The Horror genre is normally accompanied by other genres. Horror would be a dark twist to them or a dark side of them if not just spiced with them. And at times, the horror contained is so minimal or subdued in relation to the other genre(s) involved that the work as a whole is not categorized as horror (though we may still be there for it).
Now, let’s see what they’re essentially about.
Mystery
Quite often intermingled with horror, mystery draws in the curious. With unusual, strange, and inexplicable events, one would wonder what is happening, why and how, and be tempted to find out - even if “curiosity killed the cat”. Going into the unknown is going into the dark. And horrors could be lurking there, yet to be revealed. Hints, clues, and evidence may abound or elude, but are sought after anyway. For a restless mind, there is no rest until put to rest. Putting the pieces together and finally having satisfying answers that can be believed may not be easy. In fact, it may also be a dangerous risk to carefully consider. Some secrets were intended to remain buried and digging them up will not be without consequences. Obstacles, traps, and punishment can get in the way. And sometimes, only sometimes, leaving them there would have been best.
Adventure
Though adventure is commonly associated with exciting experiences to fondly remember, there is no guarantee that they won’t take a terrible dark turn. Venturing past safe bounds, to unfamiliar and hostile territory, coming unprepared, and perhaps not in the best company for when things go south, makes room for horror. What was supposed to expand your horizons and challenge you to grow may instead deeply scar you and irreversibly break you. Craving the new and the different led beyond what was expected and signed up for. And only those fit or fortunate enough to make it through regardless would make it back home.
Action
Horror typically gets and dwells under the skin, but it is not necessarily absent for the tough and thick-skinned. Besides, when fear is activated, given the situation and the circumstances, no matter your condition, the responses may be mostly physical. Running, driving, fighting, shooting, and more in order to survive (or to destroy). With little time to pause and stop, everything might go in a flash. And if you’re not quick enough, you might lose your opportunities or even your life. Alone, partnered, or in a team, actions significantly count and would move closer or farther from succeeding. Leaving people behind or bringing them along is a decision of utility or compassion, as not everyone can or will keep up and there are assets and liabilities.
Drama
When drama meets horror, it is more than just over-the-top screams, cries, and whines. Drama pairs with horror to take it further with more dimensions to it. Getting closer to the characters, their situations, and their circumstances. What they are going through mentally and emotionally. How horrific events have affected them or continue to affect them. Their dynamics and relationships with others and with themselves. What is tormenting them and what is making them vulnerable. There is meaning behind their hurt and suffering or at least some significance that impacts them for better or for worse. They don’t make it unscathed. They may metamorphize.
Comedy
Comic relief amidst the horror or just plain void of any empathy and compassion? Horror, as serious as it is to be taken, is quite often accompanied with humor. They say that we laugh at what we fear, to create distance from it, but a lot of the time things are simply funny. Comedy in moderate amounts lightens the intensity of the horror. While horror in moderate amounts makes comedy attractive or at least palatable to those who are normally engaged by the scarier stuff. Which, sometimes, although you may believe you crave it, you actually would benefit from lowering the dose. With comedy around, it won’t get too heavy.
Romance
Bonding through horror is incomparable to any bonding or “bonding” done during fair weather. While scared and desperate, someone to count and rely on is yearned for. Someone who stays despite this state, who shows to be brave and strong enough to remain by your side and face the odds together. Maybe that’s only a friend (and a great one at that). But maybe, in the heat of the moment, it turns to passion and lust - emotions that drive connection and attachment. That or the appeal that monsters and monstruousness have for some make romance possible in the middle of dire situations. The ride or die. The savior. Or the deeply destructive relationship whose dynamics are “somehow” as addictive as a drug that resembles being in love.
Science Fiction
The possibilities for horror are endless when it comes to sci-fi. Usually relates to advanced technology that is yet to properly master, but ultimately relates to anything that is not completely far-fetched in another time or another world but doesn’t currently exist in ours. Deadly machines, mutations, viruses, aliens, and more. Who knows what’s out there or what we might eventually encounter? Here, blind luck won’t save you. And brains over muscles win when you must know and understand what you’re dealing with. The experts on the subject may not make it to the end, but they will certainly have valuable insight or skills to contribute. They likely foresaw the whole thing years ago and had been preparing for it.
Fantasy
Magic and magical creatures. They’re eerie and fantastical and may fill us with wonder and enchantment. Though, just as well, they may be dreadful and not to be messed with. Fairies are not always kind. Dragons are not always allies. And kingdoms and castles are not always all sunshine and rainbows. The flower fields may be filled with thorns and poison while the gardens may become an inescapable labyrinth. Up is down and down is up. This must be a dream. No, a nightmare. The villain and their villainous laughter cause genuine concern. Swords and shields might not do the job. Whose side are the witches on? Who are the chosen ones?
Crime
There is crime in almost all horror. However, what makes a horror piece filed as crime? When we get to see the criminology in it, when there is a focus on which laws and which rules have been broken and how. That's when horror interwinds with crime, when the crime is not only committed but also inspected and followed through the lens of the law and law enforcement. Technicalities are taken into account and become part of the story. If thorough investigations are your cup of tea, then you might enjoy a bit of crime in your horror. Furthermore, hearings in the court and litigation may as well become integrated. On the whole, this adds to the plot and the plot thickens.
War
Although, undeniably, there is much horror in war, works categorized under war are rarely infused with what is considered horror. There are fights to the death, yes, and there is visible blood, but the element of horror isn’t usually explored and expressed to the degree that would make it be seen as such. Regardless, a few stories have delved beyond the usual aspects portrayed of war (such as war strategy, tactics, battles, and ruin) and merged with horror. Whether of the supernatural kind or of the natural kind, where PTSD, survivor’s guilt, phantom limbs, and other unsettling issues plague the combatants.
Which genres are you most drawn to?