Horror Film Review: The Genre Of Horror

819 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The evolution of the horror genre

The Genre of Horror Why are individuals drawn to things that scare them? Perhaps the adrenaline rush or even the sense of fearing the “unknown.” A good horror movie is usually full of suspense, where one is on the edge of their seat worried about what is going to happen next. Not all horror movies have to contain blood and gore, but they all have the same goal which is to be scary. Sometimes, the result of fear from the movie can cause the audience to dread leaving or may relieve them when it is over. Even though people realize that they are watching a movie, their brain reacts by believing that they are in the situation happening on the screen, which causes dismay and fright. Horror films have been around for over a century and have evolved into several different sub-genres: Comedy-Horror, Teen-Horror, Supernatural-Horror, and Slasher. The sub-genre of comedy-horror aims toward scaring its audience, while adding spoofs and the use of satire. A comedy horror allows the audience to laugh and see fear in a comical way, rather than a hesitant manner. This is usually due to the killer being clumsy or an unrealistic occurrence. The movie Scary movie (2000) is a great example of a comedy horror. It is based off other horror films, but in this case the psychopathic killer is not very smart or skillful. When people die it is more …show more content…

Each sub-genre has its own characteristics that will determine which genre it will fall under. One may not realize, but if there were not all the different sub-genres, people would be able to predict each movie they watched. Overall, horror movies strive to complete the goal that every scary movie should have: to scare people. Horror films seem to be more terrifying to their audiences if they are more realistic, where the audience can relate, such as childhood fears, being stalked, kidnapped, or

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Dark Water and The Mothman Prophecies

    2352 Words  | 5 Pages

    Audiences love to be scared. Horror films attempt to find some sort of trigger in the audiences mind, and develop it to create horror. Preceded by the great horror novels such as Dracula, and developed in the early nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties in Germany. From slash movies, to the post-modern psychological thrillers, horror films have evolved into an art form. This genre relies heavily on the basic horror conventions.

    Read More

  • Halloween Movie Analysis Essay

    509 Words  | 2 Pages

    Halloween is rife with psychological scares that affect its audience greatly. “Symbolism, dreamlike imagery, emotional rather than rational logic” are present in Psychoanalytic criticism. Siskel and Ebert talked about how the movie makes you feel as if you are the protagonist, scared for your life and feeling every bit of suspense (Siskel and Ebert). The movie is purely fueled by emotional responses to what is happening to the characters and focuses itself purely on how the audience will respond. In the clip shown, the main protagonist talks about how she killed the killer but he is shown alive. The movie is not concerned with the logic; otherwise, the killer would have at least been slowed down by the injuries he sustained. Siskel and Ebert laud the movie on its set up of scenes, score, character development, and use of lighting to make the audience feel the terror the characters undergo.

    Read More

  • How The Great Depression Reflects The Evolution Of Horror

    842 Words  | 2 Pages

    The horror genre of film captives the frightfulness of individual fear, horror is the only genre that is meant captive the terror of the audience. The horror- the genre has been around well over one hundred- years there has been an extension of different types of horror and how the audience perceives horror. Many would even argue that horror films often reflect the fear of society in that certain time period. The evolution of horror reflects the evolution of society’s fear.

    Read More

  • Stephen King Why We Crave Horror Movies Essay

    1416 Words  | 3 Pages

    To begin with, some people would say they enjoy a horror movie that gets them scared out of their wits. They go see these movies once a month on average, for fun, each time choosing a newer sequel like “Final Destination” or “The evil Dead”. King says “When we pay our four or five bucks and seat ourselves at tenth-row center in a theater showing a horror movie we are daring the nightmare” (405). As a writer of best-sel...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast American And Horror Movies

    1373 Words  | 3 Pages

    One aspect of American horror movies is the fact that everything is rationalized in the movies. There is a need in American culture to explain why things happen. This is also shown in the endings. Conflicts are always resolved at the end of movies and everything is explained because as the audience, we want to know that the conflict is over and we want all the unexplained details to be explained. The antagonists of horror movies are usually malicious monsters that are there to cause havoc. They may or may not have a grudge against a specific

    Read More

  • The Genre Cycle

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    Film scholars around the world agree that all genres of film are part of the “genre cycle”. This cycle contains four different stages that a specific genre goes through. These stages are: primitive, classic, revisionist, and parody. Each stage that the genre goes through brings something different to that genre’s meaning and what the audience expects. I believe that looking at the horror genre will be the most beneficial since it has clearly gone through each stage.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The Shining, by Stanley Kubrick

    3991 Words  | 8 Pages

    What is horror? Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives the primary definition of horror as "a painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay." It stands to reason then that "horror fiction" is fiction that elicits those emotions in the reader. An example of a horror film is "The Shining", directed by Stanley Kubrick. Stanley Kubrick was a well-known director, producer, writer and cinematographer. His films comprised of unique, qualitative scenes that are still memorable but one iconic film in his collection of work is The Shining. Many would disagree and say that The Shining was not his best work and he could have done better yet, there are still those who would say otherwise. This film was not meant to be a “scary pop-up” terror film but instead, it turned into a spectacular psychological, horor film in which Kubrick deeply thought about each scene and every line.

    Read More

  • A Nightmare On Elm Street

    2283 Words  | 5 Pages

    Horror films are designed to frighten the audience and engage them in their worst fears, while captivating and entertaining at the same time. Horror films often center on the darker side of life, on what is forbidden and strange. These films play with society’s fears, its nightmare’s and vulnerability, the terror of the unknown, the fear of death, the loss of identity, and the fear of sexuality. Horror films are generally set in spooky old mansions, fog-ridden areas, or dark locales with unknown human, supernatural or grotesque creatures lurking about. These creatures can range from vampires, madmen, devils, unfriendly ghosts, monsters, mad scientists, demons, zombies, evil spirits, satanic villains, the possessed, werewolves and freaks to the unseen and even the mere presence of evil.

    Read More

  • Attraction of Fear: Unraveling the Allure of Horror

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    Are you a fan or horror? Or are you the one that hides under a blanket during a movie? Intense scenes, a little blood and gore mixed with creepy characters and monsters, is what makes a good horror movie, television show or even a book. Many of us wonder why we are attracted so much to these horror elements like foreshadowing, suspense, mystery and imagination within a book, movie and or tv show. There are actual characteristics of this horror related theme that gets our attention, and makes us want to crave more of the story. But the fear, obsession and power is what sets the tone for the monster realm, in both fictional and nonfictional people and characters.

    Read More

  • Horror Movie Psycho

    1314 Words  | 3 Pages

    Horror, crime and thriller movies are three entirely different genres, but they share some similarities. Crime movies typically focus on a hero and the pursuit of a criminal. In the end, the protagonist solves the crime. On the other hand, horror movies usually focus on the dark side of life. Evil spirits or supernatural powers often creates destruction, but the protagonist defeats them. The end of the film, however, suggests that such forces will likely come back. The horror films are designed to get frightened and give panic attacks to the viewers. Again, the thriller is a genre that revolves expectation and suspension. Marion Crane and Norman Bates crimes, guessing

    Read More

  • The Evolution of Horror Films

    1580 Words  | 4 Pages

    People are addicted to the synthetic feeling of being terrified. Modern day horror films are very different from the first horror films which date back to the late nineteenth century, but the goal of shocking the audience is still the same. Over the course of its existence, the horror industry has had to innovate new ways to keep its viewers on the edge of their seats. Horror films are frightening films created solely to ignite anxiety and panic within the viewers. Dread and alarm summon deep fears by captivating the audience with a shocking, terrifying, and unpredictable finale that leaves the viewer stunned.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Horror And Horror Movies

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    Horror movies attempt to make the audience experience fear, dread, disgust or terror. The plots often involve the supernatural and fantasy world giving the audience the reassurance that what is being seen is not truly existing. Horror movie plots are often than not, predictable. Horror movies will show gruesome and graphic violence. Many times, this will include close up shots of horrifying deaths and relentless tortures in an attempt to compel an audience to express emotions such as disgust and fright. Also, the way horror movies are promoted and advertised is a difference. In trailers and movie covers the backgrounds are often red or a dark color as such. It suggests danger and advocates violence. A horror movie is scarier in that exact moment and

    Read More

  • Exploring the Film Genres of Horror, Science Fiction, and Action Movies

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    A horror movie “makes people think, what if it was reality?” said by a thrill seeker person who was waiting to watch a horror movie. Experts also cite more various reasons about why people enjoy watching scary movies. For the thrill of it and also because it seems real for thrill seekers; these are some secretes reveled to show why thrill seekers enjoy horror movies. Feeling the sense of evil and being curious about understanding humanity’s dark side makes horror movies a perfect way of enjoying these feelings, and relieving the tension of curiosity about violent, blood and terrorism. Moreover, experts said that not only desirability to blood and fear could consider as an attraction to whose ...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Horror And Comedy

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    In society today, many people favor both genres. However, in some cases there are some people that are horror junkies and do not care for comedy and on the other hand there are people that cannot handle horror themed situations and settle for comedy. There are many movies and some novels that take horror movies and make fun of them. These film makers or authors typically use comedy to make light of the horror films they chose to make fun of. On average these genres clash, but at the same time can complement each other. Since some people will watch a comedy after a horror films to calm themselves down or watch a comedy first to calm themselves and mentally prepare themselves for a good

    Read More

  • Horror Film Analysis

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    Almost everyone has a favorite genre of film, but how everyone defines their favorite genre can differ greatly. Horror is one of the genres where its definition can be perceived differently by many people. Like all other genres, horror does have rules and traditions that must be included in order for a film to be considered a horror film. These rules and traditions include a protagonist, an antagonist, an escape or escape attempt of some sort, and very influential audio and visual effects.

    Read More

More about Horror Film Review: The Genre Of Horror

Open Document