The distinction between horror and terror is a standard literary and psychological concept applied especially to

Gothic literature and film.

[1]
Terror is usually described as the feeling of dread and anticipation that precedes
the horrifying experience. By contrast, horror is the feeling of revulsion that usually occurs after something
frightening is seen, heard, or otherwise experienced. t is the feeling one gets after coming to an awful
reali!ation or experiencing a deeply unpleasant occurrence. n other words, horror is more related to being
shoc"ed or scared #being horrified$, while terror is more related to being anxious or fearful.
[%]
&orror has also
been defined as a combination of terror and revulsion.
[']
The distinction between terror and horror was first characteri!ed by the Gothic writer (nn )adcliffe #1*+,-
1.%'$. Terror is characteri!ed by /obscurity/ or indeterminacy in its treatment of potentially horrible events0 it is
this indeterminacy which leads to the sublime. 1he says in the essay that it /expands the soul and awa"ens the
faculties to a high degree of life/. &orror, in contrast, /free!es and nearly annihilates them/ with its
unambiguous displays of atrocity. 1he goes on2 / apprehend that neither 1ha"espeare nor 3ilton by their
fictions, nor 3r Bur"e by his reasoning, anywhere loo"ed to positive horror as a source of the sublime, though
they all agree that terror is a very high one0 and where lies the great difference between horror and terror, but in
uncertainty and obscurity, that accompany the first, respecting the dreader evil./
[,]
(ccording to 4evendra 5arma in The Gothic Flame #16++$2
The difference between Terror and &orror is the difference between awful apprehension and sic"ening
reali!ation2 between the smell of death and stumbling against a corpse.
&orror is also a genre of film and fiction that relies on horrifying images or situations to tell stories and prompt
reactions in their audiences. n these films the moment of horrifying revelation is usually preceded by a
terrifying build up, often using the medium of scary music.
[7]
n his non8fiction boo" Danse Macabre, 1tephen 9ing elaborated on the themes of terror and horror, also
adding a third element which he referred to as /revulsion./ &e describes terror as :the finest element; of the
three, and the one he strives hardest to maintain in his own writing. <iting many examples, he defines :terror;
as the suspenseful moment in horror before the actual monster is revealed. :&orror,; 9ing writes, is that
moment at which one sees the creature=aberration that causes the terror or suspense, a /shoc" value./ 9ing
finally compares :revulsion; with the gag8reflex, a bottom8level, cheap gimmic" which he admits he often
resorts to in his own fiction if necessary, confessing2
: recogni!e terror as the finest emotion and so will try to terrori!e the reader. But if find that cannot terrify,
will try to horrify, and if find that cannot horrify, >ll go for the gross8out. >m not proud.;
[+]
Contents
1 &orror and terror in film
% 1ee also
' )eferences
, Bibliography
Horror and terror in film
This section possibly contains original research. ?lease improve it by verifying the claims made and
adding inline citations. 1tatements consisting only of original research should be removed. (February 2013)
&orror and terror stem mainly from movies and literature. &orror is the feeling you get after seeing something
violent and disturbing, while terror is the apprehension before something bad happens. To increase horrific
feelings in the audience, plots often involve the supernatural, serial murderers, disease=virus outbrea", and
surrealism. Themes involved to induce horror and terror include gore, werewolves, villains, torture, ghosts,
curses, satanism, demons, vicious animals, vampires, cannibals, haunted houses, and !ombies.
[citation needed]
The
definition of what was once called a horror movie has changed over the years. @xamples are The Silence of the
ambs and Se!en. &orror is considered horror when there is an over the top amount of bloodshed and gore
whereas thriller=terror is considered to be more along the route of mindgames, exemplified by the feeling of
nervousness as a character is wal"ing down a dar" alley.
[citation needed]
n the Anited 1tates, the horror genre in film became popular in the early 16'Bs, and was especially identified
with Aniversal ?ictures. 3ost notable are Fran"enstein and Dracula. 1ome of these early movies blended
science themed with Gothic and horror, such as Cames Dhale>s The #n!isible Man. Big names in the horror
genre include actors Boris 9arloff and Bela Eugosi, and ma"eup artist Cac" ?ierce.
[citation needed]
n the 167Bs and
16+Bs, new sub8genres began to appear. Two most popular were the horror8of8armageddon and the horror8of8
demonic film. The horror of armageddon consisted of end of civili!ation, while the horror of demonic dealt with
demons controlling people>s souls and further used the supernatural element to a slightly bigger extreme. The
Capanese cultural reaction to nuclear attac" and its aftermath during and after Dorld Dar led Capanese
producers to create an especially large share of 167Bs armageddon films. The horror of demonic started out as
ghosts and monsters, but by the mid to late 16+Bs, more film ma"ers decided to deal with satan and the devil
entering one>s flesh, such as $osemary%s &aby from director )oman ?olans"i. (rmageddon films did not have as
much notice until 16+', when (lfred &itchcoc" directed The &irds. $osemary%s &aby brought horror film into a
whole other realm. 3ore occult films were accepted. The '(orcist remains one of the most influential horror
movies dealing with an evil spirit invading one>s soul. The 16*Bs brought with them the !ombie movie, which is
still relevant in today>s society. 3any of the same came the next twenty years, with a revival of The '(orcist in
early %BBB. The Sa) and Final Destination franchises define what "ind of mode we have entered into. 4isaster
films have become almost necessary, with rema"es of foreign horror movies up there in eFual importance. The
influence of 1wedish and Grench horror films is obvious over the past two to three years.
As a small child, I felt in my heart two contradictory feelings, the horror of life and the ecstasy of
life.