Non-Fiction Gallery

Horror Sub-Genres
by J. Daniel Seffens

What kind of horror do you write?

No, this is not a trick question. The question is more relevant than you might think. The truth is, horror is so broad a term that many do not consider it a genre anymore. The development of many sub-genres has eradicated the ability to write just “horror.”

Many writers think horror should not be broken down into sub-genres. It makes them uncomfortable to have their work labeled. Some do not even like to have their work called “horror,” so they call it “dark fiction.” When necessary, they only break horror down into Mainstream and Underground. The problem with this is that most markets only deal with certain types of stories. You should be able to define where your story fits if you are to find a home for it.

It is difficult to keep track of so many sub-genres, so I will try to help clear up any confusion that the question above may create. I created this list with the assistance of many existing lists and horror writers. Few agree what should be labeled as a sub-genre of horror. Even less agree on how to define those labels. This is my own list, and is in no way to be considered definitive or exhaustive. You can add your own, or disregard certain items on the list that you may not agree with.

It seems only natural to start with what would be called Traditional Horror. If there is a sub-genre that could be settled neatly into horror by itself, this is it. This is where it all began. This is horror in its truest and most basic form. Another name for Traditional is Supernatural Horror. Traditional horror is no longer considered a sub-genre by many because of the many sub-sub-genres that reside inside. My own list includes:

 Ghosts/Haunted Houses (Tryst by Elswyth Thane, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James)
 Vampires (Dracula by Bram Stoker, The Vampyre by John Polidori)
 Werewolves/Animals That Run Rampant (Feral by Berton Roueche, The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells)
 Golems/Mummies/Zombies/Reanimated Stalkers (Frankenstein by Mary Wollenscraft Shelley, The Totem by David Morrell)
 Mythological Creatures (Reign of Fire, The Centaur by Algernon Blackwood)
 Witches/Warlocks (Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber, Warlock, The Witches of Eastwick)
 Monsters (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, Flowers of Algernon by Daniel Keyes)
• Kaiju-short of daikaiju, which is Japanese for “big monster” (Godzilla, King Kong, King Ghidorah, Gamera, Mothra, Honey, I Blew Up the Baby—ok, maybe not)
 Occult/Demonic Possession (The Exorcist by William Blatty, The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker, The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde)
 Telekinesis/Mind control (Carrie by Stephen King, Psychomech Trilogy by Brian Lumley)
 Weird/Pulp (Deliver Me From Eva by Paul Bailey, Worse Things Waiting by Manly Wade Wellman)

Almost as old as Traditional horror is Gothic Horror. Sometimes, the term “gothic” is used to define any horror story, but not every horror tale is gothic in nature. This type of horror is characterized by gloomy settings and sinister events (Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, The Dark Country by Dennis Etchison, Edgar Allen Poe). Another characteristic is the character being trapped in some way, be it location, family destiny, etc. There are two types of gothic story: English and American.

English Gothic has the basic theme of a dark past shadowing the present. These stories are abundant in enclosed or haunted settings, such as castles, crypts, dungeons, and mansions. There are also gloomy images of ruin, decay, imprisonment, cruelty, and persecution.

American gothic takes a more psychological setting. It focuses more on psychological breakdown than gloomy setting. Charles Brockden Brown is credited for starting this trend.

While Traditional and Gothic are the oldest types of horror writing, Cutting Edge is the newest. This refers to the experimental works that throw out all the rules that people like to set for what horror is. Since rules are meant to be broken, this is where it is done. Cutting Edge can fall into any sub-genre of horror, so many do not consider it a sub-genre. Cutting Edge is written purely to get away from anything that might be considered cliché. It focuses more on style than theme.

Next, the most popular sub-genre is Psychological Horror. This plays most on the “fear of the unknown,” using knowledge of a perceived or unknown danger. It gets its name by playing on the human psyche. It relies on the reader’s mind to create fear, possibly by uncovering something terrible about themselves. Many stories that fall into this category use a distortion of reality to produce a supernatural feel. At times, this can be from the viewpoint of a person with a distorted view of reality, making it easy to slip stories of maniacs and sociopaths in here. Other names are Quiet or Soft Horror, since it can be subtle or implied. It is said that this is where you break the “show, don’t tell” rule of writing. Instead, you use “suggest, don’t show.”

Related to Psychological is Surreal Horror. This sub-genre blends reality with the mind that lives in the world of dreams. This type of writing makes it difficult to tell where the dream world ends and reality begins.

In opposition to Psychological Horror, there is Splatterpunk. Psychological tries to get into the mind of the character to create fear in the reader, but Splatterpunk goes straight for the gross-out effect. Blood and guts are the focus here. Instead of scaring the reader with the unknown, this sub-genre attempts to make their stomachs turn with the most disturbing images the writer can come up with. Most markets say in their guidelines to avoid this type of writing, but some publish nothing but this type of story to satisfy the craving of a large cult following. Other names for this are Extreme, Slasher, and Gore. Many confuse Splatterpunk with Cutting Edge, but it has not been considered Cutting Edge for almost twenty years. The most well known writers of this type are Clive Barker and John Shirley. Many horror movies also fall into this category.

In relation to Splatterpunk, there is Noir. Don’t get me wrong here; Noir is not necessarily Splatterpunk, but they tend to have common settings and themes. Noir is what many call Urban Horror. The stories typically take place in an underworld of crime. These are tales of corruption, violence, and oppression of the little person in a world of indifference. This sub-genre has gained much popularity in recent years. So much so, that there is a professional magazine that caters to nothing but stories in this category. You might have heard of City Slab before. Read their guidelines for more information about Noir.

Next, I’ll mention a large sub-genre based off the writings of a single author, Howard Phillips Lovecraft. This is known as Cthulhu Mythos. Other popular names are Lovecraftian, Lovecraft Mythos, or just Mythos. To fully understand this sub-genre, you need to read some of Lovecraft’s stories. Basically, the premise is that the world was once inhabited by a race of powers known as the Great Old Ones. They were banished from earth. They now wait to take the world back and claim it as their own. The writing is typically elaborate and overwhelming with adjectives. For more information, check out Wikipedia.

A sub-genre that is not as widely known as most is what has been deemed Christian Horror. If religion is included in horror, it is usually Catholicism. Christian Horror breaks away from this and focuses on the faith—or development of faith—of the protagonist. Another name for Christian Horror is Apocalyptic Horror. The most well known books that fall into this sub-genre are the Left Behind series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. Other writers include Marilyn Meredith and Frank Peretti. A well-known movie is End of Days.

The most confusing part about sub-genres is that many can overlap. A vampire tale can be Splatterpunk. Cthulhu Mythos can fall into any of the other categories, mostly Gothic. But, when a horror story falls outside of the horror genre, it is called Slipstream. There are many horror/sci-fi stories. So many, in fact, that it could be a sub-genre in itself. Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest has recognized this trend and harnessed this combination effectively. Horror tends to slip into romance, on occasion, with Erotic Horror (such as some writing by Louise Bohmer), Horror Sinisteria (Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc), Gothic Romance, and Paranormal Romance (The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis). Thrillers can have horror elements, as well as medical stories (known as Technohorror). Many fantasies are labeled as Dark Fantasy when they have horror elements in them. Some use this term to describe general horror.

As you can see, if there are lines that separate genres, there will always be stories that cross into the slipstream in between them. Other popular names are Cross-Genre, New Weird, and Intersitional Fiction.

What about when horror crosses into a genre that gives it the opposite effect of fear? Is it still horror when you are laughing? Some say it is, when creating Comic Horror. The satire added to horror is gaining much popularity, especially in Hollywood. Some sub-sub-genres worth mentioning are Zombie Slapstick (Shaun of the Dead), and Sci-Fi/Weird Fantasy Spoof. If the horror elements are there, but you find yourself laughing, it is safe to say it is Comic Horror.

A few more sub-genres worth mentioning are Redneck Horror and Pagan Horror. Redneck Horror could also be called Appalachian Horror, but focuses on people living outside society and preying on others that are usually lost. They tend to be cannibalistic, but it is not a requirement. Think Deliverance, Ravenous, Wrong Turn, or The Hills Have Eyes.

Pagan Horror could reside in Traditional, under the sub-sub-genre of Witches/Warlocks, but tends to go deeper into Pagan religions. There are Celtic rituals and practices that are included here as well. These are stories about more than an artificial use of spells; these are about those that are living among us. The Wicked Witch of the West would not likely know what to do in one of these stories. They are also about the spirits of nature (such as The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen).

That concludes my list of horror sub-genres. Do what you like with it. I hope it serves as a guide to help those who might have had some confusion about what many of the terms are.

If you are wondering what the purpose is of such a list, think of it this way: many markets only like certain types of stories. It helps them keep their regular audiences and subscribers happy. In the same way, if you like a certain author, but have read everything written by that person, you can look for others that have the same type of story. This helps writers get new readers, and readers discover the words of new writers. It is a win-win situation.

This list was made possible with the help of many articles and writers. I would like to thank the following:

DarkEcho Horror Writers Workshop

Speculations: Inventory of SubGenres

Wikipedia

“Horror Sub-Genres” by Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc

“Horror Writing 101” by Rick Chiantaretto

“Supernatural Horror” by Nic Ransome

“Will You Step Into My Parlor?” A Guide for Horror Lovers

“Writing Horror” by Elsa Neal

With special thanks to the folks on Dark Prose/Decadent Delights, Fallen From the Moonlit Path, JoBlo’s Movie Club, Red Light District, and Shocklines.