What Is The Difference Between Horror And Thriller?

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There are a lot of genres when it comes to books and as a result, there can be a lot of overlap between two genres.

This can lead to a lot of confusion and readers mixing up one genre for another. 

Two of the biggest offenders for this are horror and thriller. One the surface, they seem to inhibit a lot of similarities but there are actually some key differences between these two genres that completely separates them from one another. 

But what are these differences? 

Here, we are going to be diving into genres to learn more about what makes horror and thriller their own unique genres. 

The Purpose Of Horror And Thriller

One of the main differences between thriller and horror novels is their purpose. Although both are linked to emotions such as fear, they work in very different ways to make you feel different types of fear. 

On one hand, horror wants you to be constantly scared. This means that you will be thrown with every gory detail in long descriptions regarding murders, monsters, spooky houses, ghosts, and more.

A horror novel will want you to be both disgusted and scared throughout. 

Thrillers, on the other hand, want you to build in fear throughout the novel. They don’t just want to scare you but excite you through constant suspense.

Thriller books are very tense and will have you holding your breath because you are scared of the outcome of the narratives. 

Horrors, however, will have you scared at what happened in the past, present and future.

Both genres aim to entertain but in very different ways. Think of it this way – a horror story will have you screaming throughout, while a thriller will build up to one final scream. 

It’s All About Perspective

Another big difference between horror novels and thrillers are perspectives. 

In every book, you will have a narrator or the story will follow a certain character. It can range from many characters in each chapter, to a single first-person point of view throughout the book.

However, horror and thriller tend to rely on different types of perspective when telling their tales. 

Horror novels are not afraid to switch narrators or follow different characters during different points of the story.

These kind of books always want their readers to be scared so switching from one character down in a creepy basement to another wandering a cemetery allows the writer to show lots of different scary events even while they are happening simultaneously. 

Thriller novels, however, tend to follow just one or two main characters. Because thrillers are suspenseful and tense, usually accompanied with some kind of mystery or mission, it’s easier for the writer to follow a single character and have them act as a stand in for the audience. 

As this single main character learns more and more, and the tension heightens, so does the audience. 

Thrillers are tricker to pull off when you are writing with multiple points of view because each character will have their own secrets and information – but all of them will be revealed to the reader prematurely.

It’s not impossible to pull this off, but it will take a very skilled writer to write a thriller with multiple perspectives. 

As a result, horror novels can follow a range of different characters while a thriller usually relies on a single compellion protagonist to carry the plot. 

Subgenres: A Genre Within A Genre

As we said earlier, genres often overlap and this can mean that most novels don’t fit into one single box. 

A single novel can have multiple genres and subgenres but when it comes to horror and thrillers, you are more likely to see them paired with certain genres over others.

Thinking about the subgenres of a novel can definitely help you define its primary genre based on conventions but it’s always important to remember that nothing is set in stone. 

Despite this, most thriller novels are often given the ‘action’ or ‘mystery’ subgenre. This is because due to their suspenseful narratives, there is often some kind of hidden mystery that the protagonist needs to solve.

This can be coupled with a lot of action scenes including fights, break-ins, and chases to stop the protagonist from discovering more.

These ‘action’ scenes are part of what makes a thriller thrilling – so it’s not uncommon to see them paired together. 

Due to their narrative conventions, a lot of thriller novels are also more modern than horror books and also pair nicely with a lot of crime-genre books.

With plot points involving kidnappings, murders, missing people, and more, it’s easy to see why so many thriller novels get adapted into blockbuster movies and prime time TV. 

Horrors, on the other hand, can be paired with a huge range of subgenres. Supernatural, paranormal, slasher, dark fantasy, gothic – these are just some of the subgenres of horror! They usually link to whatever makes the ‘horror’ in the horror novel such as the monster, the setting, or the events. 

Examples Of Horror And Thriller Novels

To further highlight the differences between horror and thriller novels, why not just read a few for yourself? You will instantly be able to pick up on the tonal differences between the two genres and feel for yourself how they make you feel different emotions. 

Some classic horror books to read include Bram Stoker’s Dracula, At the Mountains of Madness by HP Lovecraft, The Case Against Satan by Ray Russell, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and pretty much anything by Stephen King. 

Although each of these examples dip into different kinds of horror, each one will have you queasy and terrified from start to finish. 

As for thrillers, here are some examples that will have you on the edge of your seat and nearly sick with dread.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is a recent popular thriller novel, along with The Guest List by Lucy Foley and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Each novel is a heart thumping classic piece of entertainment, so give them a read! 

Once you have, you will become familiar with the different emotions each genre inspires, how different their characters and perspectives are, and how they lean heavily into different subgenres.

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