Colorful History has always been made to be an engaging learning tool for students and teachers in schools. A few special issues, however, are actually created BY students! American Horror History is one of those special issues.

These students chose American horror, because they are aware that the horror genre has made a great impact on not only pop culture but individual people’s lives. This impact has been visible for years upon years, and we would like to show how it originated through our comic book, and why it has affected people on such a deep level. Being so popular, this is an easily relatable subject that near everyone has some sort of experience with horror. Be it films, books, or even being inspired to create their own stories.

• Story: Sarah Cochran and Tobin Friday
• Art: Tobin Friday
• Lettering: R. Alan Brooks 

Estimated Lexile Levels:

• Comic: 1010-1200
• Endnotes: 1010-1200

Comes with a free teaching guide aligned to Common Core Standards for grades 8-10.

Pop Culture Classroom has been honored to create this comic in collaboration with students at Arvada High School in Arvada, Colorado—a suburb of Denver. For the past few years, 10^th grade history students have worked in groups to write scripts for a proposed issue of Colorful History about a person, place, or event during the years that they study in class (roughly 1865 – 2001). They pitch their scripts to PCC staff, and we select a project that we feel is well-written and fits best within our catalogue. In 2024, students Tobin and Sarah took the opportunity to highlight one of their favorite pop culture pastimes: horror cinema.

For most student-written issues, PCC hands the final scripts to professional artists, and they bring the artwork to life. During Tobin and Sarah’s pitch, however, PCC staff were struck by the quality and creativity of Tobin’s page sketches – something we ask all students to present to get a feel of their vision. Tobin also expressed interest in creating the issues’ final artwork. After guiding Tobin through the professional process, we couldn’t be more thrilled with how the end product turned out! This issue stands as one of a few in the Colorful History line to have artwork created by high school students.

The story begins with Gothic Literature and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as the foundation of horror. Then, the journey continues through American horror cinema in the 20th and 21st centuries. From vampires to slasher films to apocalyptic horror and everything in between, horror films reflect the culture of the times by sharing commentary on society’s fears.

Finally, the comic explores the significance of the horror genre for building community. The students who brought this comic from concept to completion wanted to bring attention to the cultural impact of horror, and we can’t wait to share it with you!

Using the project ideas featured in this guide, students can:

• create their own horror story
• compare horror film adaptations of horror stories
• understand the way monsters are used metaphorically in horror
• discuss the beneficial aspects of the horror genera

This project was funded by the Colorado Gives Foundation and the Science and Cultural Facilities District. We appreciate their support in bringing this comic to life!