Here are the most common types of movie genres and their subcategories.
Here is a comprehensive list of movie genres and the movies that align with them. (Photo by 20th ... [+]
Yale University’s film studies department reported over 40 film genres, styles, categories and series in their research catalog.
With horror, comedy, action, romance, sci-fi and drama being the most basic film genres, below is a comprehensive guide of the key elements that define those genres, examples of classic and contemporary films that fall under said genre and subgenres and hybrid genres.
"The Exorcist" is considered a horror movie. (Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis ... [+]
Horror movies are defined as those with intentions to ignite fear within their audiences. Key elements of a successful horror movie do just that and feature “ghosts, gore, monsters and jump scares,” according to entertainment publication Backstage. Subgenres of horror movies are ghost stories and zombie horrors.
Masterclass considers The Exorcist and Nightmare on Elm Street to be horror movies. Currently, Rotten Tomatoes rated “Husera: The Bone Woman” as the number one horror movie of 2023 with a 99% tomatometer.
"Mrs. Doubtfire," a 1993 film starring the late Robin Williams, is considered to be one of the ... [+]
Comedy movies are defined as those with intentions to humor the audience. Comedies are often marked by situational irony, amusement and happy endings. Some subgenres of comedy are slapstick comedy, parody and black comedy.
A couple of the funniest movies of all time, according to the American Film Institute (AFI), are The Graduate and Mrs. Doubtfire. Current reports show Tom Hanks’ A Man Called Otto being this year's highest performing comedy at the box office, grossing $64,267,657.
The silent film, "The Great Train Robbery," is considered a classic action movie. (Photo by Picture ... [+]
Action movies are marked by a battle between a heroine and a villain or villainous forces. Action movies feature a lot of fighting, weapons and explosions. Popular subgenres of actions, per Premium Block, are Westerns, martial arts actions, spy and espionage actions and war and military actions.
A classic example of an American action movie is The Great Train Robbery. John Wick: Chapter 4 is one of the highest rated action films of the year on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 94% tomatometer.
IMDb placed 1990 film "Pretty Woman," as the second best romance film of all time. (Photo by Buena ... [+]
A romance movie is defined as a film whose focus is on romantic relationships between two characters. Key elements of romance movies are intimacy, passion and complex emotions, according to filmmaking site No Film School.
Historical romance is a subgenre of romance, and hybrid genres of romance include romantic comedies and romantic dramas. The best romance movie, per IMDb, is Titanic.
"Star Wars" is one of the top sci-fi films, as reported by the American Film Institute. (Photo by ... [+]
Short for science fiction, AFI reports that sci-fi films merge details about science and technology with “imaginative speculation.” Key elements of sci-fi movies are alternate realities, new worlds or universes, time travel, technology and even futuristic settings, according to Masterclass. Subgenres of sci-fi include space opera, science fantasies and cyberpunk, according to Premiumbeat.
AFI ranked 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars and ET: The Extra-Terrestrial as the top three in its list of the 10 greatest sci-fi movies. The current holder of the Academy Award for Best Picture is sci-fi film Everything Everywhere All At Once.
The 1994 film, "The Shawshank Redemption," starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman is a an example ... [+]
Dramas are defined by Film Site as movies who follow real characters and their conflicts with themselves, the world or those around them. Dramas typically lean on current events and social and political issues for thematic reference. Melodramas, family dramas and police and legal dramas are all subgenres of the traditional drama.
Movies like Forrest Gump and The Shawshank Redemption are considered dramas. Rotten Tomatoes ranked drama Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. As the best film of 2023 thus far, with a 99% tomatometer.