Sub-genres of Horror

Body Horror

• Body horror is film which involves murder and the destruction or degeneration of a body.

• Other types of body horror is when limbs are used to create monsters out of human body parts. An example of this is Frankenstein.

Comedy horror

• This sub-genre combines elements of comedy and horror.

• Films such as Scary Movie are done to parody Scream and other typical slasher features.

• Another example of a comedy horror is Shaun of the Dead.

Gothic horror

• Gothic horror combines elements of horror and gothic.

• Some of the earliest horror movies such as Dracula and Nosferatu fit into this sub-genre.

• These films usually include buildings such as castles and dungeons.

Psychological horror

• These rely on people’s fears, guilt, and emotional instability and at times supernatural to build tension and further the plot.

Examples include:• The Shining• The Ring• The Exorcist

Slasher film

• This sub-genre deals with murder due to a psychopathic serial killer.

• The killer usually uses a specific weapon.

• Slasher films are usually very tense and they build up on mystery and suspense.

Examples include:• Halloween• Psycho

Comparing two films

Both of these films are based on supernatural horror. However, it is different as in ‘The Exorcist’ the girl becomes possessed by demons but in ‘Insidious’ the boy performs astral projection accidentally. A similarity in these films is that the main character that is affected is a child which is because they are more vulnerable and prone to becoming possessed.