The Genre Of Horror Films

‘The word genre means ‘type’ or ‘category’’ (Teach yourself film studies) it is really important as an audience member to recognise genres as then things become categorised and easier for them to understand which is more comforting. Sometimes however genres are crossed and categories are broken for example sometimes we have ‘action thrillers’ or ‘sci-fi horrors’ this is known as a hybrid genre. This often intrigues the audience and draws them to the film as it changes their outlook as they have no expectations for the film as they have never been exposed to this genre before.

People seek ways to entertain themselves. It may be by spending some time outdoors, staying home playing with their siblings or playing games. For many years, one thing that has been an entertainment for people and it is movies. Movies entertain people and it allows them to hang out with friends; it even allows family to bond. Movies are ways that allow someone step outside their homes. Movies have different types of genre. Movies vary from action, comedy, fantasizes, heartwarming, romance etc. All types of movies entertain people, but the one that takes it all is horror movies. Horror movies allow friends to bond, helps face fear and it is best known for its thrill.

The movie I will write about is the The Purge Anarchy. I would say have more than one genre. I would say that the genres are action, horror and thriller. Action movies are movies that have a tremendous impact, continue high energy and lots of physical activities. Horror movies are unsettling movies designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. These are types of films known to promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension. Thriller and suspense films are

him or her involved in the film - how often have you been watching a

So what are genres? When most people are asked this question they will reply with something like science fiction, horror, mystery, or romance. While these are not fundamentally wrong answers, those with such responses do not understand the full breadth of what genres truly are. According to the dictionary, a genre is “a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique, or the like” (Genre). Still though this does not capture the full breadth of what a genre really is. To explain how genres form, dynamically change, and serve their purposes we must first take a step back and look at some other fundamental concepts.

What is definition of genre? The categorization of narrative films by the stories they tell and the ways they tell them.

A girl runs frantically through the woods trying to escape an axe wielding villain. The defenseless victim suddenly trips and collapses to the ground. The villain laughs wickedly as he lifts the axe above his head. The girl releases a final scream as the weapon quickly ends her life, causing the audience to go silent as they watch the villain drag away the lifeless body. Death, blood, guts, suspense, screaming, and terror are all just a few things to expect when watching a modern day horror film. What is horror? Horror can be defined as an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust. (Wilson) The description of horror is not very pleasant, but for some reason horror films are extremely popular. Why is this so? People are addicted to the

Horror is designed to scare, cause alarm and dread, while also entertaining the audience at the same time in a cathartic experience (Dirk, 2016). Horror films are meant for a specific type of audience that enjoy scary films. Dirks (Tim, 2016) approach to genre horror, is that films went back as 100 years ago, from the earliest days our vivid imagination in seeing ghosts in the shadows to be connected emotionally of the unknown, and fear things that are improbable. You watch a horror film, it makes you aware of the scary surroundings, the essence of fear itself, without actually being in any sorts of danger. Dirks argues that there is a fun and thrill factor in being frightened, or watching something disturbing. It gives you that feeling of an adrenaline rush, as well as having that feeling someone is actually next to you lurking in the dark (Dirk, 2016).

A genre is a category, and in film it is a way to describe the best fit of the direction a movie will display. There are many subgenres within a genre that also help to give definition. Genres are used to support a system of grouping instead of disarray by leaving others to decipher it themselves. Scarface is a crime film that also has the sub-genre of gangster. Even though it does not dramatize a social statement on a need for change, Scarface fits into the crime/gangster genre because it distinctly characterizes the severe bloodshed and assaults that are customary in the world of organized crime and demonstrates the calamity of the gangster lifestyle; however, oddly enough with the way the murders occurred it also fits into the horror film genre as well.

Genre Theory definitions of genres tend to be based on the notion that they constitute particular conventions of content and/or form which are shared by the texts which are regarded as belonging to them. The movie The Notebook is a romance drama movie. Some of the plot keywords are second chances, summer love, and promise.

Genre Theory is used in the categorization of films. Genres are dependent on various factors such as story line, whom the director is, and what are the audience expectations In using genre theory we create a short cut in how we describe films. Genres are categorized into and then sub categorized depending on the story and plot. Fantasy is a genre described as, “Any film with obviously unreal, magical, or impossible situations, characters, or settings, often overlapping with various other genres, especially science fiction, but sometimes historical dramas.” (Goodykoontz, 2014) Fantasy is a genre that typically includes a crossover genre, sci-fi,

The genres relationship lies in the danger of human lives in an unfamiliar milieu. There is a threat to the lives of the characters whose fear and danger is a common element. The source of this can be from both humans and imaginary monsters. The horror films Psycho and The Mist both have humans as the real threat to the main characters. Schizophrenic Norman Bates in Psycho is a heinous, disturbed killer who dresses up in woman’s clothes when he is about to kill someone. The danger is first

There are many different types of film and film genres. A film can fit into more than one genre, but there are some genres that are more general than others. Some examples of film genre are animated, science fiction, documentary, comedy, and historical fiction. Within each genre, there are also specific characteristics that help support themes and story lines within that genre.

the films genre. The genre is a way for the audience to distinguish types of

A sixteen-year-old boy sits on the couch and watches a horror movie. Suddenly, a scene where a man stabs a woman emerges on the television screen. The boy is not distressed by this scene because he is used to witnessing a great deal of violence before. He just learned a new idea and increased his criminal expertise. As a result, horror movies inspire copycat crimes. Copycat crimes are defined as those that are “inspired, motivated or modeled after acts that have occurred before in the media” (“Understanding”). The crimes themselves either mirror the inspiring acts or are simply based upon them. Violence and criminal behavior shown in horror movies affect people psychologically and physically. Watching violence in the media desensitizes people to the world around them and enables them to become more familiar with violence and crime. One may conclude that horror movies do not affect them because they watch horror for fun, however, people are unconsciously affected by watching horror movies. Although most people believe horror movies do not impact them, horror movies inspire people to commit copycat crimes in real life because the violence portrayed in the media psychologically damages people and makes them more aware of violence.