A horror film is one that seeks to elicit fear or disgust
in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films additionally aim
to evoke viewers' nightmares, revulsions and terror of the unknown or the
macabre. Initially inspired by literature from authors such as Edgar Allan
Poe, Bram Stoker, and Mary Shelley, horror has existed as a film genre for
more than a century. Horror may also overlap with the fantasy,
supernatural fiction, and thriller genres.
Plots within the horror genre often involve the intrusion of an evil
force, event, or personage into the everyday world. Prevalent elements
include ghosts, vampires, werewolves, evil witches, cults, black magic,
demons and demonic possession, Satanism and the Devil, monsters, mummies,
extraterrestrials, zombies, dystopian or apocalyptic worlds, disturbed
children, gore and torture, cannibalism, natural forces, evil clowns,
psychopaths and serial killers. An example of sub-genre is psychological
horror.
Learn more about the horror film genre