horror and terror
Sign in to savestandard literary and psychological concept applied especially to Gothic literature and film
~5 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Drawing by Sir Charles Bell of a terrified man from Essays on Expression
The distinction between horror and terror is a standard literary and psychological concept applied especially to Gothic and horror fiction. Horror is the feeling of revulsion that usually follows a frightening sight, sound, or otherwise experience. By contrast, terror is usually described as the feeling of dread and anticipation that precedes the horrifying experience.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “horror and terror” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.