What is Horror and why are things unsettling



Based on my research the content of horror can be split in to three main groups

1. Fantasy monsters composing of but not limited to;
Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves etc

2. Religious/ghostly horror
Curses, Exorcisms, hauntings etc

3. The third category is Terror
This category uses concepts such as psychological terror and thriller to unsettle and frighten viewers.

Terror is the element I will be trying to encapsulate and showcase in my posters, something not so unbelievably scary that you run away but rather an image that stays with you. An image that is shocking to the extent that you close your eyes and still visualise it.

Stephen King breaks down horror into three basic levels.

The first is the revolting, disgusting imagery that horror contains and you feel so repulsed that you have to look away.
The second level is called Horror, its imagery and scenes that are so unbelievable and unnatural that you struggle to even comprehend what you are looking at is even real.
The final level is Terror this category is for the truly unsettling, it is home to concepts that are truly startling to the viewer, like the feeling of a hand reaching out to grab you even when you know that nobody is there. Or the feeling of fright when you look at a mask, it hides a persons emotions and facial features essentially taking away an element of humanity which leads you might believe that this person is dangerous even when there is no real danger present.
This is Terror

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