A subgenre of horror and psychological fiction that focuses on mental, emotional, and psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience.
Definition
Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. It frequently overlaps with the related subgenre of psychological thriller.
How it works
It often uses mystery elements and characters with unstable, unreliable, or disturbed psychological states to enhance the suspense, horror, drama, tension, and paranoia of the setting and plot. This is done to provide an overall creepy, unpleasant, unsettling, or distressing atmosphere.
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