The Horror Genre

The horror novel is designed to scare its readers. This is acheived through terror, horror, and revulsion. Terror, which Stephen King calls the finest of the three, causes a sense of dread, an anticipation of something terrifying about to happen. Horror is a feeling of shock over something  that has just happened and  revulsion, a reaction to blood and gore.

Subgenres

Monsters

The monster subgenre includes zombies, vampires, warewolves, and aliens. Some infulential books in this category include: Salem's Lot by Stephen King, Dracula by Bram Stoker, Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice, and World War Z by Max Brooks. 

Paranormal

These are ghost stories. This subgenre also includes haunted houses, witches, devils, demons and supernatural powers. Some seminal titles in this category include: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, and Ghost Story by Peter Straub. 

Psychological

Psychological horror includes characters struggling with phobias, madness, and parania. Some of the formative works in this subgenre include: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. 

Crime

A mashup of suspense and horror in which a criminal, often a serial killer, plays the role of the monster. Examples include: The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, TheBad Seed by William March,  Psycho by Robert Bloch, and The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson. 

The Bram Stoker Award is given out annually by the Horror Writers Association. 

If I had to choose a few books to introduce readers to the horror genre... 

• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
• Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Books of Blood by Clive Barker