The Gothic Supernatural

When I think Gothic I think of supernatural beings and monsters.

In Gothic literature, the unexplained and supernatural is a common element of the story, whether it be in the form of a large, looming monster, or a deadly, silent killer.
The supernatural is used as a way for writers to build suspense in the story, and is generally grouped into two different types approach.

The first is described as "the accepted supernatural". In this approach the supernatural entity, being or monster is just assumed to be a part of reality, with no explanation needed otherwise, another way to write this approach is to have an explanation, but have the explanation itself be supernatural.

The second way that the supernatural can be written is the "explained supernatural", in this approach while the horror may seem real in the beginning, the story later
explains why all of the supernatural occurrences have perfectly rational reasons behind them and that there is some sort of scientific explanation for the occurrences, however far-fetched they may be.

When thinking of supernatural Gothic entities the main few that come into mind are vampires (particularly Dracula), werewolves, spirits, ghosts and monsters (Frankenstein).

The idea of terror was very closely linked to the idea of something being sublime. Sublime is described as being such an indescribable feeling of terror and suspense that it also begins to bring in joy.

The supernatural in Gothic literature is represented through a multitude of ways; whether it be monsters and demons, very-much-alive killers and murderers, or the psychological terrors that play with our minds. The supernatural and suspense genre is an integral part of Gothic literature.