1. Psychological Horror

2. What is psychological horror?  Def: a subgenre of horror fiction that relies on character fears, guilt, beliefs and emotional instability to build tension and further the plot.  Different from “splatter” fiction in that is does not rely on gore and violence

3. Characteristics of psychological horror  Relies on the shadowy characteristics of the “other”  Many play on the shadowy parts of the self that most people repress or deny  PH comes from within-it exposes the evil that hides behind normality

4. Characteristics of psychological horror  Relies on tension building up until the end while “splatter” relies on things jumping out of the dark  Relies on fear of the unknown  Plays on the anticipation of a perceived threat  Some violence but less that what we see in “splatter”

5. Examples of Psychological Horror  Werewolves  The Blair Witch Project  Dracula   Video Games: Silent Hill, Condemned, Eternal Darkness, Penumbra, The Suffering, F.E.A.R.   Ghosts   Frankenstein

6. Psychological horror vs. Splatter

7. Literary Terms  Mood: The aymosphere or feeling that the literary work conveys to the reader  Tone: The writer’s attitude toward his or her subject