Meanings
nounquiet horror (plural not attested)
- no pluralbroadcastingA subgenre of horror and psychological horror that doesn't rely on explicit, graphic elements or cheap thrills (e.g. jumpscares, gore, shock tactics etc.); but relies on atmosphere, subtlety, uncanniness and slow-burning tension.
[…] Instead, we’re given an ending that tears the threadbare fabric of the movie apart even more — quiet horror at its finest. […]
2023 January 10, K. Austin Collins, “Inside 'Skinamarink': The $15,000 Horror Movie That's Captivated TikTok”, in Rolling Stone, archived from the original on 28 Jun 2023
Origin
Either named after Stanley Ellin's book of same name or coined by Charles L. Grant.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
quiet horror. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quiet%20horror
MLA
“quiet horror.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quiet%20horror. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “quiet horror,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quiet%20horror.
Source: quiet horror on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.