TV and film genres can be explained in a few sentences for each genre. Drama, comedy, romance, etc.

When it comes to horror, it gets messy. Horror can’t be described so easily. It’s a wacky and unpredictable genre. Where else can you get a film about a dream demon killing people or a doll being possessed by a serial killer soul?

You can push boundaries and experiment with your stories when creating a horror film. There’s no playbook that you need to follow to create a horror film, apart from slashers, which have the same beats. Horror was one of the first genres to appear when film was first invented. The early horror films also give us the first special effects. Georges Méliès released early horror films such as Le Manoir du diable (1896) and Une nuit terrible (1896), both of which showed the splicing effect to make characters shapeshift and objects disappear.
You can even take a story that people know and add a horror element, and you have a completely new story. An example would be the film adaptation of the popular Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It takes the classic novel and adds in everyone’s favourite undead creatures. It’s so creative and doesn’t just make a nonsensical story but a unique take on the known book and, in my opinion, makes it more enjoyable.

Some people have taken this freedom of creativity too far. Extreme horror is a thing that exists in film and books. They take horror and turn it up to 11. Look at Eli Roth and his Hostel films and Green Inferno. Or Cannibal Holocaust, Audition, Itchi the Killer, etc. As much as they disturbed audiences, they also showed that horror has the ability to spread a message despite the content of the film. Cannibal Holocaust and Green Inferno taught me that gore and dread sell in the media over facts. Audition is what happens if you take your social position for granted and abuse your power. I can’t say much for Itchi, but it’s a wild ride.

It’s also a dive into filmmaking itself. Horror has some beautiful scenes that make me appreciate the work of the cinematographers who work on the film.