Horror is a genre that is chockfull of terrifying concepts, but one that has started to emerge as a strong thread of late is that of liminal space – a location that serves as a transition between two places. This could of course be a physical space, but there is also the growing concept of liminal psychological spaces – emotional states that see us between one location in life and another. The odds are you’ve already encountered liminal spaces somewhere within horror, even if the term is absolutely new to you – and in this piece we’re going to explore how to employ this exciting idea within horror stories.
Finding a liminal space
The odds are you’ve also encountered liminal space in life – long hallways, the likes you may find in hotels or hospitals, are ideal examples. Other very common instances are spaces centred on travel – bus stations, train stations and airports are also locations between one place and another, an inbetween space on a journey,we stay for the shortest time only.
