Individual Research Into Sub-Genres

Sub-genre research on Slide Share

I did some research into sub-genres as there are many different types that are associated with all types of films. Because we are doing a horror film, I did some research so that our short film would include the correct conventions, and so that the audience will be able to understand what we are aiming to achieve.

Our film will be a 'ghost film.' The slide share I researched talks about the film that we are wanting to create as a 'Psychological horror.' This means that the storyline relies on the audiences beliefs. For example, in our film we want to create a verisimilitude affect so that the audience will become more enveloped in the film, and so that it is believable and scarier. We looked into similar films to ours that are also psychological horrors.

'The others' is a well known psychological horror. Throughout the film the audience believe that the house the protagonists live in, is haunted. However, by the end of the film it is made clear that the so called 'ghosts' are in fact the new house owners. This is very similar to what our film will be about. We liked the idea of confusing the audience, so we will use similar ideas.

There are other sub-genres with horror films. For example, there are -

• Action horrors

These types of horror films combine the scariness and conventions of horror movies with guns and car chases for example. An example of these types of films is, 'Alien.'

• Body horrors
  

 These types of horror films are usually about the anatomy of the human body. Either the protagonist has become possessed, or monsters are created from body parts. This creates fear for the audience as it looks life like and painful. An example of this type of movie is, 'Splinter.'

• Comedy horrors

 These types of films combine conventions of horror and comedy. These films support stereotypes used in horror films, and create comedy from them. An example of this type of film is, 'Scary movie.'

• Gothic horrors

 These types of horror, were the first main type of horror films created. They were usually set in dungeons and castles and included vampires and monsters. An example of these types of films is, 'Dracula.'

• Psychological horrors

 These are like the film we are aiming to make. They rely on the audiences fears and beliefs. If they audience are superstitious then it will be a lot more scarier for them. An example of this type of film is, 'Rosemary's baby.' 

• Science fiction horrors

 These types of films rely on the paranormal, but they are mainly about aliens and monsters rather than mad scientists or experiments going wrong. An example of this type of film is, 'The thing.'

• Slasher films

 These types of films are usually about some psychopathic killer that is hunting a group of victims. There is usually a lot of blood and gore in these films so they are most likely rated 18 by the BBFC. The killer will usually have an iconic weapon for example the chainsaw in Texas chainsaw massacre. An example of this film is, 'Wolf Creek.' In this film, the antagonist hunts down innocent tourists and there is a lot of blood and gore featured in the film. Also, the knife (that can be seen in the picture above), is his 'iconic' weapon of choice. 

• Zombie horror films

 These films include corpses that come back to life and feed off the living. These films rely on tension, make-up and special effects to create the perfect atmosphere. An example of a horror zombie film is, 'I am legend.'

However, these films' sub-genres can be made into other genres. For example, zombie films can be comedies and romance which is clear from films such as, 'Shaun of the dead,' and 'Warm bodies.'