Folk Horror & Urban Legend Worldbuilding with Gregg Hale

The Blair Witch Project created a whole new film genre - and co-producer Gregg Hale chats with Kat about worldbuilding folk horror (and dark fairytales, like his new project, Black Velvet Fairies). What is folk horror? What are urban legends? What elements and themes do these subgenres have in common, what sets them apart, and how do you create a sense of unease, dread, and mystery in supposedly familiar spaces?
Catch the Full Interview: • Worldbuilding Horror &...
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[@d1j16]

I remember the hype around Blair Witch when it came out, so it's cool to hear from one of the creators. Thanks!

[@KatAdVictoriam]

Perfect timing! I live near a lake with a ton of local folklore and ghost stories, which gave me inspiration to develop a folk horror novel. I'm in the outline phase. This was really helpful and gave me food for thought.

[@WorldAnvil]

That is awesome!

[@FoggyPigeon]

Great interview and really interesting talking points. As well as drawing inspiration from folk tales for your stories, I've found that, when worldbuilding, creating vague folk tales makes your world feel more real as well. My world has lots of spirits and all of them have a variety of tales and depending on where you are, the stories and outcomes will differ. The fun part of that is that they don't need to make sense or be too thought out. They can be a bit crazy and illogical and you never have to reveal which one, if any, are the real story.

[@thearnoldarmy1899]

Great video.

[@marcusblacknell-andrews1783]

This genre is perfect for recreating a “Boogeyman” story.