From new releases such as “Smile 2,” “Don’t Movie” and “Heretic,” to classics like “The Shining,” “Halloween” and “The Exorcist,” have single-handedly taken over the movie industry.
The genre of horror has gained widespread appeal which can be attributed to its versatility. Film makers have created many different sub-genres of horror movies. The most popular are psychological, slasher and paranormal/supernatural.
Psychological horror explores the depths of people’s minds and how they can be twisted and molded. Good psychological horror films are played off of something realistic, such as a mental disorder. This type of horror does not violate any laws of nature. For example, “The Shining’s” main character, Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson), displays symptoms of schizophrenia throughout the movie. Viewers watch him evolve into a fully delusional psychosis when he attempts to kill his family. A more recent example of this sub-genre is the “Smile” franchise, where individuals are infected by a disease that toys with their minds; eventually leading them to indirectly kill themselves in front of a witness, passing on the curse. Delusional visions are extremely prevalent in “Smile,” creating a more obvious connection to psychosis. Psychological horror films almost always end with a character becoming psychotic and/or a cliffhanger.
On the other hand, slashers are violent serial killings: the goal of the movie is to startle the viewers with jump scares and gore rather than leave an impact on their thoughts. Slashers involve a killer or group of killers whose goal is to murder, using a multitude of jumpscares. The killing is usually done with a bladed weapon, hence the name slasher. “Scream” is the most straightforward example of this sub-genre. The killer(s) in “Scream” is dubbed Ghostface, who goes around killing as many people as possible with a knife.
Paranormal/supernatural horror features ghosts, evil entities, spirits and more, including more supernatural elements. Often in paranormal horror films, the paranormal beings are not visible to the eye, but their presence is clear and haunting. “The Conjuring” , an evil entity haunts a family’s new home and infests itself in their life. The demonic entity moves unseen, causing strange occurrences like levitation, visions and other unexplainable phenomena.
Slashers are more of a short term scare and may give you a nightmare or two while paranormal/supernatural horrors are unnerving and may leave you paranoid that night. However, psychological horror is different; It’s the most long-term fright and leaves the longest impact. Most of the scare stems from how realistic it is. “The Shining” is obviously exaggerated, but getting driven mad by an internal force out of your direct control is a very real experience.
“Silence of the Lambs” is one of the best psychological horror films of all time. It explores vulnerability, the changing mental states of predator and prey and twisted mind games. In “Silence of the Lambs,” a young female FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is assigned to create a profile of a man named Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a serial killing psychopath, specializing in cannibalism. She ventures to where he is held behind bars in the highest security prison in the nation. Lecter immediately toys with Clarice’s mind and starts to grow fond of her, in his own twisted way.
The film builds off of the character’s dynamic and manipulative tendencies. Lecter also seems to specialize in mind games and getting deep under the skin of the people around him, keeping them in a vulnerable state. The film focuses on mentally induced fear, less on physical violence. The eeriness of Hannibal’s demeanor and tricks adds a thick layer of fear. Psychologically, the film puts the audience in a state of fragility. This is a film that will leave you too stunned to speak, rather than screaming in horror.
This leaves a question: can two sub-genres combine in one movie? The answer is yes. The most common combinations are paranormal and psychological. They fuse together to create one reality-grasping thriller, while still violating laws of nature. An example of this is “The Exorcist,”which displays both paranormal beings and mental distress, presumably induced by the paranormality.
Many versions of fear have been developed through horror movies. This genre of film has and still is making a huge impact on society, bringing attention to less recognized mental disorders, to spontaneous stabbings, highlighting serial killers.
The best kinds of horror movies are horrifying mostly to your mind, and leave a lasting impact on your thoughts.
