We can thank Ann Radcliffe, mother of Gothic literature, for those definitions. Horror is how we react once that event actually occurs. It’s that awful, creepy-crawly feeling, the anxiety and anticipation that builds toward a horrifying event or realization- basically, it’s the heebie-jeebies. We often use these terms interchangeably, but they are very different.
When we look at what gives any good horror movie its true horror vibe, we end up with two distinct elements: terror and horror. When it comes to you as a moviegoer, your mileage may vary in terms of how much you experience each while you watch the scene play out. The elements of fear, horror, and shock are all there, and are definitely being experienced by the character on-screen. But in the next shot, they stand up, cat in their arms, and we see that a monster has appeared right behind them. The protagonist is relieved, laughing off their paranoia as they bend down to scoop up their pet. Of course! It was the cat making those strange sounds- because cats are nocturnal weirdos that get bored and race around the house at night, knocking things off of shelves and doing whatever it is that cats do. We see something like apprehension on the protagonist’s face as they reach for the doorknob and jump back suddenly! to a musical sting as a cat streaks out of the room. Your eyes scan every shadow and black corner of the hallway in case something might be hiding there, but it’s still too dark to be sure. The movie score is starting to creep up in volume. Is there something on the other side of the door? As the protagonist slowly makes their way forward, it’s so quiet that you can hear every breath and floorboard creak. They go into a dark hallway and see a door at the end, slightly ajar. They hear sounds they can’t explain, so they investigate. Our protagonist is home alone at night, and the house is dark. Let’s start with a scene that appears in almost every horror flick ever made.
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