You Might Love "Cozy Horror" Even if You Can't Define It

The term "cozy horror" has been in use among literary and movie critics for a couple of years now, and it's beginning to seep into the general public, meaning the internet. What does it mean? The two words seem like complete opposites, but those who recognize it know it when they see it. A recent episode of the podcast Books in the Freezer defines it as “when you have horror, you can have all the spooky elements, but if you know, for example, you’re going to have that happy ending, or low stakes … or even if the stakes are big, it’s surrounded by humor, or a love interest, or things that kind of negate those big stakes.” That's pretty broad. The Mary Sue describes it as "slowly creeping under your skin" as opposed to jump scares or extreme violence. While that may make cozy horror sound more cerebral, it can also apply to horror fare like Universal Monsters.

The term has led to endless arguments about what is horror and what is not, as well as what is cozy and what is not. The Mary Sue also shows us the gender divide, in that men see horror as an endurance sport- how much can you be terrified? Which goes completely against the idea of cozy. But can you really judge the quality of a horror film by sheer terror, when there are so many other qualities that make a good story?

Jose Cruz at Nightmare magazine jumps into some of those qualities that may help define cozy horror. They are: familiarity, sensuousness, distance, and fun. But even those parameters might not cover the range of what is considered cozy horror. No matter which side you fall on the discussion, it will make you see how many ways a horror story can be good even when the particular sub-genre is hard to define.

You'll find even more links on the subject at Metafilter.