The Horror Genre - Sub-Genres

Throughout my research into horror films I have noticed that there are lots of different sub-genres, each with slightly different conventions. Below are a selection of some of my favourite types of horror sub-genres. For my film, I will focus on one of these sub-genres and conduct some more detailed research into my chosen sub-genre before I begin my planning.

Slasher Movies

Plot lines of the slasher sub-genre usually involves a group of young people (with very defined character roles) being hunted by a masked killer in an isolated setting. The characters usually get killed one by one resulting in the 'final girl' character type left to defeat or escape the killer. This sub-genre's popularity grew in the 1970s and 1980s, and the slasher movie remains a common horror sub-genre to this day.

Examples of famous slasher films include 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (1974), 'Black Christmas' (1974), 'Halloween' (1978), 'Friday the 13th' (1980), 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (1984), 'Scream' (1996), 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' (1997) and 'X' (2022).

Psychological Horror Movies

Psychological horror film  aim to create discomfort and dread by revealing typical or universal psychological and emotional weaknesses and fears in the characters, fears which expose the sinister parts of the human psyche that are normally repressed. Often films from the psychological horror sub-genre contain less gore than conventional horror films and the the threat or menace is implied in unsettling ways.

Examples of famous psychological horror films include 'Peeping Tom' (1960), 'Repulsion' (1965), 'Don't Look Now' (1973), 'The Shining' (1980), 'Possession' (1981), 'Jacob's Ladder' (1991), 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991), 'Triangle' (2009), 'Black Swan' (2010), 'Split' (2016), 'Get Out' (2017), 'Mother!' (2017), 'Hereditary' (2018), 'Saint Maud' (2019), 'The Lighthouse' (2019) and 'The Girl with the Needle' (2024). 

Folk Horror Movies

Films from the folk horror sub-genre use elements of folklore to invoke fear, and the narratives of these films usually involve sacrifice, superstition and paganism. These films often feature refrences to pagan rituals, mythological elements and tales of older times and customs, with an emphasis of a rejection of modern life and practices. Plot lines for films from the folk horror sub-genre frequently involve an outsider coming into an isolated community and uncovering the dark secrets that lie beneath the surface of that community, usually culminating in the death of the outsider (as a sacrifice) when they threaten to expose what goes on, or with the outsider succumbing and becoming part of the community. Folk horror films are often, but not exclusively, set in the distant past.

Examples of famous folk horror films include 'Witchfinder General' (1968), 'The Blood on Satan's Claw' (1971), 'The Wicker Man' (1973), 'Children of the Corn' (1984), 'The Blair Witch Project' (1999), 'Kill List' (2011), 'A Field in England' (2013), 'The Witch' (2015), 'The Ritual' (2017), 'Possum' (2018), 'Apostle' (2018), 'Midsommar' (2019), 'Lamb' (2021), 'You Won't Be Alone' (2022) and 'The Devil's Bath' (2024). 

Apocalyptic Horror Movies

The apocalyptic horror film sub-genre features events which take place at the end of civilsation, which has occured as a result of potential deadly viruses, nuclear warfare or anything catastrophic for humanity. These films often feature a band of disparate survivors having to work together to survive.

Examples of films from the apocalyptic horror film sub-genre include '28 Days Later' (2002), 'A Girl with All the Gifts' (2016), '10 Cloverfield Lane' (2016), 'It Comes at Night' (2017), 'A Quiet Place' (2018), 'Bird Box' (2018) and '28 Years Later' (2025).

Paranormal Horror Movies

The paranormal horror film sub-genre deals with mysterious, unexplained events and supernatural occurences and frequently features possesions, poltergeists, ghost, demons and other unusual entities. Commonly, scenes within the genre take place in real-world locations and use found footage to give a terrifying sense of verisimilitude. Often there is a religious element to these films, with religious figures being called upon to banish the spirits, or the narratives focus on the afterlife.

Examples of paranormal horror films include 'Rosemary's Baby' (1968), 'The Exorcist' (1973), 'The Omen' (1976), 'The Others' (2001), 'The Ring' (2002), 'Paranormal Activity' (2007), 'Rec' (2007), 'Insidious' (2010), 'The Conjuring' (2013), 'The Babadook' (2014), 'It Follows' (2015), 'Host' (2020)

Monster Movies

The monster movie sub-genre, incredibly popular in the 1930s with a series of films released by Universal Pictures, usually feature an individual or group of people trying to survive an attack by one or more (frequently oversized) monster. Often the monster in question has been created by the folly of mankind and its attack on humanity is a lesson about man's hubris.

Examples of films from the monster movie horror sub-genre include 'Frankenstein' (1931), 'The Mummy' (1932), 'Attack of the 50 Foot Woman' (1958), 'Jaws' (1975), 'Alien' (1979), 'Alligator' (1980), 'An American Werewolf in London' (1980), 'The Thing' (1982), 'Lake Placid' (1999), 'The Descent' (2005), 'The Host' (2006), 'The Mist' (2007), 'Monsters' (2007) and 'The Cabin in the Woods' (2011).