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'{{refimprove|date=May 2007}} '''Psychological horror''' is a subgenre of [[horror fiction]] that relies on character fears, guilt, beliefs, eerie sound effects, relevant music and emotional instability to build tension and further the plot.<ref>[http://www.prattlibrary.org/locations/fiction/index.aspx?id=3076&mark=horror Will You Step into My Parlor?] A Guide for Horror Lovers</ref> Psychological horror is different from the type of horror found in "[[splatter films]]"' which derive their effects from gore and [[violence]], and from the sub-genre of [[horror-of-personality]], in which the object of horror does not look like a monstrous other, but rather a normal human being, whose horrific identity is often not revealed until well into the work, or even at the very end. ==Characteristics== Psychological horror tends to be subtle compared to traditional horror and typically contains less physical harm, as it works mainly on the factors of mentally affecting the audience rather than the display of graphic imagery seen in the [[slasher film|slasher]] and [[splatter film|splatter]] sub-genres. It typically plays on [[archetypal]] [[Shadow (psychology)|shadow]] characteristics embodied by the threat.<ref>[http://www.archetypewriting.com/articles/articles_ck/other.htm The Other in Fiction] - Archetype Writing</ref> It creates discomfort in the viewer by exposing common or universal psychological vulnerabilities and fears, most notably the shadowy parts of the human psyche which most people repress or deny. The menace in horror comes from within. It exposes the evil that hides behind normality, while splatter fiction focuses on bizarre, alien evil to which the average viewer cannot easily relate.<ref name="JOAP">[http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1465-5922.00405?journalCode=joap ''Journal of Analytical Psychology'', 48 (4), p. 407 September 2003] Psychoanalytic theory in times of terror</ref> [[Carl Jung]] has argued that attraction to the uneasiness caused by the Other is an attempt to integrate the "otherness" of the shadow while others believe horror serves only to repress it. One could ultimately argue that psychological horror isn't in fact of the horror genre, with it having a greater resemblance to the thriller genre. However, in psychological horror the essential element is to frighten the audience mentally, whereas this is not the case in thrillers. There is also a sub-genre known as the [[psychological thriller]], which can be similar to this, but relies on leaving a different impact on the viewer than that of psychological horror.<ref name="JOAP"/> Another aspect of psychological horror is its use of [[body horror]]. The purpose is to develop a feeling of unease by exploiting human fears of the [[abnormal]], [[human experimentation]], [[disease]], [[suffering]], among others. ==Selected films== *''[[A Tale of Two Sisters]]'' / ''[[The Uninvited (2009 film)|The Uninvited]]'' *''[[Audition (1999 film)|Audition]]'' *''[[Come and See]]'' *''[[Dark Floors]]'' *''[[Dark Water (2002 film)|Dark Water]]'' *''[[Forbidden Siren (film)|Forbidden Siren]]'' *''[[Higurashi When They Cry#Films|Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]'' *''[[Jacob's Ladder (film)|Jacob's Ladder]]'' *''[[Ju-on]]'' / ''[[The Grudge]]'' *''[[Kairo (film)|Kairo]]'' / ''[[Pulse (2006 film)|Pulse]]'' *''[[Kaun (film)|Kaun]]'' *''[[Marianne (2011 film)|Marianne]]'' *''[[One Missed Call (2004 film)|One Missed Call]]'' *''[[Rasen]]'' *''[[Ring (film)|Ring]]'' / ''[[The Ring (2002 film)|The Ring]]'' *''[[Rosemary's Baby]]'' *''[[Secret Window]]'' *''[[Session 9]]'' *''[[Silent Hill (film)|Silent Hill]]'' *''[[Suicide Club (film)|Suicide Club]]'' *''[[Sweet Home (video game)#Film|Sweet Home]]'' *''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'' *''[[The Cell]] *''[[The Haunting]]'' *''[[The Innocents (1961 film)|The Innocents]]'' *''[[The Others (2001 film)|The Others]]'' *''[[The Shining (film)|The Shining]]'' *''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs]]'' *''[[The Sixth Sense]]'' *''[[Whispering Corridors]]'' ==Videogames== {{see also|Survival horror}} *''[[Amnesia: The Dark Descent]]'' *[[Clock Tower (series)|''Clock Tower'' series]] *''[[Condemned Criminal Origins]]'' *''[[Deadly Premonition]]'' *[[Fatal Frame|''Fatal Frame'' series]] *[[F.E.A.R.|''F.E.A.R.'' series]] *[[Higurashi When They Cry|''Higurashi When They Cry'' series]] *''[[Killer7]]'' *[[Manhunt (series)|''Manhunt'' series]] *[[Penumbra (video game series)|''Penumbra'' series]] *[[Silent Hill|''Silent Hill'' series]] *[[Siren (video game)|''Siren'' series]] *''[[Sweet Home (video game)|Sweet Home]]'' ==See also== *[[Horror film]] *[[Japanese horror]] *[[Lovecraftian horror]] *[[Survival horror]] ==References== <references/> {{Horror fiction}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Psychological Horror}} [[Category:Horror fiction]] [[Category:Film genres]] [[Category:Horror genres]] [[es:Terror psicológico]] [[fr:Horreur (psychologie)]] [[nl:Psychologische horror]] [[pt:Terror psicológico]] [[sr:Психолошки хорор]]'