HORROR SUB-GENRE’S

BY PHOEBE MERLE

Slasher/Stalker

Slasher/Stalker films usually deal with a lot of violence which revolves around a psychotic serial killer who tends to stalk and then kill a numerous amount of victims.

Characteristics of Slasher/Stalker Every slasher has a killer and he's usually male, and his

identity is often concealed either by a mask or by creative lighting and camerawork.

He is usually a mute and seemingly unstoppable which heightens his ominous and threatening nature. The back story of the killer often includes childhood trauma that turned him into the homicidal maniac he now is so that the viewers feel a level of sympathy for him.

Victims tend to be typical high school or college adolescents who partake in vice-ridden activities which include; sex, alcohol drugs and any type of crime.

They usually have the Final Girl who is portrayed as virtuous and she’s usually the last one left alive to deal with the killer.

Friday The 13th Trailer; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKfE5NrE7K8

I believe that this film belongs to this sub-genre because he fits the description of a slasher killer (the mask, the tragic back story and the weapon of choice) and it also follows Todorov’s theory of horror film narration, though having slight variations.

Scream

Trailer; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRQa3NnHfK8

This horror film also follows Todorov’s set narration for the horror genre due to the Final Girl and her friends around her dying. Ghost Face follows the conventional slasher killer, he has a mask that covers his identity but can be classed as a variation due to him talking to the victims at certain points.

Body Horror

Body Horror is derived from the graphic destruction of the human body which comes in many forms such as;  disease, decay, parasitism, mutilation, or mutation. This could also include unnatural movements and incorrect placement of limbs.

Being shot in the chest and having your organs exposed is Bloody Horror, not body horror

Characteristics of Body Horror The narrative is usually based around

the disease or mutilation and tends to happen more than once.

Deformities appear to worsen on the body as the film progresses, either with CGI or make-up.

Bodies tend to not be symmetrical and don’t have logical proportations.

Teeth

Trailer; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPDK8TEbmww

This film belongs in the Body Horror sub-genre due to it’s portrayal of the human body, as she has teeth in a very unusual place and throughout the film she uses it to her advantage.

Contracted

Trailer; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chqtOlOEdsY

This film also belongs to Body Horror as again the main focus is the human body is being deformed in some way, it tends to focus on the disease form of Body Horror and progresses throughout.

Torture Porn (Splatter Films) This sub-genre specifically focuses on

pure graphical violence and lots of gore. These films, using special effects/CGI, tend to display an interest in the vulnerability of the human body and the enjoyment of its mutilation. 

Characteristics Of Splatter Films

The fear in Splatter films tend to come from the physical destruction of the body and the pain accompanying it. There is emphasis on visuals, style and technique, including hyperactive camerawork.

These films tend to thrive on lack of plot and order with fragmented narratives and direction.

The spectacle of violence replaces any pretentions to narrative structure, because gore is the only part of the film that is reliably consistent.

They can also feature; manic montages full of subject camera movement and cross-cuttings from hunted to hunter, ominous juxtapositions and contrasts

Evil Dead

Trailer; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clEXNgH6Oj8

This film fits into the sub-genre of a Splatter film due to the consistency of blood and gore although this film can be classed as a variation due to it having a thought out plot.

Saw

Trailer; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKPy5RWuqNA

This film fits into the sub-genre of a Splatter film as it’s different forms of torture for each victim and has consistent gore and violence throughout.