Horror Vs. Thriller: What’s The Difference?
Horror Vs. Thriller
What’s the difference between horror movies and thrillers? Are they basically the same, or are there fundamental contrasts between the two?
I pondered these questions recently while I was writing my review of Strange Darling. I described Strange Darling as both “horror” and “thriller” in my review because, honestly, I wasn’t sure which category best described it!
Similarities and Differences
Horror and thrillers have many common attributes. Both typically feature high levels of violence, lots of tension, and dark themes.
At first glance, any gory movie could be labeled horror. But what about Coen Brothers films like No Country For Old Men and Fargo? Those movies are certainly violent and morbid, but I don’t think that anyone considers the Coens to be horror filmmakers.
And how about Seven, with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman? That’s an extremely grotesque and bleak film, but it fits better in the thriller category.
Horror movies are far more likely to have supernatural elements than thrillers, but there are numerous exceptions to this. There are plenty of horror movies, the Scream franchise for example, that have nothing paranormal whatsoever.
Thrillers often have police procedural storylines. The protagonists are often detectives investigating crimes, rather than the victims themselves. Horror movies are more likely to focus on the victims, but there are exceptions to this, too.
I think everyone would agree that the Saw movies are horror, but many of them contain thriller-like storylines about police investigations. There’s nothing supernatural in Saw, either.
To make the horror vs thriller distinction even more challenging, there are movies like The Silence of the Lambs that really straddle the line between horror and thriller. Hannibal Lecter is an iconic horror villain, but the police procedural aspects of the film are more akin to thriller movies. Very little of Lambs is from the perspective of the victims.
Honestly, I think Silence of the Lambs is a combo of the two genres. If forced to choose, I’m categorizing it as a horror film. Why? Because it’s creepy and frightening, not just suspenseful. Same goes with the recent hit Longlegs.
How To Tell If You’re Watching a Horror Movie Or A Thriller
To me, there are two main attributes that set thrillers and horror apart.
- Intent. The main intent of a horror movie is to frighten us. Even horror comedies will sneak in a jump scare or two. Thrillers are about suspense, not terror. They want to get our adrenaline pumping, but they’re not particularly interested in scaring us to death.
2. Perspective. Horror movies usually take the victim’s point of view. We see the terror from their eyes, which enhances the fear factor. Thrillers often take the perspective of the villains and/or law enforcement agents who are investigating the villain’s crimes. They’re much less interested in the victims themselves.
Under these parameters, Strange Darling fits best in the thriller category. It’s suspenseful and sometimes disturbing, but not scary. The point of view is mainly from the villain(s) and there is a subplot involving two police officers who have differing interpretations of a crime scene.
Does that mean that horror writers like me should ignore Strange Darling and other thrillers? Of course not! Horror and thrillers are close cousins that appeal to similar audiences. They’re both under the same broad umbrella of movies that want to get our hearts racing!
