[[wikipedia:File:Paul Gustave Dore Raven1.jpg|thumb|alt=An Illustration of Poe's 'The Raven' by Gustav Dore|An Illustration of Poe's 'The Raven' by Gustave Doré|]] Horror fiction, horror literature and also horror fantasy is a genre of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, scare or startle viewers/readers by inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie and frightening atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural. Often the central menace of a work of Horror fiction can be interpreted as a metaphor for the larger fears of a society. The genre has ancient origins which were reformulated in the 18th century as Gothic horror, with publication of the Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpole.