Reading, Writing, Rowling

Harry Potter may not technically be considered a work of horror, but there are plenty of horrifying aspects to explore in this episode. Katy and Emily speak with Dr. Jeff Ambrose about the scariest parts of the series and the lasting effects horrific events have on characters (and readers and viewers). The series has its fair share of monsters, torture, murder, and soul-sucking, with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire bringing in such terrors as Death Eaters, Unforgivable Curses, and a gruesome graveyard resurrection. Horror as a genre traffics in trauma, which is bound to result from the characters' experiences. Emotion is closely tied to magic in the Potter, so manifestations of trauma in the series come in the form of Thestrals, Dementors, and boggarts but also in Harry's role as a Horcrux, literally carrying past trauma within him, and in what Harry represents to Snape. While trauma can certainly be tied to personal identity, Jeff disagrees with the idea that it erodes characters' personalities, point