Horror

Horror is a genre of speculative fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror books often deal with supernatural themes. Often the central menace of a work of horror fiction can be interpreted as a metaphor for the larger fears of a society. Literary historian J. A. Cuddon defined the horror story as “a piece of fiction in prose of variable length… which shocks, or even frightens the reader, or perhaps induces a feeling of repulsion or loathing.”