Man Made Horror
Explore books, themes, and recommendations in Man Made Horror.
What is the Man Made Horror Subgenre?
Mad scientists and post-apocalyptic wastelands are common tropes in the subgenre of man made horror. Here, you will find no ghosts or ghouls, but instead, there will be terrible disease, rampant pollution, and violent, mutated animals. Man made horror is any type of horror fiction that features something created by humans as the source of terror. This can either be something that is directly created by man through scientific experimentation or can be the by-product of society's rapid industrialization or technical advancement. This is the subgenre where you will find that the zombie apocalypse was started by scientists inventing a miracle cure, or through contact with radioactive waste.
The first, and most notable, work of the man made horror subgenre is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which introduced the mad scientist trope in the form of Victor Frankenstein. As in this seminal work, this subgenre will often include themes of mankind's hubris, as well as many science fiction elements. Human pride is our downfall in man made horror, as these rapid scientific, industrial, and technical advances quickly give rise to humanity's tormentors.
Unlike science fiction, in man made horror, scientific advancement is a source of terror. In this way, man made horror is similar to the rampant technology subgenre, which features post-apocalyptic worlds brought about by humanity's obsession with technological advances. However, the rampant technology subgenre is actually only a part of the man made horror subgenre which is a catch-all for not only technical advancement, but also ecohorror, which highlights humanity's damaging effects on the environment, and of course, all of the mad scientists.
Man Made Horror Characteristics
Level of Plot: The level of plot in man made horror is moderate to low. Themes of man's pride are explored as humanity's creations ultimately become their downfall.
Level of Characterization: Expect moderate to high levels of characterization in man made horror, particularly in works that feature mad scientists, though it is often their creations, and not the scientists themselves which are highly characterized.
Level of Supernatural: Low levels of supernatural can be found in man made horror because the human protagonist is often the source of their own terror.
Level of Scary: Scares will be moderate to high in this subgenre, often caused directly by the creation of a human protagonist or by society as a whole.
Level of Violence: Moderate to high levels of violence are present in man made horror. This subgenre is more action packed than atmospherically creepy.
Typical Setting: Post-apocalyptic worlds feature heavily in man made horror. Remote islands are also a typical setting for this subgenre, particularly when paired with the mad scientist trope.
Related Horror Subgenres
Rampant technology is an offshoot of this subgenre. Additionally, creature and zombie horror could be easily related to manmade horror, and cross-genre horror, particularly horror that is crossed with science fiction is another similar subgenre.