Satanic Horror
Explore books, themes, and recommendations in Satanic Horror.
What is the Satanic Horror Subgenre?
Satanic horror is similar to haunting, supernatural, or creature horror in that a supernatural monster is plaguing human protagonists. In satanic horror, the monster is the devil himself. This is an easy scare because there is no other character that is more closely associated with evil. When the devil is mentioned in books, the instinctual reaction is to expect terrible things to start happening, though this has diminished in recent years due to stories that portray demons, and even the devil as sympathetic characters. To truly scare, good writers of Satanic horror will not only rely on the gut instinct of the reader to prepare for terror, but they will also deliver it in spades. Satanic horror can be broken up further into four subgenres, all of which are plot elements of Satanic horror.
These are: demonic possession, Satanic ritual, curse, or Satanic bargain. Often, Satanic horror will combine many of these. In demonic possession, a demon, or the Devil himself will possess a human character, often an innocent or a child. This subgenre tends to have the most religious connotations of the Satanic horror subgenre. In Satanic ritual, a rite will be performed, often to the detriment of the human characters, and sometimes, this rite also brings about a curse on the protagonist, or they are dealing with the effects of a curse cast upon them. Finally, the Satanic bargain is an old and familiar tale, in which the human character makes a deal with the devil. Often, plots in this subgenre involve the human protagonist somehow running afoul of Satan and battling all the legions of hell which he has unleashed upon them. Hell can even serve as a setting for some stories in this subgenre, where the human characters are attempting to escape its clutches.
Satanic Horror Characteristics
Level of Characterization: In Satanic horror, the level of characterization is moderate to high. This is because through their interactions with the devil, the characters often also face their own weakness or darkness.
Level of Plot: The level of plot in this subgenre is generally moderate to low. Usually, satanic horror plots will contain one or several elements of demon possession, curses, dark rituals, or deals with the devil. There are very few twists and turns as the characters discover and do battle with the sinister forces that plague them.
Level of Supernatural: In Satanic horror, the level of supernatural will be very high, since the devil is a supernatural entity and is at the center of this subgenre.
Level of Scary: Scares will be high in this subgenre, as even its name conjures up creep factor.
Level of Violence: Violence in satanic horror will be moderate to high given the level of malevolence of the sinister forces that the human protagonists are dealing with.
Typical Setting: As in supernatural horror, isolation is important in stories of Satanic horror. So, expect stories to take place in small towns or other isolated areas. Hell, too, is also a popular setting for this subgenre.
Related Horror Subgenres
Creature horror and supernatural horror are easily related to this subgenre as both deal with supernatural entities plaguing human protagonists. Also, Satanic bargains and demon possession would also be related, as they are subgenres of Satanic horror. Occult and religious horror are also subgenres that can be related to Satanic horror as both deal with religious elements or themes.
Don't Read Satanic Horror If You Dislike…
The devil. If stories of Hell, the devil, or demons scare you, but not in the good way, this is not the subgenre for you. If you prefer your scares to be more atmospheric and vague, this is also probably not a good subgenre for you.