9 Sub-Genres of Horror



9 SUBGENRES OF HORROR


Zombie

Example- The Crazies 

- Extremely Popular 

- Can cross over into other genres, such as comedy and science fiction. 

-Zombies can be used to represent a variety of social issues in today's society, such as the overwhelming use of social media, as well as a metaphor for consumerism. 

-Successful Zombie Films include 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Zombieland', and 'World War Z'



J-Horror

Example- The Grudge

-Originate from Japan, product of typical far-eastern culture.

-Often J-Horror films are poorly remade by Western Conglomerates, such as 'The Grudge'.

Slow and methodical build is strongly featured in J-Horror, rather than the jumpscare-laden Western Horror films. 



Splatter 

Example- SAW

-Concentrate heavily on the use of vulgar imagery and blood to achieve their intended aims. 

-They will often feature sexually suggestive imagery in addition to the vile gore that is featured in them. 

-Reinvented and taken to a new level by the 'SAW' franchise, who have reinvigorated the Splatter genre. 




Slasher 

Example- Scream

-Antagonist is mute, wears a mask, carries around a sharp weapon to inflict pain with, male generally.

-Victims are usually young and relatable, punished for indulging in sinful activity such as drugs and/or pre-marital sex. 

-Usually there is always a 'final girl'- a female character who is the last to survive this onslaught from the masked antagonist. 




Thriller

Example- Silence of the Lambs 

-Often depicted as being outside the horror genre, however they can border over into being considered horror. 

-What classes as 'Thriller' has changed drastically over the past couple of decades (i.e. now Silence of the Lambs and Jaws are both considered Thrillers. 

-Strong investigative/mystery theme to a Thriller, making it wildly different to the other horror sub-genres. 




Werewolf/Vampire films

Example- American Werewolf in London

-Obviously feature a Vampire or a Werewolf as one of the main characters, whether they be a protagonist or antagonist

-Derived from gothic folklore and fairytales. 

-Have been ever-present in filmography even since the time of silent films. 




Psychological/Supernatural

Example- The Conjuring 

-Characters always fall prey to an evil force, rather than a tangible being.

-Audience is sometimes exposed to an 'insane' viewpoint on the events.

-Very popular in modern cinema, injecting realism into its films to scare the audience more. 




Monster 

Example- King Kong 

-Always is the combat between one or more large monsters and human beings. Arguably the most common sub-genre of horror. 

-Originate from Japan

-This is the term given to any horror film that involves one or more oversized monsters. 















Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Digital Technology Essay

Application of Theories to my Trailer (EXAM QUESTION)