The Landlady By Roald Dahl

“Many people define horror by its subjects. But we all know that horror covers more than these monsters,” Sharon A. Russell said in her article “What is the Horror Genre?”. For a story to be considered horror, it needs to have many elements, like a spooky setting, and supernatural occurrence. Some stories just are not considered horror. “The Landlady”, by Roald Dahl, is not a horror story because the characters are important, the setting is not spooky, and nothing is supernatural.

First, the character Billy is important, and the reader cares about him. In a good horror story, the reader should care more about the plot than the character. “The Landlady” provides plenty of detailed information about Billy, his character, and his passions and goals, making the reader care about Billy. This is especially true when the author describes in detail Billy’s clothing, his desire to become a businessman, and his long train trip from his home city. In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the reader does not even know any of the characters’ names or appearances. The reader knows a lot more about Billy than the unnamed characters in some horror stories, which makes them feel a connection with Billy.
There are no supernatural occurrences in “The Landlady”. Some readers might argue that the way Billy was enticed into the house was supernatural, but really, Billy simply saw that it looked warm and inviting. There was never any magic. In fact, the story even describes the lush, velvety curtains, the vases of beautiful flowers, and the grand piano and plush chairs. There was also the fact of the bed and breakfast being cheap. It was a lot cheaper than Billy thought it would be, and that must have seemed like a good deal for a night’s