Horror

Creating—and maintaining—a sense of dread in the audience takes priority, eliciting shock, fear, or disgust through atmosphere and frightening scenarios. Mood must be of equal or greater importance than setting and characterization in horror stories. Almost always, the main cast will be under constant threat of danger. Many stories can incorporate elements of horror as a plot device to unnerve the audience, but the overarching narrative must be focused on evoking and maintaining apprehension to be Horror. Contrast with Suspense where the audience craves to know what will happen next rather than fearing it.