RESEARCH

Main Film Genres Genre Types(represented by icons) Genre Descriptions  
 Action films usually include high energy, big-budget physical stunts and chases, possibly with rescues, battles, fights, escapes, destructive crises (floods, explosions, natural disasters, fires, etc.), non-stop motion, spectacular rhythm and pacing, and adventurous, often two-dimensional 'good-guy' heroes (or recently, heroines) battling 'bad guys' - all designed for pure audience escapism. Includes the James Bond 'fantasy' spy/espionage series, martial arts films, and so-called 'blaxploitation' films. A major sub-genre is the disaster film.

Adventure films are usually exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales, very similar to or often paired with the action film genre. They can include traditional swashbucklers, serialized films, and historical spectacles (similar to the epics film genre), searches or expeditions for lost continents, "jungle" and "desert" epics, treasure hunts, disaster films, or searches for the unknown.

Comedies are light-hearted plots consistently and deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter (with one-liners, jokes, etc.) by exaggerating the situation, the language, action, relationships and characters. This section describes various forms of comedy through cinematic history, including slapstick, screwball, spoofs and parodies, romantic comedies, black comedy (dark satirical comedy), and more.

Crime (gangster) films are developed around the sinister actions of criminals or mobsters, particularly bankrobbers, underworld figures, or ruthless hoodlums who operate outside the law, stealing and murdering their way through life. Criminal and gangster films are often categorized as film noir or detective-mystery films - because of underlying similarities between these cinematic forms. This category includes a description of various 'serial killer' films.

Dramas are serious, plot-driven presentations, portraying realistic characters, settings, life situations, and stories involving intense character development and interaction. Usually, they are not focused on special-effects, comedy, or action, Dramatic films are probably the largest film genre, with many subsets. are a major sub-genre, as are 'adult' films (with mature subject content).

Epics include costume dramas, historical dramas, war films, medieval romps, or 'period pictures' that often cover a large expanse of time set against a vast, panoramic backdrop. Epics often share elements of the elaborate adventure films genre. Epics take an historical or imagined event, mythic, legendary, or heroic figure, and add an extravagant setting and lavish costumes, accompanied by grandeur and spectacle, dramatic scope, high production values, and a sweeping musical score. Epics are often a more spectacular, lavish version of a biopic film. Some 'sword and sandal' films (Biblical epics or films occuring during antiquity) qualify as a sub-genre.

Horror films are designed to frighten and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. Horror films feature a wide range of styles, from the earliest silent Nosferatu classic, to today's CGI monsters and deranged humans. They are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology, or when Earth is threatened by aliens. The fantasy and supernatural film genres are not usually synonymous with the horror genre. There are many sub-genres of horror: slasher, teen terror, serial killers, satanic, Dracula, Frankenstein, etc.

Musical/dance films are cinematic forms that emphasize full-scale scores or song and dance routines in a significant way (usually with a musical or dance performance integrated as part of the film narrative), or they are films that are centered on combinations of music, dance, song or choreography. Major subgenres include the musical comedy or the concert film. .

Sci-fi films are often quasi-scientific, visionary and imaginative - complete with heroes, aliens, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable settings, fantastic places, great dark and shadowy villains, futuristic technology, unknown and unknowable forces, and extraordinary monsters ('things or creatures from space'), either created by mad scientists or by nuclear havoc. They are sometimes an offshoot of fantasy films, or they share some similarities with action/adventure films. Science fiction often expresses the potential of technology to destroy humankind and easily overlaps with horror films, particularly when technology or alien life forms become malevolent, as in the "Atomic Age" of sci-fi films in the 1950s.

War (and anti-war) films acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat fighting (against nations or humankind) on land, sea, or in the air provide the primary plot or background for the action of the film. War films are often paired with other genres, such as action, adventure, drama, romance, comedy (black), suspense, and even epics and westerns, and they often take a denunciatory approach toward warfare. They may include POW tales, stories of military operations, and training.
Westerns are the major defining genre of the American film industry - a eulogy to the early days of the expansive American frontier. They are one of the oldest, most enduring genres with very recognizable plots, elements, and characters (six-guns, horses, dusty towns and trails, cowboys, Indians, etc.). Over time, westerns have been re-defined, re-invented and expanded, dismissed, re-discovered, and spoofed.Film Sub-Genres Sub-Genre Types(represented by icons) Sub-Genre Descriptions  
'Biopics' is a term derived from the combination of the words "biography" and "pictures." They are a sub-genre of the larger drama and epic film genres, and although they reached a hey-day of popularity in the 1930s, they are still prominent to this day. These films depict the life of an important historical personage (or group) from the past or present era. Biopics cross many genre types, since these films might showcase a western outlaw, a criminal, a musical composer, a religious figure, a war-time hero, an entertainer, an artist, an inventor or doctor, a politician or President, or an adventurer.

Often considered an all-encompassing sub-genre, 'chick' flicks or gal films (slightly derisive terms) mostly include formulated romantic comedies (with mis-matched lovers or female relationships), tearjerkers and gal-pal films, movies about family crises and emotional carthasis, some traditional 'weepies' and fantasy-action adventures, sometimes with foul-mouthed and empowered females, and female bonding situations involving families, mothers, daughters, children, women, and women's issues. These films are often told from the female P-O-V, and star a female protagonist or heroine. This type of film became very prominent in the mid-80s and into the 90s.


Detective-mystery films are usually considered a sub-type or sub-genre of crime/gangster films (or film noir), or suspense or thriller films that focus on the unsolved crime (usually the murder or disappearance of one or more of the characters, or a theft), and on the central character - the hard-boiled detective-hero, as he/she meets various adventures and challenges in the cold and methodical pursuit of the criminal or the solution to the crime.

Disaster films, a sub-genre of action films, hit their peak in the decade of the 1970s. Big-budget disaster films provided all-star casts and interlocking, Grand Hotel-type stories, with suspenseful action and impending crises (man-made or natural) in locales such as aboard imperiled airliners, trains, dirigibles, sinking or wrecked ocean-liners, or in towering burning skyscrapers, crowded stadiums or earthquake zones. Often noted for their visual and special effects, but not their acting performances.

Fantasy films, usually considered a sub-genre, are most likely to overlap with the film genres of science fiction and horror, although they are distinct. Fantasies take the audience to netherworld places (or another dimension) where events are unlikely to occur in real life - they transcend the bounds of human possibility and physical laws. They often have an element of magic, myth, wonder, and the extraordinary. One of the major categories of fantasy-action films are the super-hero movies, based quite often on original comic-strip or comic book character. They may appeal to both children and adults, depending upon the particular film.

Film noir (meaning 'black film') is a distinct branch of the crime/gangster sagas from the 1930s. Strictly speaking, film noir is not a genre, but rather the mood, style or tone of various American films that evolved in the 1940s, and lasted in a classic period until about 1960. However, film noir has not been exclusively confined to this era, and has re-occurred in cyclical form in other years in various neo-noirs. Noirs are usually black and white films with primary moods of melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionment, disenchantment, pessimism, ambiguity, moral corruption, evil, guilt and paranoia. And they often feature a cynical, loner hero (anti-hero) and femme fatale, in a seedy big city.

Composed of macho films that are often packed with sophomoric humor, action, cartoon violence, competition, mean-spirited putdowns and gratuitous nudity and sex. Gal films or 'chick' flicks are their counterpart for females. This category of film is highly subject to opinion, although there are many classic, testosterone-laden 'guy' films that most viewers would agree upon, as shown in this site's Greatest 'Guy' Movies of All-Time (illustrated). See also the "100 Greatest Guy Movies Ever Made" by Maxim Magazine compiled in 1998 or Men's Journal's 50 Best Guy Movies of All Time list compiled in 2003.

Melodramas are a sub-type of drama films, characterized by a plot to appeal to the emotions of the audience. Often, film studies criticism used the term 'melodrama' pejoratively to connote an unrealistic, pathos-filled tales of romance or domestic situations with stereotypical characters that would directly appeal to feminine audiences ("weepies" or "woman's films"). See the post-modern version of the "woman's film" - gal films or 'chick' flicks.

Road films have been a staple of American films from the very start, and have ranged in genres from westerns, comedies, gangster/crime films, dramas, and action-adventure films. One thing they all have in common: an episodic journey on the open road (or undiscovered trail), to search for escape or to engage in a quest for some kind of goal -- either a distinct destination, or the attainment of love, freedom, mobility, redemption, the finding or rediscovering of onself, or coming-of-age (psychologically or spiritually).

A sub-genre for the most part, this category shares some features with romantic dramas, romantic comedies, and sexual/erotic films. These are love stories, or affairs of the heart that center on passion, emotion, and the romantic, affectionate involvement of the main characters (usually a leading man and lady), and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story the main plot focus. See Greatest and Most Memorable Film Kisses Scenes.

Films that have a sports setting (football or baseball stadium, arena, or the Olympics, etc.), event (the 'big game,' 'fight,' 'race,' or 'competition'), and/or athlete (boxer, racer, surfer, etc.) that are central and predominant in the story. Sports films may be fictional or non-fictional; and they are a hybrid sub-genre category, although they are often dramas or comedy films, and occasionally documentaries or biopics.

Supernatural films, a sub-genre category, may be combined with other genres, including comedy, sci-fi, fantasy or horror. They have themes including gods or goddesses, ghosts, apparitions, spirits, miracles, and other similar ideas or depictions of extraordinary phenomena. Interestingly however, until recently, supernatural films were usually presented in a comical, whimsical, or a romantic fashion, and were not designed to frighten the audience. There are also many hybrids that have combinations of fear, fantasy, horror, romance, and comedy.

Thrillers are often hybrids with other genres - there are action-thrillers, crime-caper thrillers, western-thrillers, film-noir thrillers, even romantic comedy-thrillers. Another closely-related genre is the horror film genre. Thriller and suspense films are virtually synonymous and interchangeable categorizations. They are types of films known to promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension. The acclaimed Master of Suspense is Alfred Hitchcock. Spy films may be considered a type of thriller/suspense film
Film Sub-Genres Types (and Hybrids) Main Film Genres (represented by icons) Film Sub-Genres Types (and Hybrids) (a vast sampling) Select any of the links below, and read about the development and history of the genre or sub-genre, and view chronological lists of selected, representative greatest films for each one (with links to detailed descriptions of individual films).

and


Action or Adventure Comedy
Alien Invasion
Animal Action Films
Biker
Blaxploitation
Blockbusters
Buddy
Buddy Cops
Caper
Chase Films or Thrillers
Comic-Book Action
Conspiracy Thriller (aka Paranoid Thriller)
Costume Adventures
Crime Films
Desert Epics
Disaster or Doomsday - See Greatest Disaster Film Scenes also
Epic Adventure Films
Erotic Thrillers
Escape
Espionage
Futuristic
Girls With Guns
Guy Films
Heist - Caper Films
Heroic Bloodshed Films
Historical Spectacles
Hong Kong
James Bond Series
Jungle and Safari Epics
Martial Arts
Man or Woman-In-Peril
Man vs. Nature
Mountain
Period Action Films
Political Conspiracies, Thrillers
Prison
Psychological Thriller
Quest
Rape and Revenge Films
Road
Romantic Adventures
Sci-Fi Action
Sea Adventures
Searches/Expeditions for Lost Continents
Serialized films
Space Adventures
Spy
Straight Action/ Conflict
Super-Heroes
Surfing or Surf Films
Survival
Swashbuckler
Sword and Sorcery (or "Sword and Sandal")
(Action) Suspense-Thrillers
Techno-Thrillers
Treasure Hunts
Undercover
War
Women in Prison

Action Comedies
Anarchic Comedies
Animals
Black Comedies (Dark Humor)
British Humor
Buddy
Classic Comedies
Clown
Comedy Thrillers
Comic Criminals
Coming of Age
Crime/Caper Comedies
'Dumb' Comedies
Fairy Tale
Family Comedies
Farce
Fish-out-of-water Comedies
Gross-out Comedies
Horror Comedies
Lampoon
Mafia Comedies
"Meet-Cute" Screwball or Romantic Comedies
Military Comedies
Mock-umentary (Fake Documentary)
Musical Comedies
Parenthood Comedies
Parody
Political Comedies
Populist
Pre-Teen Comedies
Re-Marriage Comedies
Road
Romantic Comedies
Satire
School Days
Screwball Comedies
Sex Comedies
Slacker
Slapstick
Social-Class Comedies
Sophisticated Comedies
Spoofs
Sports Comedies
Stand-Up
Stoner Comedies
Supernatural Comedies
Teen/Teen Sex Comedies
Urban Comedies
War Comedies
Western Comedies
Zombie Comedies
Bad Girl Movies
Blaxploitation
Buddy Cop
Caper Stories
Cops & Robbers
Detective/Mysteries
Espionage
Femme Fatales
Film Noir
Hard-boiled Detective
Heist
Hood Films
Law and Order
Lovers on the Run Road Films
Mafia, Organized Crime, Mob Films
Mysteries
Neo-Noir
Outlaw Biker Films
Police
Procedurals
Prison
Private-Eye
Suspense-Thrillers
Trial Films
Vice Films
Victim
Who-dun-its
Women's Prison Films
Any genre or sub-genre may be considered a "Cult Film"

Adaptations, Based upon True Stories
Addiction and/or Alcoholism
Adult
African-American
Autobiographies/Biographies
Biopics (Biographical)
British Empire
"Chick" Flicks or "Guy-Cry" Films
Childhood Dramas
Christmas Films
Coming-of-Age
Costume Dramas
Crime Dramas
Diary Films
Disease/Disability
Docu-dramas
Espionage
Ethnic Family Saga
Euro-Spy Films
"Fallen" Women
Gay and Lesbian
Generation Gap
High School
Holocaust
Hood Films
Investigative Reporting
Legal/Courtroom
Life Story
Literary Adaptation
Love
Medical
Melodramas ("Women's Pictures," Tearjerkers, or "Weepies")
Newspaper
Nostalgia
Presidential Politics or Political Dramas
Prostitution
Race Relations, Inter-racial Themes
Religious
Romantic Dramas
Sexual/Erotic (Steamy Romantic Dramas)
Shakespearean
Showbiz Dramas
Soap Opera
Social Problem Film, Social Commentaries
Small-town Life
Sports Dramas or Biopics
Teen (or Youth) Films
Tragedy
War-Military Dramas
Women's Friendship
Youth Culture

Biblical
Dark Ages
Greek Myth
Historical or Biographical Epics (Biopics)
Indian History
Literary Adaptation
Medieval (Dark Ages)
'Period Pictures'
Religious
Roman Empire

B-Movie Horror
Cannibalism or Cannibal Films
Classic Horror
Creature Features
Demonic Possession
Dracula
Erotic
Frankenstein, other Mad Scientists
Ghosts
Gore
Gothic
Haunted House, other Hauntings
Halloween
Macabre
Monsters
Older-Woman-In-Peril Films ("Psycho-Biddy", aka 'Hag Horror' or 'Hagsploitation')
Psychic Powers
Psychological Horror
Reincarnation
Satanic Stories
Serial Killers
Slashers or "Splatter" Films
Supernatural Horror
Teen Terror ("Teen Screams")
Terror
Vampires
Witchcraft
Wolves, Werewolves
Zombies

Ballet
Beach Party Films
Musical Biographies
Broadway Show Musicals
Comedy Musicals
Concert Films
Dance Films
Dramatic Musicals
Fairy-tale Musicals
Folk Musicals
Hip-Hop Films
Operettas
Rock-umentary
Romantic Musicals
Stage Musicals
Western Musicals

Action Sci-Fi
Alien Invasion
Aliens, Extra-Terrestrial Encounters
Atomic Age
Classic Sci-Fi
Cyber Punk
Disaster - See Greatest Disaster Film Scenes also
Dystopia
End of World
Fairy Tales
Fantasy Films
50's Sci-Fi
Futuristic
Lost Worlds
Mad Scientists
Monsters and Mutants
Other Dimensions
Outer Space
Post-Apocalyptic
Pre-historic
Robots, Cyborgs and Androids
Sci-Fi Thrillers
Space Opera
Space or Sci-Fi Westerns
Star Trek
Super-Hero Films (e.g., Supermen and Others)
Supernatural
Time or Space Travel
Virtual Reality

Action Combat
Aerial Combat, Aviation
Anti-War
Civil War
Historical
Korean
Military
Prisoner of War/Escape
Revolutionary War
Submarine
Vietnam
War Epics
World War I
World War II

Biographies
Cattle Drive
Epic Westerns
Frontier
Gunfighters
Historical
Indian War
Military
Outlaws
Psychological Westerns
Road-Trail Journeys
Romantic Westerns
Science-Fiction Westerns
Shoot-outs
Space Westerns
'Spaghetti' Westerns
Spoof Westerns