Haunting Horror
Explore books, themes, and recommendations in Haunting Horror.
What is the Haunting Horror Subgenre?
Haunting horror is just as its name suggests, scary stories about people who are dealing with some sort of supernatural force that is drawn to them. The "haunting" can be anything from ghosts or poltergeists to demons, and it doesn't necessarily need to be tied to the main character. In stories like The Amityville Horror or The Haunting of Hill House, the supernatural entity is linked to the setting and existed long before the story begins.
This is probably why the haunting horror genre is sometimes also referred to as haunted house horror. The supernatural entity may also be tied to an object, such as a doll in Annabelle or a suit in Heart-Shaped Box. The haunting horror subgenre is one of the oldest and most widely varied in the horror genre. Stories can range from violent gorefests as seen in The Amityvile Horror to the atmospheric as seen in The Fall of the House of Usher. The entities can be malevolent or vengeful, but they can also be friendly and sympathetic. In fact, it seems like the only requirement for this genre is that the supernatural be regularly encroaching on the natural world, though the most haunting of horror stories blend the supernatural horror with the psychological horrors within the character's minds.
Haunting Horror Characteristics
Level of Characterization: The level of characterization in haunted horror can vary widely from scholars and professors to alcoholics and junkies, characters in haunted horror are as vastly different as the supernatural entities that plague them.
Level of Plot: The level of plot in haunted horror is relatively low. A supernatural entity plagues the characters with increasing menace until the situation explodes.
Level of Supernatural: Considering that a supernatural entity, whether it be demon or ghost, is a character responsible for plaguing the protagonist in a haunting horror, it is safe to say that the level of supernatural in this subgenre is very high.
Level of Scary: Another level that can vary greatly in haunting horror is the level of scary. Some of the earliest haunting horror is vaguey eerie while other stories will make you afraid to sleep with the lights off.
Level of Violence: Again, the level of violence in a haunting horror will vary depending upon the actions of the supernatural entity present. The Amityville Horror is extremely violent, wheras in The Haunting of Hill House, the violence is rarely seen on the page.
Typical Setting: A haunted house, of course. Haunting horror is typically set in an area that is being haunted by a supernatural being, though not always. Other typical settings of haunted horror include, small towns, marshes, or remote castles, any place that is sufficiently away from the normal to produce the necessary haunting atmosphere.
Related Horror Subgenres
One of the most obvious related subgenres is supernatural. Other related subgenres included atmospheric due to the fact that haunting horror generally evokes an air of creepiness and possession given that haunting is closely linked to possession. Another not so obviously related subgenre is psychological as many of the best haunting horrors combine the supernatural with the horrors in the protagonist's life. Some may even blur the line between the two genres.
Don't Read Haunting Horror If You Dislike…
The fantastical and supernatural. A staple of the haunting horror genre is the supernatural entity that plagues the protagonist and other characters. Because of this, anyone who enjoys a certain level of realism in their horror will be disappointed in the haunting horror genre.