Mystery Musings: Murder Mysteries versus Horror

While trying to coordinate a movie theater trip, my friend remarked that she was surprised that I love murder mysteries so much – (I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed!) – but that I don’t like horror.

I hadn’t really stopped to think about this before, since it had always been my preference, but hearing that made me want to delve into this a bit. Why is it that I love (okay, maybe I’m obsessed with…) murder mysteries, but not horror?

Upon reflection, I think the main reason is that with a well-plotted murder mystery, there is always a reason why things happen. A murder is objectively horrific and awful, but in a mystery book, it doesn’t come out of the blue. By collecting the clues, you can trace back the reasons why it occurred and make sense of the terrible and chaotic happening. This isn’t always the case with horror, which likes to keep you feeling uncertain for a more eerie effect. The gore can be unexpected to make it even scarier.

In a mystery, the sleuth is also trying to right the wrong and restore order by solving the crime. While the murder cannot be undone, there can be justice. It offers a sense of control. There is always an answer in a whodunnit, which is reassuring.

There are, of course, multiple subgenres and tweaking of tropes and creative approaches to both, so there are lots of variations. There is a big range of how dark they can get, and everyone will have their favorite type. (Is it any surprise that I love cozies?) However, I think it comes down to: in mysteries, you get to puzzle along with the sleuth to find answers, and in horror, you watch people try to survive because they entered a situation without clear answers.

And also maybe I don’t like how high I jump during jump scares…