Taxonomy of Terror

If you look at the right of the blog, you will notice that (like the immortal Vault of Horror) I have created a list of what I believe to be the best in the genre. What I have done differently, however, is put each list in a category of my own creation. This taxonomy is loose but I think every horror film has somewhere to go. Here's the explanation:

The Best Supernatural Threat Films

This one is pretty self-explanatory: demons, ghosts, witches, Satan etc. These films have threats which do not have real world or science fictional explanations.

The Best Zombie Films

The zombie film is distinct enough that it has its own conventions and concerns. It gets its own category evan though many of the films could easily fit into other categories.

The Best Science-Is-Not-Your-Friend Films

These films could also be put into other categories but they are united by a strong distrust of science and human technological progress. The conflicts in these films could all be avoided if man did not meddle in things he (or she) was meant to leave alone.

The Best Bloodsucker Films

See the explanation for the zombie category.

The Best Non-Supernatural-Killer Films

Features killers and madmen without heavy science fiction or occult overtones. Just psychos with no mutants or demons.

The Best Non-Occult-Invasion-of-the-Other Films

This ungainly category is for films which feature an outside threat that is non-occult in origin. The threat may be science fictional (The Thing) or it may be an established part of nature (Jaws).

The Best Invasion-of-the-Inner Films

Mostly non-occult threats that originate from within the human psyche or body. Transformation is the key theme. Sometimes they involve external forces but these films all demonstrate the unpleasantness within the human form.