Anytime the weather gets below 95 in early September, the horror fan in me awakens. I restart Buffy, and start planning out my Halloween Watch List. I know I’m not alone, but it’s interesting to see how everyone in my life differs when it comes to horror movies. My two best friends both hate horror movies. One of the things my significant other and I bonded over was a love of psychological thrillers and horror. My parents were great about sharing great cinema with me from the time I was young, included horror movies.

I feel like everyone has a vastly different reaction to horror movies, which makes sense. The whole point of a horror movie is to feel fear, right? Some people would prefer to not place themselves in a situation to feel fear intentionally, which I get. When I sat down to write this post, I knew that I wanted to talk about horror as a genre, and why I think so many people have a different reaction to horror. I think it’s important to point out there are many different types, so I thought I’d break the prominent ones down. Who knows – maybe you’ll find a new subgenre of horror you could be into!

In no particular order, here are the types of horror, in my opinion:

Spiritual Horror (a.k.a. demons!!!!)

Let me start off by saying there is some overlap between spiritual horror and hauntings, however, you know when a movie is going from haunting to a demon. There’s claw marks involved, usually a normally cute child starts talking about their horrific imaginary friend, high likelihood there’s a cross turning upside down. Personally, this category is one I dabble in, but I cannot spend too much time here. Freaks me out too much – maybe not the film itself but the idea of accidentally inviting anything into the place I am watching.

Good examples streaming right now: The Conjuring (HBO Max and Netflix), Sinister (Netflix),

Slashers

Doing a 180 from demon stuff – slashers are my favorite genre. When I talk about horror being cathartic, this genre is one of the reasons why. You see the final girl (the last one standing has been given this name) facing down the foe who has terrorized her for the duration of the movie. If you want a villain who is fallible and human, this is the genre for you.

Good examples streaming right now: Scream (HBO Max), The Strangers: Prey at Night (Netflix), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (HBO Max), You’re Next (Hulu)

P.S. – I couldn’t find it streaming anywhere, but there’s a movie called The Town That Dreaded Sundown about a series of murders that took place in Texarkana. They made a movie in 1976, and remade it in 2014. Both versions are good, but the ’76 version veers onto the campy side. More on that later. But if you see it streaming anywhere, you should watch!

Ooooh, Spooky House!!!

Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? Haunted houses and spooky spirits are some of the oldest forms of horror storytelling. It’s a classic genre – hearing creaks and bumps in the middle of the night. We all know how this one goes – a family moves in and starts experiencing weird things. The father denies it – they put all their money into this house! It can’t be haunted! Spoiler alert: it is haunted. I feel like recently, this type of horror film is waning off because it’s hard to make your story unique and different and as scary as some of the others on this list. But hey, some of the best horror movies are haunted houses!

Good examples streaming right now: House (HBO Max), Poltergeist (HBO Max), House on Haunted Hill (HBO Max) – wow, HBO Max really has the monoply on haunted house movies, huh?

P.S. – The Others (2001) is probably my favorite ghost story movie. Check it out!

Lots o’ Gore

So, I’m going to preface my description of this with saying that I am not a fan. Some folks think gore is synonymous with horror, which isn’t always the case. However, some folks think the more red corn syrup you involve, the better. If that floats your boat, go for it! It’s just hard for a squeamish person like me to watch. Gory movies have their place in the horror canon, and these movies typically feed on audience shock factor or being grossed out in order to be scary.

Note: when I saw gore, I’m talking over-the-top blood and guts. Some of the other movies I’ve recommended above and below have their share of gore, but gory movies take it to the extreme.

Good examples streaming right now: Saw (HBO Max), Hostel (Peacock)

Psychological Horror/Brain Ticklers

Some of the best horror films catch you by surprise. Another one of my favorites, psychological thrillers take you on a journey alongside (most likely) an unreliable narrator and a series of horrific incidents. The third act of the film is when all the pieces start to fall into place. A lot of the time, you may not know what’s going until the twist is revealed. Sometimes, I also find these the hardest to watch. At the core of psychological thrillers is trauma, and you watch as it flows through every scene.

Good examples streaming right now: The Lodge (Hulu), Midsommar (Amazon Prime), Identity (Pluto TV), Creep (Netflix)

Otherworldly Creature Films – Aliens, Zombies, Monsters, Vampires – oh my!

Woof – there are a lot of creature films out there, and I feel bold lumping them all into this category, but #yolo. Creature films are some of the original horror films audiences experienced during the rise of horror in the 1950’s. Think Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Blob. Over the years, as horror grew, so did this category of horror. When the world was watching a man put a flag on the moon, aliens entered in the picture in a big way. The trailer for Night of the Living Dead scared the shit out of my 10-year-old-at-the-time father. I would even go so bold as to say Godzilla could be considered in this category – big monster comes to town and is destroying everything? Might be considered action, but it’s also terrifying. Of course, following the Twilight craze in the 2010’s, vampires have lost their sparkle in terms of being scary (get it). Overall, the big scary piece of creature films is the idea that humans are not the apex predator in that scenario.

Good examples streaming right now: 30 Days of Night (Hulu), 28 Days Later (HBO Max), Crawl (Hulu)

Camp, baby!

No, I’m not talking like Camp Silver Lake from Friday the 13th. I’m talking The Evil Dead, Shaun of the Dead, Cabin in the Woods, Elvira. Camp is a large subgenre of horror, and like other types of camp, you know it when you see it. Maybe it’s the special effects that were produced on shoe string budget in the late 80’s. Maybe it’s ridiculous plot that somehow kinda works. A lot of camp movies end up being cult classics, and for good reason!

Good examples streaming right now: The Evil Dead (HBO Max), Elvira: Mistress of Darkness (Hulu), Trick ‘r Treat (HBO Max)

So what do you think? Do you agree that for the most part, these are the main types of horror film out there? Are you a horror fan who wants to add to my list, or are you a non-horror fan, ready to dip their toe in a subgenre they might enjoy?

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