How The Horror Genre Has Influenced Pop Culture Online
Horror, with its chilling tales and haunting imagery, has long captivated audiences across various mediums, from literature to film, video games, music, and beyond. Far more than a source of thrills, the genre has embedded itself deeply into popular culture, shaping the way we perceive fear and the supernatural.
Increasingly, in the age of mobile gaming, social media, and streaming, we’re seeing horror’s influence having a greater impact on online pop culture. From streaming behemoths like Netflix spending millions of dollars on original horror movies and TV shows, and some of the most-downloaded mobile games featuring horror themes like Oxenfree 2 and Paranormasight, to the huge followings for horror groups on Facebook like Horror Movie Addicts and its 1.8 million members, the genre is proving it is still as relevant in the digital age as it ever was.
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Fun and Games
You just need to look at the Google Play Store to realize how big horror games are for mobile devices. For puzzle fans, for example, Samsara Room offers an unsettling, mind-bending journey, while for multiplayer horror, Dead by Daylight provides a tense survival experience. Oxenfree 2 is rated highly by critics for its spooky, character-driven story and supernatural undertones, while platformer fans favor Limbo, a visually striking game that immerses players in a haunting world.
In iGaming, horror enjoys a similarly strong presence. Quickspin’s eerie Reel Nightmare and Merkur’s mythological monster-inspired Vampires highlight how even slot gaming has embraced the genre at online casinos in the U.S., with many platforms making these games available with free spins to show their confidence in them.. You can even get started with casino bonus “no deposit” offers at the likes of Caesars Palace and PlayStar as well as Bet365 where Red Tiger Gaming’s Devil’s Number has proven popular.
Social Media and Entertainment
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The genre maintains a strong presence on social media, particularly Facebook. Themed pages and horror groups have huge followings. One of the biggest is Horror Movie Addicts, which has 1.8 million members who share memes, partake in polls, and discuss horror movies and literature. Elsewhere, Horror Stories, a group devoted to fiction, has 269,000 members, while Classic Horror Films, which focuses on older movies, has 180,000 members. These are just a small selection of the groups and pages on the social media platform that celebrate the genre.
In the streaming wars between major platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Apple, horror content has proven to be a major winner. Even the more family-focused Disney+ has looked to bolster its presence in a competitive market by releasing original films such as the Predator spin-off Prey (2022) in addition to Clock (2023), Grimcutty (2022), and Books of Blood (2020). Netflix still leads the way though. Survival horror Bird Box starring Sandra Bullock broke records when it was released in 2018 with the streamer continuing to produce scary movies in the years since to satisfy fans like Fractured (2019), Cam (2018), Night Teeth (2021), and Stephen King’s novella-inspired In the Tall Grass (2019).
A Continuing Evolution
The horror genre's influence on pop culture, particularly online, is undeniable and ever-growing. From mobile gaming and iGaming to fostering thriving social media communities and driving the success of major streaming platforms, the genre continues to prove its popularity outside of the box office as it evolves alongside digital trends.
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One of the things I like most about horror is its range. Horror can be represented across the full spectrum of media and found lurking within even apparently-conflicting genres. I look back over the past few years and think beyond the obvious horror-homes of film and TV to examples like Tom Wright’s harrowing stage adaptation of Picnic at Hanging Rock, the haunting and hauntological sci-fi horror art books of Simon Stålenhag or even Cryo Chamber’s ever-expanding discography of sinister, abyssal dark ambient.