A conversation over at our sister site, Cool Sci-Fi, about urban fantasy novels in London, brings up an interesting topic about certain locations being associated with certain genres, particularly horror & fantasy.
For example, if you read a lot of Stephen King novels then might associate the New England area, especially Maine, with horror stories. If you are a big fan of Anne Rice, especially the movie adaption of Interview With a Vampire, then you might associate New Orleans with vampires. Fans of the Twilight series of books & movie might associate the US North-West (Northern California, Washington, etc.) with vampires & werewolves.
Then there is London.
Victorian London is the setting for many classic horror stories like Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and some of the early Dracula works. London is also the setting for modern classic like An American Werewolf in London, 28 Days Later, and even The Mummy series with Brendan Frasier. Urban fantasy works like Constantine also take place there.
With that in mind, are certain locations used too much for genre works like horror movies & books? Why do some locations seem to be used over & over again? Is it familiarity with the location or trying to gain advantage by being associated with other works set in the same location? What locations are underused?
For example, if you read a lot of Stephen King novels then might associate the New England area, especially Maine, with horror stories. If you are a big fan of Anne Rice, especially the movie adaption of Interview With a Vampire, then you might associate New Orleans with vampires. Fans of the Twilight series of books & movie might associate the US North-West (Northern California, Washington, etc.) with vampires & werewolves.
Then there is London.
Victorian London is the setting for many classic horror stories like Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and some of the early Dracula works. London is also the setting for modern classic like An American Werewolf in London, 28 Days Later, and even The Mummy series with Brendan Frasier. Urban fantasy works like Constantine also take place there.
With that in mind, are certain locations used too much for genre works like horror movies & books? Why do some locations seem to be used over & over again? Is it familiarity with the location or trying to gain advantage by being associated with other works set in the same location? What locations are underused?