Psychological Horror
What is psychological horror?
 Def:
a subgenre of horror fiction that
relies on character fears, guilt,
beliefs and emotional instability to
build tension and further the plot.
 Different from “splatter” fiction in
that is does not rely on gore and
violence
Characteristics of psychological
horror
 Relies
on the shadowy characteristics
of the “other”
 Many play on the shadowy parts of
the self that most people repress or
deny
 PH comes from within-it exposes the
evil that hides behind normality
Characteristics of psychological
horror
 Relies
on tension building up until
the end while “splatter” relies on
things jumping out of the dark
 Relies on fear of the unknown
 Plays on the anticipation of a
perceived threat
 Some violence but less that what we
see in “splatter”
Examples of Psychological Horror
 Werewolves
 The
Blair Witch Project
 Dracula
 Video Games: Silent Hill,
Condemned, Eternal Darkness,
Penumbra, The Suffering, F.E.A.R.
 Ghosts
 Frankenstein
Psychological horror vs. Splatter
Literary Terms
 Mood:
The aymosphere or feeling
that the literary work conveys to the
reader
 Tone: The writer’s attitude toward his
or her subject