Horror film sub-genres
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The document discusses several sub-genres of horror films including: action horror, which combines elements of horror and action; body horror, which focuses on the graphic destruction of the body; and comedy horror, which blends humorous and horrific elements. It provides examples for each sub-genre and sometimes mentions influential directors.
Horror film sub-genres
- 1. Horror Film Sub Genres. Horror has many sub-genres. These include: Action Horror: This sub-genre combines an evil force, event or a supernatural being typical of horror films with gunfights and frantic chases which is typical of the action genre. Themes include gore, demons, vicious animals, vampires and the most common for this genre, zombies. The sub-genre fuses the fantasy genre also. Examples are Dawn of the Dead, Resident Evil and Blade. Resident Evil is based off the well-known Capcom survival horror video game series of the same name. Body Horror: This is a sub-genre in which it features the graphic destruction/degeneration of the body. Other types of body horror include unnatural movements or the anatomically incorrect placement of limbs to create monsters, such as Frankenstein, out of body parts. Examples of this sub-genre are The Thing, Hellraiser and Teeth. Clive Barker is one of the most notable directors of this genre.
- 2. Comedy Horror: This sub-genre combines the humorous elements of comedy and horror. This sub-genre crosses over to black comedy the majority of the time. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving is cited as the first comedy-horror. Examples of this sub-genre include Shaun of the Dead, Gremlins and An American in Werewolf in London. Tim Burton directed Sleepy Hollow, which is loosely based on “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, released in 1999. Gothic Horror: This sub-genre combines both goth and horror. At times it may have romance that unfolds within the film, which is usually suspenseful. Some of the earliest horror films were of this sub-genre. Examples of this are The Phantom of the Opera, Dracula and The Mummy. Bram Stokers novel Dracula is probably the most well known film of this sub-genre.
- 3. Natural Horror: This sub-genre normally features mutated beasts, carnivorous insects and animals/plants turned into cold-blooded killers. Sometimes it may overlap with science fiction and action/adventure genres. Examples include Snakes on a Plane, Jaws and Piranha 3D.One of the most known directors of this sub-genre is Steven Spielberg, as he was the director of Jaws. Psychological Horror: This sub-genre relies on the characters’ fears, guilt and beliefs. It also relies on eerie sound effects, relevant music, emotional instability and sometimes the supernatural to build tension and to allow the plot to go further. Examples include Sinister, The Exorcist and Silent Hill. The Exorcist was a highly controversial film released in 1973 based on the book of the same name, and was directed by William Friedkin. Science-fiction Horror: The science-fiction sub-genre often includes killer aliens, mad scientists and/or an experiment gone wrong. Examples include Alien, Apollo 18 and Doom. The director of Alien was released in 1979 and released by Ridley Scott.
- 4. Slasher film: Slashers often revolve around a psychopathic killer who kills a sequence of victims in a graphic/violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife and/or an axe. They often overlap with crime, mystery and thriller. Examples are Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Halloween was re-released by Rob Zombie, a musician who is influenced by horror films. Splatter film: These often focus on graphic use of gore and violence. Using special effects and excessive blood and guts, they tend to show an over-the- top interest in the vulnerability of the human body and its mutilation. Not all of them are slasher films and they are not all horrors. Examples include Hostel, Saw and Cannibal Holocaust. George A. Romero coined the term “splatter cinema” to describe his film Dawn of the Dead, henceforth Splatter Film was created.James Wan, who returned to the third installment as a writer, first directed the Saw franchise.
- 5. Zombie film: This sub-genre usually portrays creatures who are either a reanimated corpses and/or mindless human beings. This sub-genre has also influenced sub-genres such as zombie comedy and the zombie apocalypse. Examples include Day of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead and I Am Legend. The most influential zombie film director is possibly seen as “The Godfather of Zombies”, George A. Romero.