
Horror is an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust. It is often associated with the supernatural, violence, and the unknown. The feeling of horror usually occurs in anticipation of something frightening and can be the result of an awful realization or a deeply unpleasant occurrence. Horror can also be felt in response to real-life events, such as traumatic experiences or encountering threatening individuals. In literature and film, horror is a genre that aims to scare its audience and prompt reactions of revulsion or jump scares. While horror has traditionally been categorized as a subtype of fear or disgust, recent studies suggest that it is a distinct emotion, differentiated by its response to the severity and abnormality of harm.
What You'll Learn
Horror is a distinct emotion category
The emotion of horror is typically felt before something frightening is encountered and is marked by anticipation and dread. It can also be felt after a hideous revelation or an awful realisation. Horror is a response to the severity or abnormality of harm, while fear is related to the self-relevance of harm. In other words, horror is about the harm itself, whereas fear is about one's personal risk.
In literature and film, horror is a genre that relies on evoking feelings of horror, terror, and revulsion in its audience. The Gothic writer Ann Radcliffe distinguished between horror and terror, associating horror with being shocked or scared at a realisation or unpleasant occurrence, and terror with anxiety and fear before the horrifying experience. Radcliffe believed that horror "freezes and nearly annihilates" the faculties, while terror "expands the soul and awakens the faculties to a high degree of life".
In addition to fear and disgust, horror can also be tied to other negative emotions such as anger and sorrow. For example, in a horror movie, a character may experience anger at the world for failing to save them from a traumatic event, or they may feel sorrow and guilt as a survivor of a tragic event.
Overall, horror is a unique emotion that involves a complex interplay of cognitive and emotional processes, and it continues to be a subject of exploration and fascination in psychology, literature, and popular culture.
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Horror is a combination of terror and revulsion
Horror is a complex emotion that has been a subject of interest in literature, film, and psychology. While traditional emotion taxonomies have categorised horror as a subtype of fear or disgust, recent studies suggest that it is a distinct emotion. Horror is often associated with the supernatural, violence, and the unknown, and it can be evoked by various situations, including frightening stories, horror movies, or real-life traumatic events.
The experience of horror can be understood as a combination of terror and revulsion. Terror is typically described as the feeling of dread and anticipation that precedes a frightening experience. It is characterised by ""obscurity" or indeterminacy, leading to a sense of the sublime. On the other hand, horror is the feeling of revulsion that follows a frightening sight, sound, or experience. It is associated with being shocked or scared at an awful realisation or a deeply unpleasant occurrence. This distinction between terror and horror was first characterised by Gothic writer Ann Radcliffe, who considered terror to be a more elevated emotion than horror.
Noël Carroll defined terror as a combination of horror and revulsion, adding a third element to the mix. In his book "Danse Macabre", Stephen King elaborated on these three elements, describing terror as the suspenseful moment before the monster is revealed, horror as the moment of revelation, and revulsion as a bottom-level gimmick that elicits a gag reflex.
The emotions of horror can be effectively evoked in writing by ""showing" rather than "telling". This can be achieved through physical reactions, dialogue, and sensory details that immerse the reader in the scene. Horror in literature and film can provide a sense of pleasure, as it allows the audience to experience frightening situations in a safe and controlled manner.
In conclusion, horror is indeed a combination of terror and revulsion, with each element contributing to the overall experience of this distinct emotion. By understanding the nuances of horror, writers and filmmakers can effectively craft stories that engage and frighten their audiences.
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Horror is associated with the supernatural, violence, and the unknown
Horror is a complex emotion that has been categorised as a subtype of fear and/or disgust. However, recent studies have indicated that horror is a distinct emotion, characterised by its response to the severity or abnormality of harm. This emotion is often associated with the supernatural, violence, and the unknown, and can be effectively utilised in creative works to engage audiences and create unforgettable experiences.
The feeling of horror is typically associated with revulsion, arising from a frightening sight, sound, or experience. It is often preceded by terror, which is characterised by dread and anticipation of the unknown. In literature and film, the moment of horrifying revelation is usually built up to, employing elements such as scary music, eerie settings, and suspense to heighten the sense of dread.
Gothic writer Ann Radcliffe, who first distinguished between horror and terror, described horror as "freezing and nearly annihilating" the faculties, in contrast to terror, which "expands the soul and awakens the faculties to a high degree of life." Horror, with its unambiguous displays of atrocity, can leave individuals feeling shocked, scared, and revolted.
Horror is often associated with the supernatural, which includes encounters with ghosts, demons, or other paranormal phenomena. This association is particularly evident in horror films and fiction, where supernatural elements are used to create suspense and frighten audiences. Additionally, violence is a prevalent theme in horror, as individuals may experience horror when witnessing or undergoing a traumatic event, such as a violent crime or natural disaster.
The unknown is another critical aspect associated with horror. Being in an unfamiliar or dangerous environment, such as a haunted house or dark alleyway, can evoke feelings of horror. This sense of isolation and helplessness, combined with limited resources and no one to turn to for help, amplifies the horror experienced by characters in such settings.
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Horror in writing: showing vs telling
Horror is an intense emotional response to witnessing or experiencing extreme harm. It is often accompanied by feelings of dread, anticipation, and repulsion. In writing, horror is a genre that aims to scare its audience.
When it comes to evoking horror in writing, the age-old advice is to "show, don't tell". But what does this really mean?
Firstly, it's important to understand that all sentences in a narrative do both simultaneously. What a sentence tells is its explicit content, while what it shows is the information that is implied, inferred, or conveyed outside of its explicit content.
So, when it comes to horror, instead of telling the reader that a character is scared, you might show them clutching onto something for comfort or describe the eerie sounds and sights that are causing the fear. This allows the reader to experience the horror through their own senses and draw their own conclusions, creating a more vivid and engaging story.
However, this doesn't mean that telling has no place in writing. Telling can be useful when you need to convey information quickly and efficiently, create distance between the reader and the story, or establish an objective tone. For example, in a horror story, you might tell the reader about the character's background or the history of the haunted house they are exploring, providing context for the scary events to come.
The key is to strike a balance between showing and telling. Use showing to create immersive, sensory experiences for the reader, and telling to efficiently convey information and move the story forward. As a writer, you must decide which aspects of the story are most important to showcase and which can be simply told.
Additionally, it's important to note that not all details need to be shown or told. Leaving some things to the reader's imagination can create a sense of suspense and make the horror even more effective.
In conclusion, when it comes to writing horror, remember to use a combination of showing and telling. Show the reader the horrifying details, but also tell them the information they need to understand the context. And don't be afraid to leave some things unsaid, allowing their imaginations to fill in the gaps.
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Horror as a genre in film and fiction
Horror is a distinct emotion category, characterised by feelings of revulsion, fear, shock, and disgust. It is often associated with the supernatural, violence, and the unknown. Horror is typically elicited by witnessing or experiencing extreme harm, trauma, or a deeply unpleasant occurrence.
Horror is a popular genre in film and fiction, deliberately evoking feelings of horror in its audience or readers. This genre relies on horrifying images, situations, or revelations to tell stories and prompt reactions, such as jump scares, to keep the audience engaged and on edge.
In horror films and fiction, the revelation of a terrifying element is usually preceded by a suspenseful build-up, often enhanced by the use of scary music, eerie settings, and sensory details. The atmosphere is crucial in creating a sense of dread and fear, utilising dark and isolated locations, unsettling sounds and smells, and spooky lighting.
The horror genre often explores themes of madness, the supernatural, and the intrusion of the terrible within an everyday setting. Writers and filmmakers strive to terrorise their audience, playing with their expectations and fears to create an unforgettable experience.
Gothic writer Ann Radcliffe distinguished between horror and terror, considering terror as a feeling of anticipation and dread, while horror is the shock and revulsion experienced after a frightening revelation. Radcliffe's work influenced the development of the horror genre, with later authors like Stephen King adding a third element of "revulsion" to enhance the impact on the audience.
The appeal of horror films and fiction lies in the paradox of experiencing pleasure from safely engaging with frightening or traumatic scenarios. It allows individuals to confront their fears and experience intense emotions without real-life consequences.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, horror is an emotion. It is an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust.
Horror is a response to the severity or abnormality of harm, while fear is in response to the self-relevance of harm.
Some physical reactions to horror include hypervigilance, paranoia, increased heart rate, nausea, and sweaty palms.
Thoughts associated with horror often include disbelief, a sense of overwhelmingness, and a desire to escape the situation.
When writing about horror, it is important to "show" the emotion through your character's physical reactions and dialogue, rather than simply stating that they feel horrified. Use sensory details and create an unsettling atmosphere to immerse your readers in the scene.