horror fiction
Let an agent describe horror fiction as a genre across media, identify subgenres and conventions, relay history and criticism with attribution, and route to entries for specific works, media and subgenres.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent describe horror fiction as a genre across media, identify subgenres and conventions, relay history and criticism with attribution, and route to entries for specific works, media and subgenres.
A genre of fiction intended to frighten, unsettle or disgust its audience, drawing on the supernatural, the monstrous, the psychological and the bodily, in literature, film, television, radio, comics and video games, with subgenres such as gothic, cosmic, psychological, body and comedy horror and recurring figures such as werewolves, vampires and ghosts; horror has a long literary history and is studied for its cultural and psychological functions.
What it is for: Entertainment and the exploration of fear.
It can be explain the genre and conventions; identify subgenres and media forms; relay history and criticism; route to specific works.
Distinguishing features
Affective aim of fear
Supernatural and psychological modes
Cross-media presence
Recurring monsters
What it looks like
Not a visible object; books, films, programmes, games and comics with frightening content.
How it is recognised
Fiction intended to frighten or unsettle
Gothic, cosmic, psychological, body and comedy subgenres across media
Thrillers create suspense without horror; dark fantasy overlaps
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
is a kind of - across media
evokes - the intended response
overlaps with - a historical source
In practice
Families and kinds
literary horror from gothic novels onward
horror film and television, including comedy horror series
horror radio programmes
horror video games including psychological and body horror games
werewolf, vampire and other monster fiction
cosmic and psychological horror
Standards and regulation
Age ratings and content classification for films, games and television
Copyright in works
Failure modes and hazards
Distress for unprepared audiences
Confusing horror with thriller or dark fantasy
Presenting contested critical claims as settled
Also called
+5
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Genre What horror fiction is.
Definition.
Definition
Definition and conventions.
Definition
Definition.
- What is horror fiction, and what conventions and figures define it? definition
- Is the work horror, a thriller or dark fantasy? boundary
Subgenres
Subgenres and media.
Subgenres
Subgenres.
- What subgenres exist, and how does horror work across literature, film, radio, games and comics? definition
- Which entry fits the specific subgenre or medium? action
History History.
Attribution.
History
History.
History
History.
- How did horror develop from gothic novels and folklore to modern media, with attribution? provenance
- Which entry fits gothic fiction? action
Works
Key works and creators.
Works
Works.
- Which works and creators are landmarks in each medium? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Study Criticism and psychology.
Attribution.
Criticism
Criticism.
Criticism
Criticism.
- How do critics interpret horror, its functions and its politics, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral? boundary
Psychology
Why audiences seek fear.
Psychology
Psychology.
- What does research say about why people enjoy horror, with findings attributed? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Context Industry and regulation.
Context.
Industry
Industry.
Industry
Industry.
- How is horror produced and marketed across media, with sources? provenance
- Which entry fits the film industry? action
Ratings
Ratings and censorship.
Ratings
Ratings.
- How are horror works rated and censored, and what debates exist? provenance
- Which entry fits content rating? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should horror film and horror video game be separate primary entries?
- How should criticism references be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming media-specific forms; should they be split off?