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Types of Horror Movies

Before we start looking at all the good horror movies out there, let’s make sure we’re familiar with the different sub-genres of the horror film. While many people just associate horror movies with masked psychos butchering girls in tank tops, there’s actually a great deal of diversity within the genre.

• K-Horror – Short for “Korean Horror,” this term applies to any scary picture made in Korea. These films tend to be very unflinching in their portrayal of horror, and they are not for the easily disturbed. Examples include R-Point, A Tale of Two Sisters and Evil Twin.
• J-Horror – Short for “Japanese Horror.” Many J-Horror films involve malevolent spirits, while others feature almost comical amounts of blood and gore. Examples include Audition, Ju-on, Marebito and Kairo.
• Giallo – Italian films which combine horror and eroticism. Often refers to the works of directors such as Mario Bava and Dario Argento. These films are known as thrillers in Italy, but many English-speaking countries (especially the United States) refer to them as giallo. Examples include Deep Red, Four Flies on Grey Velvet and Twitch of the Death Nerve.
• Slasher Films – Also known as a teen slasher movies or dead teenager movies, this sub-genre involves a killer (usually masked) who dispatches a large number of people (mostly teens), usually over the course of a single night or a few days. While many don’t consider these to be good horror movies, their success at the box office is undeniable. Examples include Halloween, Friday the 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
• Monster Movie – Also known as a monster film or creature feature, this sub-genre depicts the struggles between human beings and one or more monsters. Examples include Godzilla, Cloverfield and King Kong.
• Psychological Horror – This sort of film does not rely on gore and blood to scare the audience. Instead, the psychological horror film uses emotions such as fear and guilt to build tension on the screen. In many cases, this kind of film will have a twist near the end. Examples include The Blair Witch Project, The Wicker Man and The Sixth Sense.
• Vampire Films – Any horror movie which features vampires as either the heroes or villains. Examples include The Lost Boys, Underworld, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Near Dark.
• Werewolf Films – Horror movies which feature werewolves. These include The Howling, Dog Soldiers and An American Werewolf in London.
• Thriller – The thriller film is sometimes set in an exotic locale, but that is not a requirement for this sub-genre. The protagonist of the film must usually try to prevent a murder, and he or she is opposed throughout by internal and external factors. These films usually have less violence and nudity than normal horror films, although there are exceptions. Examples of the thriller include Silence of the Lambs, Se7en and The Cell.
• Splatter Films – These films specialize in showing lots of gore. In recent years, splatter films with high amounts of sexual content have become known as “torture porn” or “gorno.” Examples include Hostel, Saw and FeardotCom.
• Comedy Horror Films – These films combine comedy and horror to create a unique movie sub-genre. Examples include Otis, Black Sheep, Botched and Shaun of the Dead.
• Zombie Movies – A popular sub-genre which features normal people trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. Examples include Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead, Return of the Living Dead and Night of the Living Dead.