“There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.”
In the world of fiction, the term ‘horror’ is used to describe any story that invokes a feeling of dread, repulsion, unease or fear. However, how authors go about eliciting those fears can vary significantly. From creepy atmospheres to disgusting gore, here at What We Reading, we love all things horror. That’s why we’ve decided to pull together a guide on all the main horror subgenres in the world of fiction!
Gothic Horror
Examples:
- Dracula – Bram Stoker
- Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
- The Haunting Of Hill House – Shirley Jackson
One of the cornerstones of the horror genre, Gothic Horror can trace its roots back to the 18th century. It was influenced by the Romantic movement, with authors like Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and Edgar Allen Poe becoming the enduring faces of the genre.
Gothic Horror tales typically combine creepy atmospheres, melancholic musings on life and death with romantic themes. The combination of the macabre with the romantic has led to this horror subgenre being one of the most studied and influential in history, with tragic tales like Frankenstein being examples of how layered and complex the genre can be.
Body Horror
Examples:
- Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke – Eric LaRocca
- The Beauty – Aliya Whiteley
- The Troop – Nick Cutter
Sometimes referred to as ‘Biological Horror’, Body Horror books are tales that intentionally showcase grotesque violations of the human body. Whether or not these violations happen in the real world or an imaginary/alternate universe doesn’t necessarily matter. If it involves parasites, disfigurement, mutation or any other way of dismantling the basic human form and grossing out the audience, it counts.
Tracing the origins of Body Horror is difficult, with even stories as old as Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde exploring variants of the human form. However, most credit the rise in popularity of the Body Horror subgenre with the emergence of bloody slasher works during the 1980s.
Paranormal Horror
Examples:
- The Woman In Black – Susan Hill
- Ghost Story – Peter Straub
- The Shining – Stephen King
Paranormal Horror books are a subgenre that involves the supernatural and unexplainable. Ghost stories, even strands of the Fantasy genre such as Urban and Dark Fantasy tales can all cross over into the realms of Paranormal Horror.
What makes this one of the most significant horror subgenres is how enduring it has remained throughout human history – wherever there have been people, there have been ghost stories to be told in the dark! We can trace ghost stories back to Ancient Greece and Rome, however contemporary Paranormal Horror is typically credited with beginning in the 1920s and 1930s with expressionist movements across Europe.
Non-Paranormal Horror
Examples:
- Misery – Stephen King
- Red Dragon – Thomas Harris
- Psycho – Robert Bloch
Opposed to Paranormal Horror, Non-Paranormal Horror is a subgenre where there is no supernatural presence at work. Instead, authors utilise everyday fears and altogether more human fears as a way of ramping up the scares.
There is a relatability to the trials and terrors the characters in these books go through, giving them an added dimension that is otherwise easily explained away in other horror subgenres. Because of their real-life influences, a lot of the time Non-Paranormal Horror can often drift into parts of the Thriller and even True Crime genres.
Erotic Horror
Examples:
- Cthulhurotica – Carrie Cuinn
- Love In Vein – Poppy Brite
- The Safety Of Unknown Cities – Lucy Taylor
Horror is all about indulging the darker sides of life and exploring taboos and themes that other genres aren’t able to access. It is that notion that Erotic Horror books tap into. This horror subgenre can trace its root back to the romanticism of Gothic Horror works, and is sometimes referred to as ‘Dark Erotica’. They dabble in the darker sides of desire and works of Fantasy involving villains such as vampires are usually used by their authors.
There are so many horror subgenres in the world of fiction, certainly far too many to concisely sum up in one blog post. There also isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to which subgenres a book belongs. Still, let us know what subgenres we missed out on!
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
