The Top 13 Horror Subgenres

So Many Different Ways to Scare Us

Horror is a remarkably diverse genre. Whether it’s horrors of the body or the mind, supernatural terrors, human serial killers, or fearsome monsters from outer space, horror has something to scare everyone.

Here are the top 13 horror subgenres ranked, with examples for each. Of course, many movies are combinations of subgenres. The Blair Witch Project is both a found footage movie and a paranormal film, while Scream fits easily into both the slasher and comedy subgenres.

13. Body Horror

Body horror films feature protagonists whose bodies transform against their will. This often occurs through grotesque mutations or disease. These movies rarely rake in substantial profits at the box office, but they have had a devoted cult following for decades.

Director David Cronenberg is known for his body horror movies. In his remake of the ’50s sci-fi classic The Fly, a scientist portrayed by Jeff Goldblum experiences a horrifying transformation after an experiment goes awry. A more recent example of body horror is the offbeat film Teeth, which features a protagonist who has teeth in an unusual part of her body. Let’s just say that dating her is not a good idea.

12. Monsters

Monster movies have been popular since the early days of cinema. Unstoppable giants like Godzilla and King Kong have rampaged through countless cities, not to mention the endless mayhem that plant monsters, giant moths, bloodthirsty sharks, and dinosaurs have wreaked over the years. There have even been movies about supersized people, like Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.

This horror subgenre can also go in the opposite direction. There was a brief surge of little monster movies after the success of Gremlins in 1984. Critters, Ghoulies, Hobgoblins and Munchies all featured tiny monsters terrorizing people. Unfortunately, most of these movies were terrible, and the little monsters fad had faded into obscurity by the early ’90s.

11. Elevated Horror

Elevated, or arthouse, horror movies tend to have more cinematic flair than other horror subgenres. They are usually critically acclaimed and are known for their artistry and cerebral themes. Grief and loss are common subjects. The protagonist is usually trying to cope with a traumatic tragic event, such as the death of a family member.

Ari Aster is one of the most famous elevated horror directors. In his Midsommar, a young woman travels to Sweden with her friends to visit a festival. She has recently lost her parents and sister in a murder-suicide. Unbenownst to them, the group running the festival is a cult that practices human sacrifice.

10. Torture

saw movies ranked — John Kramer/Jigsaw from “Saw” Photo: Lionsgate

Torture horror movies gained great notoriety during the 2000’s after the success of the original Saw in 2004. Their graphic and prolonged depictions of torture have made them among horror’s most controversial genres. Along with Saw, the Hostel movies are also well known examples of the torture horror subgenre.

9. Vampire

There’s something irresistibly alluring about these creatures of the night. Whether it’s Jessica and Eric from the HBO series True Blood, The Girl from A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Jerry Dandridge from Fright Night, or that sparkly Twilight vampire that had teenage girls swooning back in the 2010’s, people just can’t get enough of these seductive blood suckers. There have even been psychological studies about this phenomenon.

Vampires are charismatic, intelligent, and manipulative. They have major weaknesses – sunlight, stakes, crosses, and garlic among them – but they are formidable foes and can be remarkably difficult to destroy.

8. Folk Horror

Folk horror, which has gained significant popularity in recent years, often uses rural settings and themes related to paganism and ritual sacrifice. In the Showtime series Yellowjackets, an ordinary group of teenage soccer players gradually descend into cannibalism and fanaticism after being stranded in the woods following a tragic plane crash.

7. Zombies

These undead flesh eaters were all the rage in the 2010’s, when the AMC series The Walking Dead was breaking ratings records. Zombies are the opposite of vampires. They’re ugly, stinky, and dim-witted creatures, without an ounce of charisma or sex appeal (well, except Julie from Return of the Living Dead 3).

But zombies are also a formidable foe, especially when they form large groups. These relentless single-minded flesh eaters are more than capable of triggering the downfall of modern society. Zombie movies range from bleak apocalyptic tales like Night of the Living Dead to satirical comedies like Return of the Living Dead.

6. Psychological

Psychological horror movies are the counterpart to body horror. Instead of depicting people undergoing physical transformations, these movies focus on the horrors of the mind. The villains in this horror genre often seem normal on the outside but secretly suffer from severe mental illness.

Norman Bates from Psycho is one of the most famous villains in this horror subgenre. Norman tries to hide his creepy obsession with his dead mother behind a friendly facade. He seems harmless, and that’s what makes him so dangerous.

5. Comedy

A horror comedy seems like an oxymoron. After all, comedies are supposed to make us laugh and horror movies are intended to scare us. You can’t laugh and scream at the same time, right? Actually, with some skillful writing and directing, it is absolutely possible to create a successful horror comedy movie.

In fact, horror comedies can sometimes be scarier than conventional movies. Make the audience laugh and they’ll let their guard down. That makes the scary parts even more effective. Ready or Not, a movie about a bride who has to fend off her murderous in-laws, is a great example of a comedic horror film. It has its share of dark scary moments, with lots of laughs in between.

4. Found Footage

Found footage movies simulate the appearance of documentary films in an attempt to seem more real and authentic than conventional horror movies. Some found footage filmmakers have attempted to convince audiences that their films are genuine documentaries.

Although there were several earlier found footage movies, the subgenre first gained mainstream commercial success with The Blair Witch Project in 1999. Later, Paranormal Activity became a major found footage franchise. Found footage movies flooded theaters during the 2010s and remain quite popular today.

3. Sci-Fi

Most horror movies involving aliens fall into his category. Science fiction is a genre in its own right, of course, but there are many movies that combine sci-fi with horror. The Alien and Predator franchises are prominent examples of mixing sci fi and horror elements.

Sci-Fi horror has existed for numerous decades, going back to movies like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. One of the most successful examples of this horror subgenre is Ridley Scott’s Alien (1978). Alien features a group of soldiers on a spaceship who terrorized by an extraterrestrial monster. It features numerous common horror tropes, including an isolated location, a terrifying creature who knocks off the cast one by one, and a tough final girl (Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver) who is the last survivor to battle the creature.

2. Demons and Possessions

Paranormal entities are the perfect fodder for horror fiction. This broad horror subgenre covers many different types of stories: haunted houses like the home featured in “Poltergeist”, demonic possession like in The Exorcist, and wild gore fests like The Evil Dead.

The majority of these films are most effective for the religiously inclined, but even folks without spiritual beliefs can find plenty of scares – and entertainment value – in these movies. Demons have fascinated and terrified human beings since long before movies existed, and they will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

1. Slasher

Since their initial surge in popularity during the late ’70s and early ’80s, slasher movies have become one of the most popular horror subgenres. After dominating the 1980s (along with vampire and zombie movies), slashers went through a brief slump before revived by Scream.

The most famous of the modern horror movie franchises are slashers. Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream are all part of this horror subgenre. Most killer clown and evil doll movies also fall into this category as well.