Horror Film Sub-Genres

Below are a list of the different types of sub-genres within horror.

Comedy - Horror

Combines comedy with traditional horror.

Examples: Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead, Scary Movie

Slasher

Features a psychopathic killer stalking and killing his victims in a violent manner. Usually with a tool such as a knife or axe.

Examples: Friday the 13th, Scream, Nightmare on Elm Street

Supernatural - Horror

Horror films centered around the supernatural, which can include ghosts, demons, devils and the occult.

Examples: Final Destination, The Exorcist, Child's Play, The Ring, The Omen

Natural - Horror

Or 'eco-horror films' are films which centre around natural disasters which can be caused by human activity

Examples: An Inconvenient Truth, The 11th Hour, Flow: For Love of Water, 2012

Monster - Horror

Focuses on fictional creatures, where in most cases they are over-sized monsters.

Examples: Frakenstein, Jeepers Creepers, It, Predator, The Thing,

Action - Horror

This is a combination of the traditional conventions of horror, adapted with gun fights and chases that are normally associated to the action genre.

Examples: From Dusk Till Dawn, Blade, Dawn of the Dead

Body Horror

Horror which centres around the deconstruction of the human body and any abnormal biological errors. This can include disease, decay parasitism, mutilation or mutation. This can also include human body parts being used as limbs to create a monster.

Examples: Human Centipede, Teeth, Slither, Virus

Splatter Horror

Also known as 'torture porn' or 'gorno' due to the amount of graphic violence and sexual imagery usually combined. These films focus on the vulnerability of the human body and usually include a sadist.

Examples: SAW, Grotesque, Ichi the Killer, Hostel

Zombie Horror

Films which portrays human beings alive as the undead. These traditionally include a Zombie invasion, and usually centres around Zombies chasing after the alive in order to feast on human flesh.

Examples: 28 Days Later, Day of the Dead, I Am Legend, Resident Evil, Dead Snow