The next top 100 - Your help is requested
 

Its been awhile since the last top 100 was compiled. The Oscars and the Vintage 101 were done by a selected panel of judges and members, so I would love all of HDC to be involved in another community project again.

Now, looking at the stickys and casting my mind back to all the discussions in threads throughout 2007...one thought stayed and nagged in my head. If some of you recall, in the Modern Horror section, there was a thread asking for the sub-genres of horror. Some of us tried to give a detailed list to the best of our knowledge, but somehow it remained incomplete. For an idea about the discussion, here it is :-

http://horror.com/forum/showthread.p...ighlight=genre

Taking all of that and my research into the topic, lets compile a top 100 of the various sub-genres of Horror. It will be divided into 20 sub-genres (or categories), with Top 5s in each of em. This will be a nice test of our knowledge in the genre, and also allow us to make a comprehensive list for curious and puzzled fans of the horror genre.

The sub-genres I have deduced are :-

• Ghosts/ Haunted Houses
• Vampires
• Werewolves/Shape-shifters
• Golems/Mummies
• Zombies/Re-animations
• Mythological Creatures
• Traditional Pagan Ritualistic
• Human Monsters
• Creature Monsters
• Occult/ Demonic Possession
• Telekinesis/ Mind Control
• English Gothic
• American Gothic
• Psychological
• Splatterpunk
• Slasher
• Comic Dark Humor Cheesy
• Sci-Fi Horror
• Weird Pulp
• Redneck

Please bear in mind that the sub-genres listed above are NOT final. Its open for discussion amongst you, folks of HDC. If I have overlooked any, kindly point it out and lets see if it can have its own sub-genre or can it be merged into an existing one. Once the sub-genres are finalised, you may send me your recommendations in each sub-genre...out of which the final 100 (5 in each sub-genre) will be finalised.

Are you ready then, HDC? Let the project begin...bring forth your suggestions and lets do this!:cool:

Great idea - I think this is the most ambitious Top 100 yet.

Looking at the categories - I was wondering where a few types of film would fit

- Cannibal films
- Films about violence from people towards others eg I Spit on your Grave, August Underground, serial killer films, etc. Is this what you mean by "human monsters" or is that title referring to Frankenstein-type films?


Just some initial thoughts.

Very valid point.

1) I think the Redneck sub-genre can be broadened to Redneck/ Cannibal.

2) Human Monsters was supposed to cover Frankenstein-type films. I think I Spit On Your Grave and the August Underground series can be classified under Splatterpunk, given their overall feel is that of shocking and gruesome cinema. Either that, or we may have to enter a new sub-genre "Human Atrocity", or merge Splatterpunk with that.

Great idea, V. Let's do this!

how about "was it all a dream" subgenre - Haute Tension, Jacob's Ladder, Invaders from Mars

Yes, I think so as well.
I don't have any more suggestions for sub-genres, though I do think Human Atrocity should be its own.
This will be great fun, but not easy. I guess that would be the point. ;)

so are those sub genres set in stone or do you want feed back on which 20 sub genres to do first?

Hmm...surreality. I think we can combine that with American Gothic.

A point open for debate, certainly. I think one of the listed such as Weird/Pulp can be replaced by that. What say, folks?

Nothing is set in stone as of yet. Its all open for discussion right now. Once the sub-genres are finalised, we will proceed to the recommendations stage.

Thanks, Kev. I knew you would love it!:)

Just to broaden the view, Sean...this is how American Gothic is defined :-

"Almost as old as Traditional horror is Gothic Horror. Sometimes, the term “gothic” is used to define any horror story, but not every horror tale is gothic in nature. This type of horror is characterized by gloomy settings and sinister events (Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, The Dark Country by Dennis Etchison, Edgar Allen Poe). Another characteristic is the character being trapped in some way, be it location, family destiny, etc.

There are two types of gothic story: English and American.

English Gothic has the basic theme of a dark past shadowing the present. These stories are abundant in enclosed or haunted settings, such as castles, crypts, dungeons, and mansions. There are also gloomy images of ruin, decay, imprisonment, cruelty, and persecution.

American gothic takes a more psychological setting. It focuses more on psychological breakdown than gloomy setting. Charles Brockden Brown is credited for starting this trend."


This is the source material link...I would suggest everyone to read it...

http://www.authorsden.com/visit/view...e.asp?id=27376

On a side note, folks...you are free to discuss with each other too. This can result in some really healthy discussion and possibly innovative ideas to come up with.

I hope we can finalise the sub-genres by tomorrow or at best the day after. Then we can move on to the recommendations. You can either :

A) PM me

or

B) email me at [email protected], with subject - HDC Top 100, mentioning your nickname from here. (so that it doesnt get misdirected into the Spam folder)

What about erotic/ body horror? Some of it might be sort of splatpunk, a lot of it might be sci-fi, but there are so many great movies about the body and the sex drive rebelling against itself that it would be a shame not to go give these room to breathe. The list could even be divided by which horror masterworks something branched off from.

oh, wow. this is a great idea, ____v____! the sub-genres look great so far. if i can think of any, i'll send them to you.

can't wait to start sending recommendations!

Hear, hear! Good idea.

Hey, Doc... Can you give a secific example? I'm intrigued with the subgenre, but I can't identify any films... Possibly tetsuo? Maybe even American Psycho (it's not as simple as "slasher" I would argue)... Could you elaborate?

...

V, I would definitely add "Torture Porn" to this list. With the popularity of Hostel and Saw, I feel as though that this subgenre is definitely more than "slasher," though it generally gets swept under the ubiquitous rug of the Slasher. Texas Chainsaw Massacre even meanders into this territory, especially with "The Beginning." You also see this with Rob Zombie films (Devil's Reject's, for example, would be "Torture Porn," and not simply "slasher").

In that vein, I believe that movies like I Spit On Your Grave and Last House on the Left, could be considered either "Slasher" or "Torture Porn," but these might be better categorized as just plain "Revenge" (also consider "Ichi The Killer," which is incredibly popular in the realm of horror).

This sub-genre might also be considered "Shock," "Schlock," or "Exploitation" horror, as made popular with the 70s films that Grindhouse is emulating. Exploitation horror was really the birth of Torture Porn.

Also, I have slight issues with "Ghost" being grouped with "Haunted House" because "Haunted House" would be the grander Sub-Genre, under which "Slasher" or even "Sci-Fi" were spawned (example: Halloween, though slasher is "Haunted House," and "Alien," though scifi could be considered "Haunted House")... I would argue that it was the genre "Haunted House" that berthed the other sub-genres... So I think you might be better off as having the sub-genre labelled "Ghost/Super Natural" (to account for Grudge, Poltergeist, AND The Ring and similar movies).


If you wanted to talk about "Zombies/Re-animations," you have to consider "Infection," "Disease" ("Medical Horror"?) as a sub-genre. For example, movies like 28 Days/Weeks, Black Sheep, Matango, are categorized as "Zombie" when "Infection" is defintely more accurate.

And now that we're discussing Zombies, how about "Post Apocalyptic Horror"? This is most certainly a sub-genre that is spawned from the above.

In regards to "Slasher," you might want to consider "Home Invasion" or "Seige" as a sub-genre (Dawn of the Dead, for example, is very much "Seige," and so is Aliens). Hills Have Eyes would certainly fall into this category.

You have "Mythical Creatures," but I would argue that this is WAY too broad and you should allow for the sub-genre of Giant Monster, possibly one of the more classic and well-known sub-genres of horror (Godzilla, The Host, Cloverfield).


And can we also be careful with the use of "Gothic"? Part of the characteristic of "Gothic Horror" is the purposeful and horrific perversion of nature. For example, Frankenstein, when originally written by Shelly, was considered "Gothic Horror" (followed by the themes and writings of Edgar Allan Poe - they certainly defined the genre, in a classical sense).




.................. Aaaaaaaaaaaand there's my two cents (with a little help from the boyfriend).

I guess Sci fi kind of covers horror on another planet or does it? or is there just not enough movies to bother giving it a genre?

what about post apocalyptic horror, I think that would be a good genre.

hmm what else, maybe water horror? as in the ocean, anything taking place on or under the ocean or sea, perhaps a better name would be amphibious horror..

BODY HORROR

Tetsuo
The Brood
Videodrome
Shivers
The Fly remake
Baby Blood
X the man with X-Ray Eyes
The Amazing Colossal Man
Attack of the 50-ft woman
The Incredible Shrinking Man

What about serial killer flicks or would they cross with slasher?

I'm talking more so movies based on real life ones but also Henry and anything else like that, which tends to be more of a thriller genre, but some are trully horror...

I guess the blob could be in that list, maybe even the thing... invasion of the bodysnatchers though they could also come under sci fi /horror... this genre selection is difficult to narrow down.

Very true. However, as Rod pointed out, most of Body Horror either comes under Human Monsters, Sci-Fi or Psychological. Yet lets keep Body Horror in mind, just in case.


1) Torture Porn and Revenge Horror flicks are essentially covered under Human Atrocity. Looks like Manchestr's and Jenna's initial claim has now gotten much stronger. Excellent point.

2) I agree. Ghosts and the Supernatural will have their separate sub-genre. And since Haunted Houses come under English Gothic, it will merge with that one. Another excellent point.

3) I did consider infections and diseases, thats why the sub-genre is named Zombies/ Re-Animations. Its covered.

4) I think most post-Apocalyptic Horror movies come under Sci-Fi horror. Besides there arent many of those to be actually listed as a separate sub-genre. But still, lets keep that too in mind.

5) Now that Human Atrocity will most certainly have its own sub-genre, I think the home invasion and siege segments will be covered by it and the Slasher sub-genre.

6) I totally agree. Mythological Creatures find better representations in books than movies. That can be dispensed with, because we do have Creature Monsters as a category.

7) Gothic is by no means taken casually. Its impact on the genre is overwhelming, hence not one but TWO separate sub-genres for it - English and American.


Excellent points, Chrono. I am glad you are a part of this project.:)


Yes it does.

Most of Amphibious horror comes directly under Creature Monster flicks or Sci-Fi. I think its covered.



They would cross with Slasher. And now that we have Human Atrocity, I think between both of those, its covered quite nicely.


Good work, folks. Very good points raised...and that changes the sub-genre list a bit, which looks like this now :

1. Ghosts and The Supernatural
2. English Gothic/ Haunted Houses
3. American Gothic/ Surreal
4. Psychological
5. Human Atrocity
6. Traditional/ Pagan/ Ritualistic
7. Occult/ Demonic Possession
8. Telekinesis/ Mind Control
9. Human Monsters
10. Creature Monsters
11. Vampires
12. Werewolves/ Shape-Shifters
13. Golems/ Mummies
14. Zombies/ Re-Animations
15. Splatterpunk
16. Slashers
17. Comic/ Dark Humor/ Cheesy
18. Sci-Fi Horror
19. Weird Pulp
20. Redneck/ Cannibalism

Looks like a pretty good categorisation. If all are satisfied, we can proceed to the next stage. If not, bring your views forward.

looks good to me.
i might suggest putting a brief description of each and perhaps an example of a movie for each genre before you start taking recommendations. it might help to clear up any discrepancies or confusion.

I will. Lets hope to finalise the categorisation by tomorrow morning, and then I ll elaborate on each sub-genre with an example.

Looking down the list, I am pretty satisfied myself. I am wondering if Body Horror can be grouped with Weird/ Pulp. If that is done, its as good as completed.

Just in case somebody misses it on the previous page.

I never put much stock in building lists based on individual categories. What if there's a movie that's not quite as good as five vampire movies but better than any slasher movie? Either you break a rule of the list or you leave off a movie that should, by all rights, be included.

i wouldn't say no to that, truthfully. splitting those up might just cause more confusion and make it harder to make higher quality recommendations.

i hear what you're saying, but honestly, whatever hypothetical movie you're referring to is probably on one of the hdc lists already.

Valid point, but consider this...if a movie is not quite as good as five vampire movies but better than any slasher movie, it is good enough to be included in any other sub-genre...if it criss-crosses with any other sub-genre. And there are 20 of em.

If it is a 6th awesome vampire flick, it might be worth mentioning it under a prominent Honorable Mention under the Top 5 of the sub-genre. We could have 2 of em for each sub-genre.

Great initiative V! I'm sure that it'll be another excellent list of horrors that's gonna enrich this forum to a great deal. Hope everyone who can contribute to develop the list will give their best effort.

I think you have already categorized the genres in all possible way. Till waiting for the final categorization.

Thanks, Rod... I've seen Tetsuo, 50-Ft Woman, and Shrinking Man, so I think I'm starting to understand the sub-genre.

That's pretty good, V... Could I just make a wee suggestion? Along with Fortunado, I think that a brief description would definitely be necessary (because while I understand your rationale, I know for a FACT that the verbiage and semantics of "genre" is eventually going to drive me mad)... I also think that the sub-sub-genres that have been brought up by other members should be included as sub-bullet-points (to be clear, for example that "Torture Porn" is under "Human Atrocity," and "Infection" is under "Zombies," and etc).

Okay since there arent any objections to the sub-genre categorisation till now, I guess they will stand.

Sure thing, Chrono. Here we go...

1. Ghosts and The Supernatural - As is evident. Best example - Poltergeist.

2. English Gothic/ Haunted Houses - Basic theme of a dark past shadowing the present. These stories are abundant in enclosed or haunted settings, such as castles, crypts, dungeons, and mansions. There are also gloomy images of ruin, decay, imprisonment, cruelty, and persecution. For example - The Haunting.

3. American Gothic/ Surreal - It focuses on psychological breakdown, rather than the gloomy setting. For example - Jacob's Ladder.

4. Psychological - Fear of the unknown and affecting the human psyche. Example - Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.

5. Human Atrocity - Covers the brutality done by humans on fellow human beings. Includes Torture Porn and sadistic flicks. Example - Last House on the Left.

6. Traditional/ Pagan/ Ritualistic - Horror perceived in the religious sense. Includes movies about Devil's worship, witchcraft and Christian Horror. Example - The Omen.

7. Occult/ Demonic Possession - Bodies taken over by other-worldly spirits, manifestations and exorcisms done on em. Example - The Exorcist.

8. Telekinesis/ Mind Control - Use of mind over matter either to dominate or seeking revenge. Example - Scanners.

9. Human Monsters - Created by man or his psyche, rooting for domination over life. Example - Frankenstein.

10. Creature Monsters - As is evident. When creatures other than man decide to take matters into their own hands. Example - Jaws.

11. Vampires - Creatures of the night, driven by an insatiable appetite for human blood only. Example - Horror of Dracula.

12. Werewolves/ Shape-Shifters - Once bitten, they turn into a "werewolf" every full moon and rip anything apart. Example - Silver Bullet.

13. Golems/ Mummies - Animated beings created from either well-preserved but long-dead human bodies or inanimate matter through a set of rituals. Example - The Mummy.

14. Zombies/ Re-Animations - A corpse brought back to life by either Voodoo, supernatural or scientific means. Limited intelligence and a hunger for human flesh. Includes diseased and infected re-animations. For Example - Night of the Living Dead.

15. Splatterpunk - Gross-out, gorific horror at its best. Blood, guts and disturbing images which send the stomachs churning. Example - Dead Alive.

16. Slashers - Involves a killer who stalks and murders his victims. Usually referred to as bodycount flicks too. Example - Friday the 13th.

17. Comic/ Dark Humor/ Cheesy - Satire added to horror. Example - Shaun of the Dead

18. Sci-Fi Horror - Totally set under a sci-fi setting. Horrors of deep space, or experiments gone awry in horrific ways. Example - Alien.

19. Weird Pulp - Includes tales of strange, bizarre occurrences which make audiences go "Oh my God what did we just see?!". Includes Body/ Erotic Horror. Best example - Tetsuo.

20. Redneck/ Cannibalism - Humans living outside the society and preying on others. Includes mutants and cannibals. Example - The Hills Have Eyes.



I know that every sub-genre of horror overlaps with each other. When you consider a particular movie, think over it for a few seconds and decide which sub-genre would suit it best. For example, if Re-Animator made you smile more, then it will be considered under Comic Horror rather than Sci - Fi Horror.

Confused?;)

My advice, go for the best in every sub-genre which has an overall effect of THAT particular sub-genre throughout the movie. The effect it had on you, as a viewer, is the one that counts. Happy choosing!

So, as of this moment, I declare the project open!

If there are plenty of good recommendations in a particular sub-genre which are worth mentioning and go beyond the most-popular chosen 5, we will have a Honorable Mentions at the end of each sub-genre, which will be reserved for 2 flicks each...so that they too get their place in the limelight.

My email inbox and PM inbox wait for your recommendations. Choose wisely, HDC...for you will be choosing a unique set of 100 movies which will suit the tastes of particular audiences of the Horror genre. All the best!:cool:


Voting officially ends on Sunday, February 10th, 2008. Mark that on your calendars.

Received the first PM full of recommendations for each sub-genre.

Although leaning a bit towards modern horror, but a good effort nevertheless. Kudos!


Which brings me to an important reminder...

Blurbs - We will be adding blurbs to each chosen movie.

The first member who has PMed me has already booked 3 of his recommendations in advance, if they are in the final chosen 100.

Blurbs will be given out on a strictly first-come-first-serve basis. If the member declines a blurb, or is unable to send me his/her blurb within a week of the final 100 being posted, the particular movie blurb will be freed for anyone else to claim it.

How many movies are we each suggesting per category? I know there will be 5 per category on the final list but when we PM you are we also sending five.

Also I'm having a difficult time differentiating between ghosts and haunted houses. I may be a while.

Yes.

If you recommend more than 5, there will be a lot of movies (and ties in votes) in each sub-genre. So its better to limit your recommendations to 5 per sub-genre.

You better take the overall effect of the movie into account. If the haunted house dominates the background from beginning to end, it will be the latter. If otherwise, then the former.

Nice....another fine list in the works.

We now have 2 lists of recommendations. The second one is rather comprehensive, and most of em are well and truly on the spot. Good job!

I knew you d approve. Welcome aboard.

Just received the 3rd list...and it's delicious!:D

Excellent work...you all have done your homework I see.

Let me remind you folks, that you better book your blurbs pretty fast. Right now its 3 per member, but if some get left at the end they will be yours to choose from. (and 11 have been booked already!)

Take it from The Countess this looks very good. Must have put a lot of work into this.

Well, back my pipe and claret.

Let me know if I can help in any way.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...annyLou2-4.jpg

Countess Marya

Why thanks, Marya.

Now send me your recommendations through PM or email me at [email protected].

My list is under construction. This is hard!

But you didnt expect it to be easy either, did you Kev?;)

Is there no deadline set?