Robert said:
I dunno. Look at one of the most famous of horror movies: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That had nothing supernatural in it. In fact, the realism of it made it seem even more horror-ish.
Well no offense but the question was:
Can someone give me an industry definition between the two?
Keyword phrase here... Industry definition.
Not what we "feel" is correct and not what horror films have evolved into. While I wholeheartedly agree that mainstream horror films have developed more into reality based foundations, there is a touch of the supernatural to even THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.
Definition of supernatural:
1. Of or relating to existence outside the natural world.
2. Attributed to a power that seems to violate or go beyond natural forces.
3. Of or relating to a deity.
4. Of or relating to the immediate exercise of divine power; miraculous.
5. Of or relating to the miraculous.
Supernatural doesn't have to mean ghosts, demons, etc... Supernatural is pretty much anything we experience OUTSIDE our normal, natural world.
I don't live next door to a family of cannibals... If I did, that could easily be considered supernatural. When killers keep coming back for more even though we've knifed them, shot them, etc., that's supernatural.
Hence, supernatural elements... Anything outside the norm or natural...
But again, I'm simply answering the original question which was the "industry definition" of horror and thriller as they apply to screenplays...
filmy