Sub-genres of Horror Films

The genre of horror has been prevalent since the inception of film itself. Films dating back to 1931, such as Dracula and Frankenstein, have been tapping into the audience's fear and eliciting generally negative emotional responses. There are fans of scary movies that enjoy the adrenaline rush that is accompanied with watching horror films, and the terror that is associated with them. Within the genre of horror are several sub-genres that play off their audience's emotions in unique ways. These include slasher, torture/gore (splatter), and psychological films.

Slasher films typically follow the same formula--a masked serial killer goes on a rampage against unsuspecting victims. Slasher films can be split up into two distinct sub-types: one type in which the killer's identity is known from the outset and he is shown overtly (albeit sometimes in a mask,) and one in which the killer's identity is not known and which employ an element of surprise--a "twist" ending--when the real murderer's identity is revealed. Alfred Hitchcock's 1960s film Psycho is a well-known example of a slasher film, and is renowned as the "mother of all slasher films." Although the villain's body count in this film is not as extensive as some of the modern-day slasher villians, the knife wielding and mentally disturbed killer, coupled with a twist ending and stalking camera technique used in Psycho effectively executes a successful and well-made slasher film.

Another sub-genre within horror is the torture/gore films, also known as "splatter films." These movies deliberately focus on the graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. Splatter films tend to display an overt interest in the vulnerability of the human body and the theatricality of its mutilation. Where typical horror films deal with such fears as that of the unknown, the supernatural, and the dark, the impetus for fear in a splatter film comes from the physical destruction of the body. There is also an emphasis on visuals, style and technique, including hyperactive camerawork. Where most horror films have a tendency to re-establish the social and moral order with good triumphing over evil, splatter films thrive on lack of plot and order. A more recent and notable splatter film series is the Hostel movies, which depict people who are tortured and mutilated on-screen. The success of Hostel saw a resurgence of splatter films in the early and mid-2000s, and was followed by films such as The Hills Have Eyes, Martyrs, The Last House on the Left, The Human Centipede, and the Saw franchise.

Psychological terror films are another example of movies within the horror genre. Most of the time, these movies rely heavily on character fears, guilt, beliefs, eerie sound effects, relavent music, and emotional instability to build tension and further the storyline. Psychological horror tends to be subtle compared to traditional horror and typically contains less physical harm, as it works mainly on the factors of mentally affecting the audience rather than the display if graphic imagery seen in the slasher and splatter sub-genres. It typically plays on archetypal shadow characteristics embodied by the threat. It creates discomfort in the viewer by exposing common or universal psychological vulnerabilities and fears, most notably the shadowy parts of the human psyche which most people repress or deny. Another aspect of psychological horror is its use of body horror. The purpose is to develop a feeling of unease by exploiting human fears of abnormal, human experimentation, disease, and suffering among others. an example of psychological horror is the Blair Witch Project. The film's use of a home camera and eerie storyline, coupled with the characters' fears and shadowy figures and spooky sounds taps into people's worst fears about the subject at hand. Other notable psychological  films include The Ring, Rosemary's Baby, The Grudge, The Silence of the Lambs, and Silent Hill.