Horror Vs. Thriller: What's The Difference?

TV & Film

Oct 29

Every horror fan has had this debate at one point. Whether you prefer horror books, movies, or TV shows, you have inevitably debated with someone about the difference between the horror genre and the thriller genre. It is a debate that relies heavily on opinion, but you might be surprised to learn that there are actually some very specific differences between the two genres.

Let's dive into the technical stuff and explore the differences and similarities between the two genres. Who knows? Maybe we will even be able to settle the debate once and for all!

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Horror

So, what makes horror content horror and not a thriller? The main thing is the formula. Anyone that has seen the 1996 classic, Scream, knows exactly what I am talking about. Horror films follow a specific formula as do their sequels and the occasional prequel. The formula is simple: the film focuses on the terror and the catastrophic events that lead to the inevitable showdown between the protagonist(s) and the villain or monster where one will be “defeated”. There are very few unexpected twists because the viewer knows what the main path of the film will be. While there are some exceptions to this rule, it's still pretty safe to rely on. Another thing that separates horror from a thriller is that in horror the monster or villain is the most likely to return in a sequel. There is the final girl variable, but in most horror, it is the monster that we see returning. The last thing I will mention in this article about horror is that the main goal of the content is to evoke as much terror as possible in a short amount of time or pages.

Thriller

Now that we have discussed what constitutes horror let's dive into what makes a thriller and how it is different from horror. Whereas horror follows a formula, a thriller does the opposite. There is a focus on unexpected twists and taking viewers in a direction they never would have expected. If you’re a big thriller fan, you will know that this isn’t always achieved, but it is still one of the main goals of a thriller. Another aspect of a thriller that we don’t typically see with horror is that the story is plot-driven. Thrillers are going to rely heavily on their plot, so they keep audiences at arm's length to make sure that they don’t figure out the twists too early on whereas a horror film can have a weak plot and still be a fantastic watch. Thrillers are also typically rooted in reality and take real-world events (terror attacks, robberies, etc.) to be the focus of their content. Horror films are not typically rooted in real life and instead rely on urban legends, fictional monsters, or things that audiences are already scared of (spiders, the unexpected, the dark, etc.). Lastly, while in horror the monster is most likely to return, in a thriller the protagonist is the person most likely to return in future content.

There are clearly some technical differences between what makes content a thriller or horror, but I think that in modern-day, these lines are routinely crossed and much blurrier than they were back in the day.

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