Some well - known backwoods horror novels include 'The Girl Next Door' by Jack Ketchum. It's a disturbing story that takes place in a suburban backwoods - like setting. 'Cold in July' by Joe R. Lansdale is also a great one. It has elements of backwoods horror with a complex mystery and some really tense and gory moments. And then there's 'The Ruins' by Scott Smith, where a group of tourists in the Mexican backwoods discovers a strange and deadly plant.
Jack Ketchum is a well - known author of backwoods horror novels. His works like 'Off Season' and 'The Girl Next Door' are full of the kind of dread and gore associated with the backwoods horror genre. Another is Adam Nevill, who wrote 'The Ritual'. His writing is great at creating a sense of isolation and horror in a backwoods setting. Wes Craven also has a work in this genre with 'The Hills Have Eyes'.
Common themes in backwoods horror stories include the idea of a dark past. Maybe there was some sort of evil event that occurred in the backwoods long ago, and now it haunts the present. There's also the theme of the outsider. A person who doesn't belong in the backwoods stumbles upon it and is faced with all kinds of terrifying situations. The woods themselves can seem like a character, with their own menacing presence.
The Blair Witch Project is a well - known backwoods horror story. It follows a group of students who go into the woods to make a documentary about the Blair Witch and end up getting lost and terrorized. Another one is Deliverance, which has elements of horror in the backwoods setting as the characters face dangerous and often menacing situations in the wild.
Typical characteristics include a rural or isolated setting. The detective often has to rely on their own wits and local knowledge. There's usually a sense of mystery deeply rooted in the small - town or backwoods community, with secrets that are tightly held among the locals.
I'm not sure which specific 'backwoods boy story' you are referring to. There could be many stories about a boy from the backwoods. It might be a local folktale, a personal account, or something from a particular piece of literature.
I would recommend 'Winter's Bone' by Daniel Woodrell. The story is set in the Ozark Mountains and follows a young girl as she tries to solve the mystery of her father's disappearance in a rough and backwoods community. It gives a great sense of the local culture and the difficulties of life in such areas.
One possible theme could be survival. The backwoods can be a harsh environment, so a story set there might focus on how characters find food, water, and shelter.