3. SCIENCE FICTION HORROR
• THIS SUB GENRE NORMALLY INCLUDES SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS GONE WRONG, ALIENS OR ELEMENTS OF
TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENTIFIC BASED ELEMENTS. THIS SUB GENRE INTRODUCES PARANORMAL IN SOME
OCCASIONS.
• SCIENCE FICTIONS FILMS INCLUDE APOLLO 18 (2011) AND GODZILLA (1954)
• A FAMOUS TITLE BEING ALIENS (1986)
4. COMEDY HORROR
• SOME HORRORS INTRODUCE COMEDY, THIS NORMALLY USES BLACK COMEDY; MAKING THE SCARY
ELEMENT OF HORROR LIGHT HEARTED, NORMALLY BEING MORBID. THIS SUB GENRE CAN BE CONTROVIAL
DUE TO ITS CONTENT AS IT MAKES FUN OF MANY SERIOUS ASPECTS WITHIN HORROR.
• EXAMPLES INCLUDE SCARY MOVIE (2000) AND HOUSEBOUND (2014)
• GREMLINS (1984) IS ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNISABLE WITHIN IN THIS GENRE AND HAS BEEN TALKED
ABOUT THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY.
5. GOTHIC HORROR
• WITHIN GOTHIC HORROR THEMISE EN SCENE IS NORMALLY THE MAIN FOCUS. LOCATIONS SUCH AS
CASTLES, DUNGEONS, OLD WOODS, ABANDONED AREAS ARE THE MAIN ASPECT.
• GOTHIC HORROR FOCUSES ON EXTREME LANDSCAPES, SOMETIMES INTRODUCING THE PARANORMAL
AND MAGICAL SIDES OF HORROR, SUCH AS WITCHCRAFT AND HAUNTINGS.
• GOTHIC HORROR EXAMPLES ARE THE WOMEN IN BLACK (2012), FRANKENSTIEN (1931)
• DRACULA (1931) IS A FAMOUS GOTHIC HORROR
6. SLASHER
• THIS SUB GENRE IS CONVENTIONALLY VIOLENT, IT NORMAL INCLUDES A NUMEROUS AMOUNTS OF KILLING
(A SERIAL KILLER.) THERE IS NORMALLY A WEAPON OF CHOICE WHICH BECOMES THE FOCUS OF THE FILM
AND THIS NORMALLY OVERLAPS WITH A SERIES OF CRIMES.
• THE AMOUNT OF VICTIMS NORMALLY CREATES SUSPENSE WITHIN THESE FILMS AND ‘THE KILLER’ IS
LURKING AROUND EVERY CORNER CREATING TENSION. THE KILLER IS NORMALLY MASKED OR CONCEALED
THROUGHOUT OR TO THE END OF THE MOVIE.
• FILMS SUCH AS CHILD’S PLAY (1988) AND PROM NIGHT (1980) ARE IN THIS GENRE
• A FAMOUS TITLE IN SLASHER IS SCREAM (1996)
7. ACTION HORROR
• ACTION HORROR IS OFTEN A FAST PACED, ACTION PACKED HORROR FILM. THIS INCLUDES CONVENTIONS SUCH
A GUN FIGHTS, CAPTURE SITUATIONS AND SCENES OF CHASES.
• WITHIN ACTION HORROR THE FOCUS IS MOST CONVENTIONALLY AROUND VAMPIRES, ZOMBIES, MONSTERS,
ALIENS, DEMONS AND TYPICALLY CONTAINS A LOT OF GORY FIGHT SCENES, THESE FILMS NORMALLY TRY AND
MAKE THE CONTENT BELIEVABLE AND REALISTIC TO CREATE THE ‘SCARY THEME’ OF HORROR. PARANORMAL IS
UNUSUALLY PRESENTED IN THIS SUB GENRE AS IT FAST PACED AND HAS A CLEAR PLOT. NORMALLY THIS
INCLUDES A THREAT OF AN EVIL FORCE OR INTRUSION BY THEM.
• EXAMPLES OF FILMS IN THIS SUB GENRE INCLUDE WORLD WAR Z (2013) AND THE HOST (2006)
• ALIENS (1986) IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR FILMS WITHIN THIS GENRE.
8. PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR
• THIS SUB GENRE FOCUS IS MAINLY BASED ON PARANORMAL. IT PLAYS ON THE IDEA OF BELIEFS, FEAR AND
EMOTION TO CREATE AND ADD TO THE PLOT. IT USES EMOTIONAL INSTABILITY TO CREATE TENSION
LEADING UP TO THE MAIN PLOT / PLOT TWIST.
• EXAMPLES INCLUDE THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) AND BLACK SWAN (2010)
• A INFAMOUS TITLE BEING A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984)
10. VAMPIRES
• VAMPIRES ARE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT, THE APPEAR IN HUMAN FORM NORMALLY BEING ABLE TO
SHAPE SHIFT INTO BATS. THE MAIN FEATURES OF A VAMPIRE IS A ‘DARK’ DRESS CODE, PALE SKIN, BLACK
HAIR, FANGS. THERE WEAKNESSES INCLUDE GARLIC AND DAYLIGHT. THEY FEED OFF HUMAN BLOOD, BEING
BITTEN BY A VAMPIRE CAN RESULT IN BECOMING ONE, THEY’RE IMMORTAL.
• VAMPIRES PRESENT THE FEAR OF BEING IMMORTAL / UNDEAD. ALSO VAMPIRISM FOCUSES AROUND THE
DARK AS WELL AS BEING AFRAID OF THE LIGHT. THE ASPECT OF BLOOD IS A MAIN PART OF BEING A
VAMPIRE WHICH COULD PLAY OFF PEOPLES FEARS.
11. ZOMBIES
• ZOMBIES ARE IN MANY HORROR FILMS, THEY’RE NORMALLY FOUND WITHIN THE SUB GENRE OF ACTION
HORROR (WORLD WAR Z) AS WELL AS SOMETIMES COMEDY HORROR (SHAUN OF THE DEAD.) ZOMBIES
ARE HUMAN BODIES THAT HAVE BEEN RESURRECTED / COME BACK FROM THE DEAD. NORMALLY THE
PRESENT A THREAT TO HUMAN LIFE AS THEY CONTRACT A DISEASE OR DISEASES ALSO WANTED TO KILL
AND EAT HUMAN FLESH. HUMANS CAN BE EFFECTED BY CATCHING THE DISEASE, GETTING BITTEN OR
COMING INTO CONTACT WITH ZOMBIE BLOOD.
• ZOMBIES PRESENT FEARS SUCH AS ‘THE UNDEAD’, THE POWER OF THE DEAD AMONG THE LIVING, THE
MASS SCALE OF DEAD BODIES AND THE POWER OF MILITARY FORCES.
12. ALIENS
• ALIENS ARE CREATURES FROM OUT OF SPACE. OFTEN PRESENTED AS THE TOTAL OPPOSITE OF HUMAN
APPEARANCE, THERE AESTHETICS IS NORMALLY DIFFERENT COLOURED SKIN SUCH A GREEN, BIG EYES,
POWERFUL WEAPONS AND SOMETIMES HAVE BODY PARTS THAT CAN BE USED TO ATTACK. THEY’RE
LARGER / MORE POWERFUL THAN HUMANS AND ARE ABNORMAL TO HUMANS. OFTEN THEY COME IN
LARGE NUMBERS WITH POWERFUL SPACESHIPS.
• ALIENS CAN PLAY OFF THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN AND ALSO HAVE WEAPONS THAT ARE UNBEATABLE,
THEY CAN SEEM AS UNSTOPPABLE AND A BIGGER FORCE THAN HUMAN LIFE.
13. GHOSTS
• GHOSTS ARE NORMALLY INVISIBLE OR IN HUMAN FORM, THEY TEND TO SHAPE SHIFT INTO SCARIER
DARKER THINGS. GHOSTS CAN BE SEEN AS ENTITIES THAT CAN AFFECT YOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL MIND SET
AS WELL AS YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND YOURSELF.
• THE FEAR OF BEING CONTROLLED BY SOMETHING YOU CANNOT SEE IS WHERE GHOSTS COME IN TO PLAY.
14. DEMONS
• DEMONS ARE PRESENTED AS ENTITIES THAT CAN POSSESS HUMANS, NORMALLY IF THEY’RE THEIR OWN
FORM THEY’RE PRESENTS A THE DEVILS WORK, NORMALLY RED AND HORRIBLE LOOKING. DEMONS ARE
LIKE GHOSTS WERE THEY CAN AFFECT SOMEONE’S PHYSIOLOGICAL STATE AS WELL AS SURROUNDINGS.
DEMONS CAN BE PRESENTED AS DOLLS FOR EXAMPLE IN ANABELLE AND THECONJURING, NORMALLY
POSSESSING HOUSE HOLD OBJECTS BEFORE POSSESSING HUMANS.
• THESE ALSO PLAY WITH THE PROSPECT OF LACK OF CONTROL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL AFFECT.
