‘It's Like a Horror Movie That You Walk Through’: Experiencing Horror Through Immersive Recreation

ABSTRACT Horror stories have provided enjoyable forms of leisure for centuries. Over the past five decades, however, these experiences have evolved into increasingly immersive forms of popular culture. What once involved constructing the narrative world internally through reading has expanded into sensory engagement through visual and auditory media such as film and television. More recently, participation has become even more active, as audiences control avatars in horror‐themed video games or physically engage with narrative environments in haunted houses and other immersive horror attractions. This paper examines the evolution of immersive horror—from its literary origins to contemporary embodied and interactive experiences—and considers the role of American culture in shaping this industry. It concludes with a discussion of the future of immersive horror entertainment.