horror film
Let an agent explain the horror film genre and its subgenres, relay history, notable films and scholarship with attribution, describe ratings and content debates neutrally, and route to entries for specific films.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain the horror film genre and its subgenres, relay history, notable films and scholarship with attribution, describe ratings and content debates neutrally, and route to entries for specific films.
A film genre that seeks to frighten, disturb or unsettle its audience through fear, suspense, the supernatural, monsters, violence or psychological dread, from early silent films and Universal monster films through slashers, body horror and found footage to recent forms such as analog horror, creepypasta adaptations and horror anthologies, with hybrids such as romantic horror and controversial subgenres such as torture horror; horror is a commercially strong genre with a large fan culture and age ratings that restrict its audience.
What it is for: Entertainment through fear.
It can be explain the genre and subgenres; relay history and scholarship; describe ratings and debates; route to specific films.
Distinguishing features
Intent to frighten
Many subgenres
Strong fan culture
Age restrictions
What it looks like
Not a physical object; films marked by dark imagery, suspense and frightening content.
How it is recognised
Film genre built on fear
Supernatural, slasher, body horror, found footage, analog horror and more
Thrillers build suspense without horror elements; dark fantasy overlaps
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
is a kind of - in general terms
is related to - an overlapping genre
is rated by - for age suitability
In practice
Families and kinds
supernatural and ghost films
monster and creature films
slasher and psychological horror
body horror and extreme or torture horror
found footage and analog horror
creepypasta adaptations
horror anthologies and comedies
hybrids such as romantic horror
Standards and regulation
Film classification and age ratings
Content laws such as the historical UK video nasties list
Platform content policies
Failure modes and hazards
Exposure of children to unsuitable content
Copycat concerns debated in research
Confusing subgenres
Spoilers in descriptions
Also called
+13
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What horror film is.
Definition.
Definition
Definition and subgenres.
Definition
Definition.
- What defines horror film, and what subgenres exist? definition
- Is the film horror, thriller or dark fantasy? boundary
Techniques
Techniques.
Techniques
Techniques.
- What techniques do horror films use to create fear, from suspense to jump scares? definition
- Which entry fits the specific film? action
History History and canon.
Attribution.
History
History.
History
History.
- How did horror film develop from silent cinema to today, as film historians describe? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Canon
Notable films.
Canon
Canon.
- Which horror films are considered landmarks, with sources? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific film? action
Debate Effects and regulation.
Attribution.
Effects
Effects research.
Effects
Effects.
- What does research say about the effects and appeal of horror, with findings attributed? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Regulation
Ratings and censorship.
Regulation
Regulation.
- How have ratings and censorship treated horror, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral? boundary
Context Industry and fandom.
Context.
Industry
Industry.
Industry
Industry.
- How does horror perform commercially, and which studios specialise in it, with sources? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific studio? action
Fandom
Fandom and new forms.
Fandom
Fandom.
- How have online forms such as creepypasta and analog horror shaped the genre? provenance
- Which entry fits analog horror? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should each subgenre be a separate entry?
- How should film databases be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming subgenres and an unclear term; should they be split off?