good writing,” says Sachar, a member of the Horror Writers Association. “Horror can be just as complex and well-written as any other genre; it deserves recognition for the work people have put into it. The brand of horror I enjoy most is referred to as ‘smart horror’ by the writing community. It is writing about something more than jump scares or blood and guts, something that has depth.”

“Some people don’t like to be scared; other people find joy in it and face their fears in it. You know that it’s not real, but what if it was?” adds Sachar. “I often find my writing is inspired by objects and experiences, my fears and anxieties. It was only natural that I turned to horror. Taking something I fear but using a creative spark from experience and inspiration worked for me.”

“Horror can be literary. I want my students to walk away from the horror fiction class feeling like they can be successful in class and get the experience of being a writer. Some people have never tried creative writing before, but they put in the work and come to enjoy it. It helps that I encourage them to submit the pieces to publication after the class is done.”

“I’ve learned that the longer the story, the longer you travel with the character, the more it becomes real to you, especially with horror. As a reader, you want the characters to win, but as a writer I want the journey to be interesting and unique. If you call something horror, you can’t get away with not having real scares involved.”

More information about Sachar is available here: cassandraosullivansachar.com