This article or section appears to contradict itselfon Hayward cites the genres emergence around the 1960s, but others list earlier films. Hayward also describes the genre as interchangable with slashers, while the lead says they avoid monsters. Which is it?. Please see the talk page for more information.(November 2024)
Film genre that combines aspects of horror film and psychological film
Theatrical release poster for the American horror film The Black Cat (1934)
In films and television series, Psychological horror generally differ from traditional horrors, where the source of the fear is typically something material, such as grotesque or horrifying creatures, monsters, serial killers, or aliens,[1] as well as the splatter and slasher film genres, which derives its frightening effects from gore and graphic violence,[1] in that tension in psychological horror is more frequently built through atmosphere, eerie sounds and exploitation of the viewer's and the character's psychological fears.
Psychological horror is designed to evoke discomfort and fear by tapping into universal psychological and emotional vulnerabilities—exposing the darker, often repressed aspects of the human psyche. In analytical psychology, this concept aligns with the "shadow" archetype, which encompasses traits like suspicion, self-doubt, paranoia, and distrust—of others, oneself, and the world.[2]
Bill Gibron of PopMatters offered a broad and nuanced definition of psychological horror, describing it as anything that evokes a sense of unease or tension, or a film that relies on the audience's imagination to fill in the gaps of what isn't explicitly shown on screen. Gibron ultimately characterized the genre as a "clouded gray area" that lies somewhere between graphic splatter horror and a more unsettling, cerebral cinematic experience.[3]
Scholars and film historians have proposed different starting points for the psychological horror genre. David J. Skal, a noted historian, regarded The Black Cat (1934) as "the first psychological horror film in America."[4] Meanwhile, academic Susan Hayward traced its emergence to the post-World War II era, citing films like Psycho (1960) and Peeping Tom (1960) as key examples.[5] Hayward also suggested that the terms "psychological horror" and "slasher film" are often interchangeable, both falling under the broader category of "horror-thrillers."[6]
Hayward further argued that psychological horror shares thematic similarities with slasher films, particularly in its portrayal of "vicious normalization of misogyny."[5] She noted that in both genres, male characters often derive their sense of identity from their relationship to women, whom they then kill—frequently with knives or chainsaws—reinforcing their own distorted sense of power.[7]
Psychological horror films sometimes frighten or unsettle by relying on the viewer's or character's own imagination or the anticipation of a threat rather than an actual threat or a material source of fear portrayed onscreen. However, some psychological horror films may in fact contain a material or overt threat or a physical source of fear, as well as scenes of graphic gore or violence, yet still rely or focus mainly on atmosphere and the psychological, mental, and emotional states of the characters and viewers to frighten or disturb. For instance, some psychological horror films may portray psychotic murderers and scenes of graphic violence while still maintaining an atmosphere that focuses on either the villain's, protagonist's, or audience's psychological, mental, or emotional status.[citation needed]
This genre often challenges the audience's understanding of the narrative, especially by centering on characters who are unsure of their own perception of reality or who question their mental stability. These characters may experience distorted perceptions of their surroundings, fall prey to delusions, or be manipulated by others through gaslighting. Additionally, they may grapple with emotional trauma, hallucinations, or mental disorders. Filmmakers may also enhance the atmosphere by limiting both the characters' and the audience's awareness of the threat—through techniques like dim lighting or visual obstructions (as seen in Bird Box)—which amplifies suspense by leaving much of the danger unseen, allowing the imagination to fill in the blanks.[citation needed]
Much like psychological thrillers, psychological horror often employs an unreliable narrator, or suggests that certain elements of the story are perceived incorrectly by the protagonist, creating a sense of confusion or unease for the viewer. Alternatively, the protagonist might appear mentally stable but is placed in a scenario where they interact with others who are psychologically disturbed. In these stories, mental conflict plays a central role, particularly as characters confront morally corrupt situations, supernatural phenomena, murder, or conspiracy. Unlike other subgenres of horror, which may feature overtly fantastical elements like monster attacks, psychological horror tends to keep its "monsters" hidden, favoring scenarios that feel more grounded in realism.[citation needed]
Plot twists are a common device in psychological horror, and characters often struggle with internal conflicts, including subconscious desires like romantic lust or the urge for petty revenge. In contrast to splatter fiction or monster movies, which often depict grotesque, alien forces beyond the viewer's experience, psychological horror focuses on more relatable, though deeply unsettling, emotional and mental turmoil. Occasionally, elements of psychological horror and splatter fiction intersect, as seen in films like the French horror High Tension.[15]
In the 1980s, researchers Thayer and Ellison conducted studies examining how different types of music affected the psychological response to stressful visual stimuli. Using dermal electromagnetic measurements to track physiological reactions while participants watched and listened, they discovered that combining stressful music with intense visual images led to stronger psychological reactions than when the same visuals were paired with neutral or non-stressful sounds. The study also found that music with a positive tone influenced viewers to interpret the accompanying visuals more positively, while music with a negative tone made the visuals appear more threatening or unsettling.[17]
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apocalyptic events, and religious or folk beliefs.
Horror is a genre of speculative fiction that is intended to disturb, frighten, or scare. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror. Literary historian J. A. Cuddon, in 1984, defined the horror story as "a piece of fiction in prose of variable length... which shocks, or even frightens the reader, or perhaps induces a feeling of repulsion or loathing". Horror intends to create an eerie and frightening atmosphere for the reader. Often the central menace of a work of horror fiction can be interpreted as a metaphor for larger fears of a society.
Thriller is a genre of fiction with numerous, often overlapping, subgenres, including crime, horror, and detective fiction. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving their audiences heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. This genre is well suited to film and television.
Survival horror is a subgenre of horror games. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical action games through limited ammunition or weapons, health, speed, and vision, or through various obstructions of the player's interaction with the game mechanics. The player is also challenged to find items that unlock the path to new areas and solve puzzles to proceed in the game. Games make use of strong horror themes, such as dark mazelike environments and unexpected attacks from enemies.
Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequently overlaps with the related subgenre of psychological thriller, and often uses mystery elements and characters with unstable, unreliable, or disturbed psychological states to enhance the suspense, horror, drama, tension, and paranoia of the setting and plot and to provide an overall creepy, unpleasant, unsettling, or distressing atmosphere.
A splatter film is a subgenre of horror films that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. These films, usually through the use of special effects, display a fascination with the vulnerability of the human body and the theatricality of its mutilation. The term "splatter cinema" was coined by George A. Romero to describe his film Dawn of the Dead, though Dawn of the Dead is generally considered by critics to have higher aspirations, such as social commentary, than to be simply exploitative for its own sake.
Supernatural fiction or supernaturalist fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction that exploits or is centered on supernatural themes, often contradicting naturalist assumptions of the real world.
In literature, psychological fiction is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of its characters. The mode of narration examines the reasons for the behaviours of the character, which propel the plot and explain the story. Psychological realism is achieved with deep explorations and explanations of the mental states of the character's inner person, usually through narrative modes such as stream of consciousness and flashbacks.
Suburban Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction, art, film and television, focused on anxieties associated with the creation of suburban communities, particularly in the United States and the Western world, from the 1950s and 1960s onwards.
Supernatural horror film is a film genre that combines aspects of supernatural film and horror film. Supernatural occurrences in such films often include ghosts and demons, and many supernatural horror films have elements of religion. Common themes in the genre are the afterlife, the Devil, and demonic possession. Not all supernatural horror films focus on religion, and they can have "more vivid and gruesome violence".
Hemant Madhukar
Hemanth Madhukar is the son of the veteran filmmaker K. Baburao, a highly respected figure in Indian cinema. K. Baburao was known for his significant contributions to the industry as a producer and director, particularly in the Telugu film industry.
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-genre, macro-genre, or micro-genre, such as soap opera, police crime drama, political drama, legal drama, historical drama, domestic drama, teen drama, and comedy-drama (dramedy). These terms tend to indicate a particular setting or subject matter, or they combine a drama's otherwise serious tone with elements that encourage a broader range of moods. To these ends, a primary element in a drama is the occurrence of conflict—emotional, social, or otherwise—and its resolution in the course of the storyline.
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. Tension is created by delaying what the audience sees as inevitable, and is built through situations that are menacing or where escape seems impossible.
The representation of gender in horror films, particularly depictions of women, has been the subject of critical commentary.
Horror may refer to:
Body horror, or biological horror, is a subgenre of horror fiction that intentionally showcases grotesque or psychologically disturbing violations of the human body or of another creature. These violations may manifest through aberrant sex, mutations, mutilation, zombification, gratuitous violence, disease, or unnatural movements of the body. Body horror was a description originally applied to an emerging subgenre of North American horror films, but has roots in early Gothic literature and has expanded to include other media.
A horror game is a video game genre centered on horror fiction and typically designed to scare the player. The term may also be used to describe tabletop games with horror fiction elements.
Psychological drama, or psychodrama, is a subgenre of drama and psychological fiction literatures that generally focuses upon the emotional, mental, and psychological development of the protagonists and other characters within the narrative, which is highlighted by the drama. It is widely known as one of the main subgenres of psychological fiction; the subgenre is commonly used for films and television series.
Horror noir is a film subgenre that blends elements of both horror and noir. It combines the dark, atmospheric qualities of noir with the suspense and fear typical of horror, creating a hybrid genre that integrates aspects of both. These films typically feature a mysterious or unsettling atmosphere, often centering on psychological drama, tension, and darker thematic elements, particularly those related to crime and its consequences. Common themes include corruption, deception, isolation, alienation, violence, revenge, paranoia, and the unknown, all presented through the visual style of film noir. Horror noir often follows protagonists who face not only external threats, like supernatural forces, but also internal struggles.
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