So last time I posted a horror blog I talked about the 3 main categories of Horror, but there are even more subgenres of horror that can fall under any of the 3 main categories. I can't possibly list them all, but I will go through some of the most popular ones and some of my favorites.
Rural Horror: This one is pretty self-explanatory but what makes this unique is it tends to also include local legends, or myths, or superstition. I'm a huge fan of this one. I'm sort of regretting having my current project be set in the city, but it just can't work any other way. However, all of my short stories take place in rural America. There is just something scary about the middle of nowhere country that I love, even though it's kind of a cliche.
Apocalyptic Horror: This deals with the end of the world. Not much more to say about that. My current project has hints of this. It isn't apocalyptic in the sense that the world is destroyed and in ruins, but rather its the end of the world in its current state.
Crime Horror: Combines horror elements with detective and crime elements. The horror is created by the criminal villain and the horror comes from the tension of the chase. It's very much a good guy vs. bad guy kinda horror. Also known as 'Thriller'.
Occult Horror: This is probably my favorite horror subgenre and I am incorporating a lot more of this in my current project and future projects. This focuses on exorcism, cults, curses etc. This is also the scariest type of horror to me. I'm not sure why, but its something that I've realized recently.
Psychological Horror: This is a very internal form of horror and usually revolves around the internal feelings of the protagonist. Oftentimes there is no villain or monsters, but rather you are simply left questioning whether or not what is happening is real, or whether the protagonist is emotionally stable.
Visceral Horror: This is gore. It's full of blood and brutality. I think visceral can work. I think it can't be the only thing. But, I do think it can work well if done right. I haven't been able to really master this yet, but I did a pretty good job in my most recent short story that will be coming out this fall. But even then, I only had one visceral moment and used other things to create horror during the rest of the story.
Anyway. There are MANY other subgenres of horror but these are some of the major ones that even the most casual horror lover will come across. I'm not sure what my blogging schedule will be like next week. I have a BUSY week. I have like 4 meetings, plus my 2 jobs so.....posts might be really short next week.
Til next time.
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