Thriller vs Horror: What’s the Difference?

By Shanee Edwards · October 18, 2023

Choosing a genre for your screenplay is an important decision that can heavily influence both your creative journey and career path. Thriller vs horror – whichever genre you choose, it’s crucial to know the rules and tropes of that specific genre so you can build a story that will satisfy an audience’s expectations.

But there are two movie genres that are often confused with each other: thriller and horror. While a good horror movie may have some thriller elements (and vice versa), they have two completely different trajectories and audiences will experience each genre in totally separate ways. Let’s take a closer look at the differences between the two genres and why a writer might choose one over the other.

Horror Movies

Examples: The Exorcist, Carrie, Let the Right One In, 28 Days Later, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Rosemary’s Baby, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster

First and foremost, the intention of a horror film is to frighten the audience by tapping into their unconscious fears. These fears are primal and typically center on the body (represented in blood and gore), the unknown (represented in supernatural or paranormal elements) and monsters (represented in abnormal humans, animals or machines). Horror films try to provoke a strong emotional and visceral response and can include graphic scenes designed to shock and disturb viewers. Gore, screams, violence and jump scares are common elements in horror movies.

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Thriller Movies

Examples: Se7en, The Silence of the Lambs, Jaws, Promising Young Woman, North By Northwest, Old Boy, Aliens, The Dark Knight

Think of a thriller movie like a rollercoaster with ups, downs, thrills and chills. Instead of loop-de-loops, however, thriller movies use suspense, tension, psychological intrigue and criminality to increase the audience’s heart rate while keeping them on the edge of their seat. To sustain that emotional thrill ride, thriller movies often employ a central mystery or high-stakes situation that keeps the audience engaged and guessing what might happen next. Thrillers should be fast-paced and involve intricate plots, twists and turns – just like a rollercoaster. While they might create a bloody scene with a dead body or a monster, thrillers tend to rely less on blood and gore than horror movies, instead focusing on building anticipation and suspense.

Read More: Top Thrillers of the 90s

Supernatural vs. Realistic Elements

Many horror movies feature supernatural or paranormal elements, such as ghosts, monsters, or supernatural occurrences that are far out of the realm of realism. Take The Omen as an example. Young Damien is possessed by Satan and the fact that he’s such a cute kid makes the premise even more frightening. This supernatural element helps to create an atmosphere of fear and dread but it probably won’t happen to you or anyone you know since it’s not very realistic.

Thriller movies, on the other hand, usually have a more realistic and grounded setting. Let’s take Cape Fear as an example, where a convicted rapist gets set free from prison and stalks the family of the lawyer who put him behind bars. While terrifying for sure, this scenario is certainly possible and a lot more realistic than demon possession. Thriller movies can involve mysteries and unexpected twists but they generally don’t rely on supernatural occurrences as heavily as horror movies do.

Character Development

In horror movies, characters are usually less developed and may not arc to the extent characters in other films do. There simply isn’t enough time to develop their characters because their main purpose is to serve as victims or sources of terror. They are trying to survive by any means possible, like in the film Saw.

Thriller movies, however, usually have more developed characters, like Clarice in The Silence of the Lambs – the mere title of the film gives you insight into Clarice’s character, since it’s a reference to when she was a child and wanted to stop the sound of the frightened lambs going to slaughter. For a thriller to successfully create a thrill ride, the audience must get on board with the protagonist’s journey by engaging with them emotionally, which is why you need deeper character development. More developed characters are also why you see bigger movie stars in thrillers vs. horror movies.

Graphic Imagery

Horror films often include explicit scenes of violence, gore, and disturbing imagery (think of Regan’s head-turning scene in The Exorcist). These elements are intended to shock and unsettle the audience.

While there can be moments of violence or disturbing imagery in thriller movies, they tend to focus more on psychological manipulation and suspense rather than bloody, graphic content. Think about the scene in The Silence of the Lambs where Jame Gumb tries to get Catherine Martin (the girl in the pit), to put on the lotion. We know he wants to turn her into a skin suit, but the focus is on the threat of that happening, not watching it happen.

A Satisfying Ending

Horror movies may not always provide a clear or satisfying resolution at the end of the film. Some horror films end ambiguously or with lingering uncertainty, contributing to a sense of unease. At the end of Annabelle, the haunted doll is purchased by a mother as a gift for her daughter, implying that the doll will continue to wreak havoc on more people in the future.

Thrillers usually provide a stronger resolution to the central mystery or conflict in the story, and the resolution often ties up loose ends and provides a satisfying conclusion to the story. If there is a killer, they are almost always caught, killed or brought to justice.

The Exorcist (1973)

Which Genre is Best for You?

If you’re trying to decide to write a thriller or horror movie, think about which type of film ignites your own passions. If you love being scared (and scaring other people), horror is most likely the best genre for you. Take the time to study your favorite horror films and note the techniques they use to create the biggest scares.

If you love mapping out a plot, creating twists and turns, and delving into the psychology of a character, thriller movies are probably what you should write.

Whichever genre you choose, make sure it’s one you are passionate about and feel strongly that you can add something new and fresh to the category. Trust your instincts and have fun!