Horror metal is a term which originated in the late '70s to describe Death SS. The 1980s gave rise to several bands following in the horror metal sound, such as Ripper,King Diamond,and Samhain (to an extent). Since then, a number of bands playing several different styles of metal have fallen under this banner, including Necrophagia and The Vision Bleak.

Horror metal can be defined by its themes rather than the music. Horror metal bands are usually horror movies fanatics and make great use of references to the latter in their lyrics. They also often incorporate movies or original soundtrack samples in their songs.