Why Is Horror More Popular Than Ever?

Horror is a genre that is meant to scare, disturb, and excite us. In this post, we explore why horror has become so popular, who enjoys it most, and why people keep coming back for more.

Fear is a universal human experience. Unless you’re a psychopath. And fear is the foundation of horror. There are many different types of horror, which we will explore in another post. For now, let’s look at why people are more drawn to horror than ever before. As humans, we naturally want to avoid danger, yet we still enjoy stories that scare, shock, and unsettle us.

Gothic romances were a staple of the literary world in the late 1700s. These types of novels flared back to life in the 1970s. We have the young governess/wife and the dark, emotionally closed-off Lord living in the castle on the cliff, many miles from a town. These books were full of hidden passageways, locked rooms, family curses and dark secrets. There is the mad wife in the attic (Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë – in fact, many of these examples can be found in Jane Eyre). We have the jealous grandmother /mother /housekeeper /neighbour /cousin, dark stormy nights, kidnappings, footsteps in the corridor, and door handles being turned in the dead of night. Not to mention dark and stormy weather. These were all too common tropes back then. Clearly, there’s still an appetite for it, if the film Crimson Peak is anything to go by.

But gothic romance is not the sole purveyor of horror. Just look at Stephen King’s books. Every genre can be a carrier. Even children’s books like A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness is not only scary but also heart-breaking. So why do people like horror so much, and why do some become obsessed with it?

What Is Horror?

If fear is horror’s foundation, how are fear and horror different? Writer Ann Radcliffe (1764–1823) explained the difference between horror and terror. She believed horror comes from shock and from seeing something deeply disturbing, while terror comes from the fear and anxiety of what might happen next. Horror can go from cozy to cannibalism, psychological to insanity, creeping up on you and with a sudden horrifying twist, to blood and gore that can make you physically ill. Horror can end on a positive note with the horror vanquished. Or there could be a continual sense of unease throughout the book. Yet it is the ending that produces the horror you can’t shake off once you close the book.

Who is attracted to the horror genre?

1. The Instant Justice Theory

Women are the primary audience for real-life crime dramas, especially on TV. While living with the reality that more women are murdered than men, true crime dramas give women viewers the satisfaction, and relief, of knowing nearly every murder is solved, and the killer brought to justice. As this all happens within a TV hour, it seems like instant justice. But is this the same for horror? The film, Panic Room would say yes.

World politics, Covid 19 and now Hantavirus, extremism, and the war against women are all making the world a rather scary place. The need to see that ‘it all works out in the end’ is one reason way some people like horror. 

2. There Is Also The ‘Roller Coaster’ Theory

I have only ever been on one roller coaster. Never again. I prefer my book frights to be the creeping unease and the unsettling reveal. The Little House by Philippa Gregory, and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, or The Sixth Sense spring to mind.

But some people like roller coasters. They like the fear of the rickety construction, the cars going too fast and flying off the track, the anticipation of the slow crawl up to the tipping point and then the fast fall down the other side. Roller coaster people like to make, or let, themselves be terrified just for the ‘fun of the jump scare’. Many readers and viewers are drawn to horror because it creates strong emotions and safely offers the thrill of fear.

3. The ‘It Teaches Me How To Cope In Scary Situations’ Theory

Whether it’s zombies, alien invasions, pandemics, dinosaurs, or extremism, lovers of this genre are taking notes. If this happens, what do I do? There is some evidence that preppers and conspiracy theorists fall into this category. During Covid, it is said, that horror films helped preppers to cope with the lockdowns. Personally, I binged-watched sewing, gardening, and rescuing abandoned chateaux videos. But thinking about it now, I can see a parallel there. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness shows how a young child learns to be honest about and cope with a situation that can break adults. There is value in that.

4. The Psychopath Response

Okay, maybe that heading is a bit too extreme. But when you read in a survey, responses to the question, ‘why do you like horror’ were along the lines of ‘I like the torture and wonder what it’s like’, perhaps it isn’t. 

Why Is Horror More Popular Than Ever?

As we said earlier, the world is a dangerous and scary place right now. Perhaps the resurgence of horror as a genre has a lot to do with that. Horror is entertainment. People need entertainment as a form of escapism – to see that compared to a zombie apocalypse, things might not be so bad, and beauty and joy are still around. If the world experienced a catastrophic massive solar storm or a man-made equally catastrophic powerful electromagnetic pulse, could you make your own clothes or grow your vegetables? Learning how to cope, zombies or not, is not a bad thing to learn.

If you get too much pleasure. and zero feelings of disgust and fear out of violent and gory horror films or books…maybe see someone about that.

Examples Of Classic Horror Novels

1. Dracula by Bram Stoker — The iconic vampire novel that helped shape modern horror.
2. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James — A haunting psychological ghost story.
3. It by Stephen King — A modern horror classic about fear, childhood, and evil.

Examples Of Modern Horror Novels

1. Bird Box by Josh Malerman — A tense post-apocalyptic horror novel about surviving an unseen threat.
2. The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay — A disturbing psychological horror story about fear and sacrifice.
3. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia — A gothic horror story filled with mystery, decay, and psychological terror.

The Last Word

Horror remains popular because it lets us explore fear in a safe and exciting way. Even though people naturally avoid danger, many are drawn to stories that shock, disturb, and thrill them. From psychological suspense to supernatural terror, horror continues to captivate audiences by tapping into one of the most powerful human emotions: fear.

If you’d like to learn how to write a great horror novel, sign up for one of the rich and in-depth courses that Writers Write offers and get your writing career off to a great start.

Source for image: Pixabay

by Elaine Dodge. Author of The Harcourts of Canada series and The Device Hunter, Elaine trained as a graphic designer, then worked in design, advertising, and broadcast television. She now creates content, mostly in written form, including ghost writing business books, for clients across the globe, but would much rather be drafting her books and short stories.

More Posts From Elaine

1. The Art Of Writing A Great Love Triangle
2. Love Story vs Romance: Key Writing Differences Explained
3. A Quick Start Guide To Writing First & Last Lines
4. What Is A Character Bible & Why Do I Need One?
5. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Revenge
6. A Quick Start Guide To Writing Emotions
7. Why A Good Vocabulary Is Important For Writers
8. What Is Cozy Fiction? & How To Write It
9. What Is A Cozy Fantasy?
10. What is Romantasy & Why Is It So Popular?

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