What's the difference between horror and terror?

Question

I have invented some or one word(s) about this. For example, "horrorist". Now I like to find out how some people think of the difference.

Answer 1

What is the difference between History and Education & Reference?

Answer 2

Stephen King's view of it (in "Danse Macabre", a really interesting book about horror literature and movies from a guy who's a fan, not just a writer) is that terror is the feeling of dread, the mood that (ideally) the horror writer has been trying to build up, the feeling before the monster is revealed. Horror is what you have after you find out about the monster, and includes your reactions to the monster. He defines "revulsion" as a third category of emotional reaction to horror literature, somewhere below horror. King writes: “I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I'll go for the gross-out. I'm not proud.” Cheesy horror films go straight for the gross-out.

Answer 3

Horrorist and terrorist are two completly different words, obviously. When I read "horrorist" i think of a horror film maker, nothing resembling a terrorist, even though both horror and terror are alike words. Not bad though :)

Answer 4

This is a very interesting question.

The distinction between the two is based on time.

Terror is an emotion you feel BEFORE something happens. It is mental reaction brought on by your thinking of things before they happen.

Horror is what you experience AFTER something happens. You see, feel, or touch something and react to things after they happen.

Answer 5

If someone came into your room and started shooting everyone, you'd feel terror.
If you entered a room just after everyone there had been shot, you'd feel horror.

Answer 6

I THINK THAT HORROR IS IN ENGLISH, AND TERROR IS IN SPANISH.