Horror and terror
In Gothic literature, terror is suspenseful fear of an anticipated threat, while horror is revulsion at a threat made immediate or visible.
Ann Radcliffe: An English novelist whose Gothic fiction became known for suspense, sublime settings, and explanations of apparently supernatural events. Her novels exemplified terror as prolonged anticipation and helped establish the distinction.
Suspense: A state of uncertainty and heightened anticipation about what will happen next in a narrative. Terror depends on sustaining suspense before the feared event becomes clear or present.
Psychological horror: Horror that centers on mental states, perception, and emotional disturbance rather than primarily on physical threats. It shows how horror can arise from mental exposure, not only visible violence.
The Castle of Otranto: A 1764 novel by Horace Walpole, widely regarded as the first Gothic novel. Its supernatural incidents make threats appear directly within an early Gothic setting.
The Mysteries of Udolpho: A 1794 Gothic novel by Ann Radcliffe about Emily St. Aubert’s ordeals in an Italian castle. Its veiled threats and delayed revelations are a landmark case of terror.
Dramatic irony: A narrative effect in which an audience knows something that one or more characters do not. Unequal knowledge can intensify terror by making danger seem imminent to the audience.
Jump scare: A sudden startling event in a film or story, often produced by an abrupt image or sound. Its immediate shock differs from terror’s sustained anticipation.
The Italian: A 1797 Gothic novel by Ann Radcliffe about an attempted forced marriage, religious authority, and persecution. Its scenes of pursuit and concealment sustain terror through uncertainty.
On the Supernatural in Poetry: An 1826 essay by Ann Radcliffe distinguishing the effects of terror from those of horror. Radcliffe explicitly framed terror as expanding the mind and horror as constricting it.
Delayed revelation: A storytelling technique that postpones disclosure of a significant fact, object, or event. Radcliffean terror often keeps a threat indistinct until its eventual explanation or appearance.