Contemporary horror is built upon the foundations provided by gothic horror. Understanding the gothic tradition unleashes a deeper understanding of a plethora of horror media and the genre in general. Not all modern and contemporary examples of horror will have gothic roots, but many do. Doing many deep dives and years of research into the gothic myself, it’s difficult not to see the gothic elements as something intrinsic to many other subcategories of horror and various types of horror media. Last year, most of my emotional turmoil was buried in reading almost 100 issues of the initial run of Hellblazer, the comic series that follows the infamous John Constantine and his various horrific misadventures as a conman by the way of magic. With a cast of compelling characters and narratives, it is difficult to deny that Hellblazer is a brilliant example of horror that is socially conscious and properly terrifying. However, it was apparent to me that Hellblazer and the character of John Constantine have elements that are firmly ingrained in the gothic.
Horace Walpole’s novel The Castle of Otranto in 1765 is considered the first gothic novel. However, Ann Radcliffe helped popularize the genre and it can be said that Mary Shelley perfected it when she wrote Frankenstein. Since then the gothic horror genre has been enjoyed by subsequent generations over the years. Britannica notes in its “Gothic Novel” entry that the genre is characteristic of “having a prevailing atmosphere of mystery and terror.” The tales in the genre are thematically steeped in dramatic and often supernatural plots with colorful and rich characters, favoring terror over abject horror. For example, in the context of Hellblazer, the idea of terror would come into play when the author and artist decide not to show the audience what grotesque event is taking place and instead let the reader be filled with a sense of pure dread from the mere idea of seeing what actually is transpiring. It is highly emblematic of the Victorian era and romantic literature. With the gothic atmosphere is everything, melodrama abounds, complex love stories unfold, horrific villains are thwarted, and brooding handsome men are the preferred hero (or anti-hero if that’s to your taste).
The gothic deals chiefly with the supernatural and supernatural elements. These elements can be overt or they can be subtle. Depending on the arc in question, the supernatural content of Hellblazer varies. There are arcs that play up the supernatural, while others rely on more human drama and follies. Regardless, the comic remains tinged with the undeniable horror of both the human and the supernatural. In addition to the supernatural, Hellblazer largely dabbles in suspenseful plots and melodrama, which are hallmarks in the gothic subgenre. Emotions run high when it comes to gothic horror, and Hellblazer often exists in a deeply emotionally involved storytelling space. John Constantine may project a devil may care persona to the world, but he is an emotional person and his mental state and personal issues are often explored within the narrative, leaving no dark space untouched. His follies and hubris are a recurring theme in his storied misadventures.
It’s probably obvious that the occult lays the foundation for many of the plotlines within the comic, but the occult was a point of fascination for many romantic era writers who were dabbling in the gothic with their writing. This is typically why the supernatural is a feature within the gothic genre. In many respects, John himself is an occultist — though he holds many different occult-adjacent roles during the comic book’s run. Even when the story is at its most human and narratively mundane, the looming threat of John’s occult life is ever present and pervasive. Like any good rebellious teenager, John started meddling in the occult and never stopped.
To fully understand John Constantine’s character one must understand the term rake, and we’re not talking about the tool for yard work. Those who enjoy their bodice rippers and historical romance, as well as horror, will definitely note the term because this is a type of stock character that is often found in romance, and that extends to gothic romance. The term rake is short for the term rakehell, which ironically enough is synonymous with hellraiser. Rakes are men that are highly captivating and highly immoral. They are prolific womanizers, and they are given a number of vices, such as gambling and drinking. These men are imbued with a sort of intriguing darkness; they’re bad in the best way. People fall for them in droves against their better judgment. If you’ve read Austen, Brontë, and/or du Maurier, you are well acquainted with this archetype already, and if you’re familiar with John Constantine, you know that what I described encompasses his characterization.
John Constantine is a rake of prolific proportions. He’s got as many lovers as he does enemies, and sometimes those categories overlap to create a melodramatic Venn diagram. That’s not to mention his many vices, including the archetypal staples of drinking and gambling. You could also classify his addiction to adrenaline and the occult as his most deadly addictions, but really, any of them could possibly get him or those close to him killed at any time. The man is a classic rake, in fact, he is so synonymous with the idea of the rake archetype that he is referred to as a “rake at the gates of hell” by the Lord of the Dance, who is, in turn, referencing the song of the same name by The Pogues. The infamous arc where John unwittingly faces Satan after thrice crossing him is also called “Rake at the Gates of Hell.” Garth Ennis, the writer of that particular arc and several others prior, definitely wanted the audience to know what the character John Constantine is about.
Beyond that, John Constantine is downright Byronic. Again, if you’ve read Austen, Brontë, and du Maurier, you know what a Byronic hero is, and Constantine fits beautifully into the archetype as well. Lord Byron — a notorious real life rake in his own right — is the source of inspiration for the term. A Byronic hero is often a young man, plagued by the demons of his past that is broody and given to melancholy. From the moment of his literal birth, John Constantine’s life was a tragedy. His mother died in childbirth, and his identical twin brother was strangled by John’s umbilical cord, subsequently, John’s bitter father branded him — a literal infant — a killer. Pair John’s abusive father with his trauma from the Newcastle incident, and you have a traditionally Byronic hero. John’s extreme self-loathing and his undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder make him a tad pessimistic at times and understandably so. He tries to atone for his sins and do the right thing, but his self-preservation instincts often kick in, leaving him with more guilt in the process. If tall brooding men who look stylishly rumpled are your kind of thing, then John Constantine is your man and byronically so.
Of course, no gothic horror is complete without a smattering of good old fashioned romance. Personally, Hellblazer is often at its best when it also functions as a love story in conjunction with occult horror. Perhaps that’s the lover of gothic tropes in me, but I digress. Romance isn’t always a necessary feature in the genre, but it does often crop up. Sadly, a good deal of the romances are tragic, and when it comes to John Constantine, his love life is like a minefield. A good portion of his love interests either are lowered into an early grave or are short lived dalliances. One of John’s most prolific and significant romances was with an Irish woman named Kathryn “Kit” Ryan, and to say that relationship ended spectacularly horrid is to say the least. Even though Kit and John made peace with one another on her own terms, John let the love of his life go. Of course, this would not be the last of John’s tumultuous relationships, but it was the one that left him the most emotionally devastated.
Gothic horror has never truly gone out of fashion; it has just evolved and been adapted in many different ways. Little tinges of the gothic remain in a plethora of horror media out there. It is important to learn to pick out and analyze the traces of the gothic and how their contributions help make for a rounder and more thrilling horror experience. It’s easy to think that Hellblazer is just DC’s edgy adult horror fare starring an alluring hot mess of an occultist, but the series owes a lot to gothic horror, where many of its thematic roots can be traced.
