What's the difference between horror and terror? Is it that horror requires a certain level of shock?

Question

And terror deals with something that is already expected? I promise this is not rhetorical, I just started wondering about this tonight.

Answer 1

I always thought of terror as a progressive form of horror, seeing as both contain some elements of fear.

One could view terror as an extension of panic, too.

Answer 2

I thought it was the other way around - horror implies a kind of moral or otherwise relatively calm repugnance, whereas terror is basically the screaming abdabs.

Answer 3

I think you somewhat have the two mixed around.

In my opinion, horror is the more passive form of fear; that's why in a lot of horror fiction and (good) horror movies, you can feel fear without having any one specific event take place to make you scared.

Terror is active fear, like what you would feel if someone were chasing you with a chainsaw.

Answer 4

horror involves shock, and that which happened to cause said horror does not necessarily have to happen to the person experiencing the emotion.

i would think terror, on the other hand, would be experienced by someone to whom an action is being performed to scare the living daylights out of them; a mortal fear. (danger of some sort)