Genre is a means of classifying films based on common recurring elements. Theorists such as Chandler, Fiske, and Grant see genre as a way to organize media texts and simplify information for audiences. They argue genres appeal to our need for order and communicate familiar characteristics through shorthand. Horror films exemplify these theories through common elements like isolated settings, dark lighting, and villains that signal to audiences they are watching a horror genre film or sub-genre like thriller-horror or action-horror.