Originally Posted by metternich1815
I tend to cast a wide net for what is and is not a horror movie. As with all genres, it is a difficult genre to define. The lines involve some degree of subjectivity. As for my own opinion, I consider almost all of those as definitely horror. The only ones that are, to me, debatable are Donnie Darko and The Terminator.
With Donnie Darko, I see the horror elements of the film, but it just does not feel like a horror movie. With the Terminator, I lean on the side it is a horror, but others have argued it is not. It definitely has the feel of a horror film. The problem with both of those films are that they encompass several genres. The Terminator has elements of romance, action, science fiction, and horror. Donnie Darko has elements of romance, comedy, horror, science fiction, fantasy, and psychological thriller (and possibly more).
As for the whole thriller debate, in my opinion, not all thrillers are horror, but there are some that definitely qualify. Examples of thrillers that are horror, in my opinion, are The Silence of the Lambs, Cape Fear, Seven, and American Psycho (Frailty is a good example too). Films like North by Northwest, Double Jeopardy, Rear Window, and Vertigo are examples of thrillers that lie outside the horror genre, in my opinion. Battle Royale could probably be argued as within the horror thriller category as well.
Predator is, without question, a horror film, in my opinion. A film is not not horror, simply because it has elements of science fiction. In fact, I pretty much group all the science fiction films of the 1950s in the horror genre. In regards to Predator, in addition to the aforementioned elements, I also think it has slasheresque elements. I call it slasheresque because it definitely has elements of a slasher film, but is not a slasher. Alien (1979) is slasheresque as well.
Some have little interest in what is within a genre and what is not probably because the lines given, admittedly, are often arbitrary. Personally, I find it a fascinating topic, though, ultimately, there is definitely a subjective element to defining the genre.
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