Horror fiction is fiction
in any medium intended to scare, unsettle,
or horrify the audience. Historically, the
cause of the "horror" experience has often
been the intrusion of a
supernatural
element into everyday human experience.
Since the 1960s, any work of fiction with a
morbid, gruesome,
surreal, or exceptionally
suspenseful
or frightening theme has come to be called
"horror". Horror fiction often overlaps
science fiction
or
fantasy,
all three categories of which are sometimes
placed under the umbrella classification
speculative fiction.
Haunting is used as a
plot device
in horror fiction and paranormal-based
fiction. Legends about
haunted houses
have long appeared in literature.
Achievments in
horror fiction are recognized by numerous
awards. The Horror Writer's Association
presents the
Bram Stoker Awards
for Superior Achievement, named in honour of
Bram Stoker,
author of the seminal horror work,
Dracula.
(Wikipedia)
