Graphic Design: Flyer

This handout could be used in a secondary or college setting as an easy reference guide for literary analysis or creative writing. The nuanced definitions of terror and horror are often overlooked by readers and writers alike, or perhaps felt without being named. The comparison format helps readers or writers recognize both mental and physical components of each emotion.

Note: The text of the graphic is repeated below for accessibility.

text version

Terror vs. Horror

Consider what invokes TERROR and what invokes HORROR

as we explore the tales of Edgar Allen Poe.

TERROR

Initial fear
Sense of dread or apprehension
Heightened sense of awareness
Increase in anxiety, stress, and heart rate
"Fight-or-Flight" response
Often fear of what is going to happen or the shock immediately following an event

EXAMPLE: The Cask of Amontillado

You feel TERROR when you know Montresor has an evil plan you are now accomplice to. You feel anxious as Fortunato stumbles toward his doom. Your mind races because you don't know the plan or how it will happen.

You just know it is coming---soon.

HORROR

Overwhelming feeling of revulsion
May leave one frozen in place
Can cause illness or nausea
Understanding the full magnitude or scope of an action
Follows TERROR to its conclusion

EXAMPLE: The Cask of Amontillado

You feel HORROR when you finally understand what Montresor's plan is. Your mind screams, "No!" as you witness the dreaded act. You feel disgust at the fate of Fortunato, revulsion at one meeting such a horrible, tortured end.

Or do you?