Best Types of Horror Movies
Best genres or sub-genres, so to speak, within the horror genre. I'm ranking these by scariness.
Obviously, you can have more than one genre in a horror movie, but for the list's sake, these are some of the individual ones horror movies have evolved into.
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Psychological
It's psychological horrors like Se7en, Shutter Island, and The Silence of the Lambs that have such deep meaning embedded within them. Often portrayed are psychological disorders that many people face, and these movies can reveal the severity of them in an exaggerated way.
A psychological horror movie messes with your mind. The on-screen horrors are limited, leaving the work for your imagination. Psychological horror movies are truly terrifying.
A lot of classic horror movies belong to this subgenre, including Psycho and The Shining.
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Slasher
Originating in the early 70s with Black Christmas and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, slasher films gained massive popularity in the 80s, with generic carbon-copies coming from everywhere.
A few slasher films from the era stood out and have become huge sellers with lengthy series and tons of sequels and remakes. They may not be as scary today, but they're thrilling and fun. And you always root for the killer!
Some of the more popular slashers include Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th.
Not a big horror fan, but these flicks are the most realistic, making them even more terrifying. Some weirdo in a hockey mask could be outside your window. No, seriously, you should look behind you. He's there.
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Possession
I love when they take a crucifix and pray, and then the crucifix flies up in the sky and gets upside down. It is so good. Then they take holy water, and Satan goes crazy. And then the exorcist screams, "In the name of Jesus Christ, I send you back to hell."
I am a religious person, you know, one of those people with crucifixes on the wall. Those who have a cross around their neck and go to church every week. I'm Orthodox. What about you?
I still enjoy watching those movies.
Movies like The Rite, The Exorcist, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose... Something about possession strikes us at the core of our fear. They're the scariest because they're so realistic.
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Ghost
Ghost stories, reminiscent of hiding under a sheet with a flashlight at sleepovers. The stories that have fascinated us since we were kids.
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Found Footage and Point of View
Found-footage horror films are films in which the actor holds the camera, as if documenting the story. They haven't been as successful as you'd like to think, but there are some real gems in this subgenre.
It started with The Blair Witch Project, but better examples include Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield, the latter of which is an interesting mix of found-footage horror and Godzilla-style giant monster action.
Films like The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, and Cloverfield. These movies add an element of realism that is super creepy.
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Zombie
Zombie films are apocalyptic and have...well, zombies! They became popular with the success of George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead and the sequel Dawn of the Dead. Zombies have become a huge part of pop culture, now featured in movies, TV, video games, and books.
Quickly becoming a favorite among moviegoers. Zombies are great. You can do so much with a zombie movie. It's just such a fun genre.
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Haunted House
Ok come on, Insidious, The Conjuring, The Shining, and Poltergeist. Some of the best horror movies ever.
Films like House on Haunted Hill and The Legend of Hell House.
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Urban Legend
When a Stranger Calls, Urban Legend, Candyman, and similar films.
The first movie that comes to mind is Annabelle.
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Alien Lifeforms
Aliens. I found this because I was trying to think of any other horror movies as good as Aliens.
Guys, have you ever seen The Thing? And I'm not talking about the prequel. Now that's a good horror movie.
These movies make us very careful about what's out there in the universe.
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Cult
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Werewolf
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Kidnapped
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Supernatural
Supernatural horror movies play with the ideas of spirits, ghosts, demons, and creatures of the night. They, like slashers, usually follow a formula, but they are very scary. They usually have a very dark and depressing tone to them and have a constant feeling of dread and tragedy. They can be very sad, too.
The most successful supernatural horror movies include The Exorcist and The Evil Dead.
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Thriller
Thrillers aren't meant to be very scary. They're meant to make you think. They became popular in the 90s, one of them even earning an Oscar for Best Motion Picture. They can be very twisted, sick movies about things like serial killers, mental problems, and crime.
The best examples include The Silence of the Lambs and The Sixth Sense.
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Creepy Kids
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Drama
Horror mixed with real human emotion is a volatile mix.
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Cat and Mouse
Movies like The Strangers and Straw Dogs, not quite slasher films, but where a regular bad guy toys with a regular person.
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Monster
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Clowns
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Dark Fantasy
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Sci-Fi Horror
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Body Horror
There's nothing more disturbing than mutilation and extreme desecration of the human body and other biological material. This is the genre David Cronenberg is best known for.
Popular body horror films include The Thing, The Fly, Videodrome, Hellraiser, and Re-Animator.
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Backwoods
Wrong Turn is the best horror movie. I love horror movies that happen in the woods.
I live in the woods, so I feel like these movies could really happen.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the best horror movie. But Deliverance started the whole backwoods horror.
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Revenge
Films such as The Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave are considered revenge films. The things these films have in common are that the protagonists turn evil for revenge on the antagonists. They are disturbingly real.
I love revenge movies. My favorite is the I Spit on Your Grave movies. The first is the best, in my opinion.
I love when it's like someone's getting back at someone. I like when horror movies also have a story.
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Witch Craft
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Splatter
For anyone who likes blood, gore, guts, brains, livers, intestines, more blood, gore, and guts, flesh, bones, and feces, etc. Their purpose is to gross you out, and many have become controversial because of their violent and disturbing content.
Just take a look at Cannibal Holocaust or The Human Centipede.
Involving Saw, Hostel, Serbian Film, and Would You Rather. The only thing I hate in this subgenre of horror is it involves torturing people to death and can also involve the Splatter genre together with Torture in a film along with a Slasher film, except it involves people being in absolute suffering and is meant to shock the audience and turn their stomach.
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Suspense