<Tr> <Td> Portal </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> Horror is a genre of speculative fiction which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten, scare, disgust, or startle its readers or viewers by inducing feelings of horror and terror . Literary historian J.A. Cuddon has defined the horror story as "a piece of fiction in prose of variable length...which shocks or even frightens the reader, or perhaps induces a feeling of repulsion or loathing". It creates an eerie and frightening atmosphere . Horror is frequently supernatural, though it can be 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 . </P>

When did the genre of scary stories start