Forum Horror Horror vs. Psychological Thriller

I've always said that the difference between the two is dialogue, and quite possibly blood.

In reality, what is the difference? What makes Horror not Psychological Thriller and vice versa?

Subject?
Theme?
Scene structure?

hey.
I think the main difference lies in the source of the horror.

At least in general terms, the source of horror is not natural,
that is, not from the normal and rational world in which most of you live.

Again, in very general terms, the source of the psychological thriller is
a fairly normal and natural thing (i.e. a person ) which is acting in an unusual manner.

Again, this is only my opinion.
Hey, by the way, do you like horror poems?
Could you take a look at "Darkness Foreordain"
and give some feedback?
Poewannabe

>>>Again, in very general terms, the source of the psychological thriller is
a fairly normal and natural thing (i.e. a person ) which is acting in an unusual manner.

Which normally I would agree with, except most PT aren't natura occurances. I'm thinking of movies like THE OTHERS and WHAT LIES BENEATH in which the source was supernatural (ghosts).

*sheepish*

I don't like poetry in general. I don't understand the format and I don't get the structure. I'll read it but I can't see how relevant a review from me would be. When I read poetry, all I see are incomplete sentences (I write novels and short stories). It's like asking an English Major to take a look at a complicated Math equation - the letters look right, but it's all Greek to him (heh, joke)

Is there any particular reason why it isn't in the main cafe? Is your work only here in the forum?

I agree with poe.
The only diference between a thriller and horror is what angle you come at it. Take any one freakish subject and I guarentee it can come out either way. I think most thrillers do tend to interpret true crimes and events or sciences while horror tends to be off in the more mystic. . .but remember, "What's one man's magic is another man's science."

I recently wrote an article explaining what horror is and isnt, and although Im sure it can be disputed, I feel that horror and thriller (and suspense for that matter), arent really all on an equal plane, but feel that one is just a continuation of the other.

Kinda like this:

Suspense
|
Thriller
|
Horror

Or in words: A horror is a thriller which is a suspense, but a suspense doesnt necessarily have to be a thriller or a horror (but can be if one so chooses).

Lets take a look at some definitions:

Suspense:
Suspense = interactive elements. The reader may choose to challenge the tale by attempting to outwit the author and solve a crime before detectives do, figure out how best to defeat a foe before the hero does, or unravel the elements of a conspiracy before the writer reveals the whole story.

Thriller:
Thrillers = suspense + a growing sense of threat (IE, in The Ring people only had 7 days to live, a ticking time bomb, etc.)

Horror:
My favorite definition of horror is something that will explicate the darkness at the heart of the reader's soul. Horror is more than any of the above, because the reader will sympathize or see something of himself in the antagonist. Even if it is just the flaw of humanity, or the fact that a human like him is capable of an act such as murder, for example (psychological horror).

Does this help?

You can read my complete article on my profile I think it is called Horror 101

Consider Silent Hill. The games were a combination of psychological horror and more normal horror, but they used the normal gruesome elements of horror, along with an unnatural antagonist(Pyramid Head) to create a lurking sense of discomfort. Combined with the music, the game never felt quite right, and you were always left with a lingering sense of dread that something horrible was about to happen, even if it never did.

Pyschological horror is a far more effective form of horror in writing, because it is easier to convey an atmosphere than a scene. Movies and games, as visual media, are better at conveying scenes in general. It's the only reason Eli Roth has ever made any money.

It is all psychological, if you think about it.

Horror is crossing into other genres. Most publishing companies are canceling their horror lines, but still publishing horror. Horror today isn't a big seller if it is labeled 'Horror'. It is considered the trailer park of genres today as far as literature is concerned. However, the thriller has a much larger audience.

Every genre can contain elements of horror, even psychological thrillers. While ghosts and vampires and demons are frightening, real life psychos are more frightening because readers can relate to them easier. The more real the horror element appears the more frightening.

A few 'horror' writers do not like to be called horror writers. They don't even like the idea of a horror genre. Their advice, write what you want and let the reader decide the genre. I believe this to be true as well.

Don't worry about genre. Just worry about writing a good story or novel.

Mary Brown is correct.

As far as Rick Chiantaretto's comments:

"Thriller:
Thrillers = suspense + a growing sense of threat (IE, in The Ring people only had 7 days to live, a ticking time bomb, etc.)"

I don't know about you, but if I had only seven days to live I would find that pretty HORRORifying, as would I a ticking time bomb.
Horror is everywhere. It is everything that we fear regardless if it is ghosts, vampires, demons, or the weird guy next door who looks like a serial killer.

Robert.

[color=darkblue][i]

My opinion the difference is this. Horror is plain scaring you. There are no tricks just plain old fashion blood and guts. Its like in Halloween they use the music and suspense to build you up and then the murderer jumps out and makes you scream. Think about a haunted house. To me that is horror.

Psychological thrillers messes with the head. You think reality is one thing but it is actually another. It is the sophisticated cousin of horror. Not saying that horror is the hillbilly cousin everyone hates to invite but it does take certain finesse to write a good psychological thriller.

Thats just my two cents.

Kate
[/i][/color]

I love the way that Rick has explained it. And it's true. But in my opinion, blood and guts is not what scares me. I think that there is nothing quite as scary as the human mind itself. Situation: "You wake up in a black box, but you don't know that because the lights are out and alls you can hear is slight scrapes. What do you do?" Your mind would be going crazy with accusations. "The scraping could be a murderer in the next room sharpening his knife, or fingernails scratch scratch scratching. And about the darkness, are your eyes still there. OH MY GOD I'M BLIND!" The difference between psychological and horror is this. Horror shows you what's happening and who's to blame. Psychological leaves alot up to your imagination and allows you to jump from one conclusion to another like stepping stones before finding out the big twist coming.

-Dawn Marie

[quote=Dawn M. Halley]I love the way that Rick has explained it. And it's true. But in my opinion, blood and guts is not what scares me. I think that there is nothing quite as scary as the human mind itself. Situation: "You wake up in a black box, but you don't know that because the lights are out and alls you can hear is slight scrapes. What do you do?" Your mind would be going crazy with accusations. "The scraping could be a murderer in the next room sharpening his knife, or fingernails scratch scratch scratching. And about the darkness, are your eyes still there. OH MY GOD I'M BLIND!" The difference between psychological and horror is this. Horror shows you what's happening and who's to blame. Psychological leaves alot up to your imagination and allows you to jump from one conclusion to another like stepping stones before finding out the big twist coming.

-Dawn Marie[/quote]
[color=indigo]I agree. I think psychological thiller snares all of the senses at once. Were as horror snare sight and sound. [/color]

"supernatural", i think. the idea of something unknowable being the real truth. in a psych thriller we get to know and fear a new force, the psycho moment, but we know that it's all within the bounds of our own good and evil. imagine too that psycho thrillers are hunt stories? people hunting people, much the way vampires are possible mental relics of northern european cannabalism? fear of being chewed?

but "supernatural"... the good and evil supernatural. good supernatural is, what? bible stories?

[quote=Montilee Stormer]I've always said that the difference between the two is dialogue, and quite possibly blood.

In reality, what is the difference? What makes Horror not Psychological Thriller and vice versa?

Subject?
Theme?
Scene structure?[/quote]

[quote=Montilee Stormer]I don't like poetry in general. I don't understand the format and I don't get the structure. I'll read it but I can't see how relevant a review from me would be. When I read poetry, all I see are incomplete sentences (I write novels and short stories). It's like asking an English Major to take a look at a complicated Math equation - the letters look right, but it's all Greek to him (heh, joke)[/quote]

And here I thought I was the only one. I'm with you 100% on this. I read poetry and I'm sorry but I just don't get it.

it takes a cross over of musical/verbal to read poetry. it's not about "saying smart things". some one prose author whom i respect tremendously can't read my poetry because he too "doesn't get it". for people like him, i suppose it's like saying you're color blind, and then people are forcing you to comment on Monet or something. i realize it's not fair to ask every smart writer to also see what's smart in "poetry", but it does feel bad. it's like the "why is this genre so maligned" thread, about "horror". and, to that thread, i suggested just writing a horror story about people who put down horror stories. to my own point, i'd just have to write a poem about "genetically defective wrong-brained mutants who have no rhythm and brag about it"... i wonder how it would go? LOL.

[quote=Derrick Ferguson][quote=Montilee Stormer]I don't like poetry in general. I don't understand the format and I don't get the structure. I'll read it but I can't see how relevant a review from me would be. When I read poetry, all I see are incomplete sentences (I write novels and short stories). It's like asking an English Major to take a look at a complicated Math equation - the letters look right, but it's all Greek to him (heh, joke)[/quote]

And here I thought I was the only one. I'm with you 100% on this. I read poetry and I'm sorry but I just don't get it.[/quote]

I love watching psychological thriller genre because it is very difficult to predict that what turn the story and this uncertainty and eagerness of people to know what will going to happen in movie makes these kinds of movies more desirable.

Psychological thrillers

For me, horror is sometimes predictable. Plus it involves supernatural elements. If a person goes down into their basement, alone with nothing but a dying flashlight, then the reader knows that something is going to happen.

Psychological thrillers on the other hand have unexpected twists and turns (usually anyway) and make the reader think.

Schizophrenic

 

Warning

This Book is rated Mature and may contain material unsuitable for readers under 18.

 

When Sahel Newsom finds himself in a hospital he is torn apart because he has just left what was a park, filled with other kids, toys, and his best friend in the whole world. But, now he is wide awake, and lost in a memory that might of never even happened. He's bent on searching for the truth of what happened to him and his best friend Sam. While being a part of a horrible medical study on mentally ill kids.

     Locked behind the walls of the hospital, and the images from his past, he only knows one way to get out of this... But, will the doctor's trap him in an endless nightmare for the rest of his life?

 

    Brought to you by the author of Life & Death, and Schizophrenic Poetry ~ S. D. Blankenship -- comes one of the most horrifying stories since Stephen King's Pet Cemetery.

 

   "Do you have schizophrenia?"

   "We all are just a little schizophrenic, even the doctor's are schizoid."

 

 

   

 

    S. D. Blankenship's

    Schizophrenic!

 

© 2012 S. D. Blankenship

 

http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/DarkXwolf/804052/

 

 

Featured Review

 

~Robbie

I have read two chapters and will continue to do so... This is a gut wrenching read! It's almost too difficult to get through because the content is so fully explicit. The violence is so raw and vivid.- it is a Plethora of Schizophrenic proportions. Heartbreaking!! but great write!

 

Posted 4 Months Ago

 

~Abby

Twisted tale, you really "go there" where other writers wouldn't which makes it even better to read, your real talented keep it up. Cant wait to read the next chapters in this book :)

 

Posted 2 Months Ago

 

~Victoria Poetry-bunny

Great vocabulary, and an open view to sick scenes in the world, greatly written in detail in these chapters, that tugged me into each sentence.

 

Posted 3 Months Ago

 

I think horror is only gruesome and bloody think of Hills Have Eyes, Texas Chainsaw Masacre or the Exorcist.