To horrify someone is to hit them with a heavy shock — the kind that makes the stomach drop. They are not just surprised; they feel upset, or afraid, or both. News can horrify you, and so can a film, a story, or something a person does. The verb needs an object: something horrifies someone. After it happens, that person is horrified (how they feel). The thing that did it is horrifying (what it is like). Though actually, people often use it a little loosely. They say they were horrified by a messy room or a rude remark when they mainly mean they were shocked and did not like it, not that they were truly scared. It still sounds strong. It is not a light word like surprise.