Sub-genre horror film research

Action horror

“This category has 5 subcategories such as: Blade, Matrial Arts, Phillipine Action, Resident Evil and Underworld. Some film examples include Dawn of the Dead, Predator, Aliens and Horrors of War. They merge horror and action into one film”.

Comedy horror

This category merges comedy and horror together literally. They can be categorised under “Spoof”, “Black Comedy” or “Parody.” Horror Comedy will often use satire on horror cliches as its main source of humour or take a story in a different perspective, such as "The Cabin in the Woods" and "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil". In horror comedy films, gallows humour is a common element. While horror comedy films provide scares for audiences, they also provide something that dramatic horror films do not: "the permission to laugh at your fears, to whistle past the cinematic graveyard and feel secure in the knowledge that the monsters can't get you".

Zombie film

“Zombie films include fictional creatures portrayed as reanimated corpses or infected humans. Cannibalism is a feature in these films and they fall under the horror genre, but can cross over into others such as comedy, science fiction, thrillers or romance. Zombies are distinct from ghosts, vampires or mummies so these types of undead aren’t included in this category. Some film examples include ‘Zombie Apocalypse’, ‘White Zombie’ and ‘28 Days Later’”.

Psychological Horror

“Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror literature, film, television and video games (as a narrative) which relies on the character's mental and emotional instability to frighten readers, viewers or players. Psychological horror aims to create discomfort by exposing common or universal psychological and emotional vulnerabilities/fears and revealing the darker parts of the human psyche that most people may repress or deny. Themes include suspicion, distrust, self-doubt and paranoia of others, themselves and the world”.

Slasher film

“Typically involving a violent psychopath murdering several victims, usually with bladed tools. Most believe that the genre's peak occurred in American films released during the 1970s and 1980s. Another sub-genre term for this could be a “splatter film”. Some slasher films include ‘Scream’, ‘Halloween’ and ‘Maniac’.”

Science fiction horror

“Is a subgenre of science fiction and horror films put together, often revolving around subjects that include but are not limited to alien invasions, mad scientists, and/or experiments gone wrong. Some sci-fi films include ‘Alien’, ‘The Thing’ and ‘Cube’.”

Gothic horror

“Is a genre or mode of literature and film that combines fiction and horror, death, and at times romance. The effect of Gothic fiction feeds on a pleasing sort of terror, an extension of Romantic literary pleasures. It originated in England in the second half of the 18th century. Some gothic horror films include ‘Dracula’, ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Wuthering Heights’. 

Body horror

"In which the horror is principally derived from the graphic destruction or degeneration of the body. Such works may deal with decay, disease, parasitism, mutation or mutilation. Other types of body horror include unnatural movements, or the anatomically incorrect placement of limbs to create "monsters" from human body parts".