Between Donald Trump’s presidency and the mumps outbreak, I’d be surprised if you haven’t been scared into permanent hiding. Halloween is here to help solidify your permanent fear of the outside world.

If you’re not in hiding, there’s a horror film out there worth keeping your lights on at night for, regardless of how equally terrifying that National Grid bill will be.

The horror genre, long looked down on in Hollywood for its perceived low cultural value, hit a new high this year. In an age of slumping box office returns and critics who feel pretty “meh” about everything, two films, “Get Out” and “IT,” have revived hopes in what some good old-fashioned jumps and screams can do for the industry.

“Get Out” is one of the highest critically rated films of 2017, per Rotten Tomatoes, and “IT,” still in its theatrical run, is the highest grossing horror film ever.

While both films are independent of one another in terms of their approach to fear, they both strike a chord with their audiences. “Get Out” utilizes psychological horror, whereas “IT” combines elements of various subgenres. The horror subgenre list is expansive. Just look at how Netflix breaks it down, for example. There’s “teen horror,” “zombies,” “Nazi zombies” and probably even “teen Nazi zombies,” if you dig deep enough.

Below is a list of some of the most popular subgenres in horror to ease your viewing choices this Halloween.

Found footage

Arguably the cheapest genre of any type of film, found footage lends itself well to horror, putting the audience in first-person view of all the action. This trend started with 1999’s “The Blair Witch Project,” which proved that a budget of $600,000, a creative marketing campaign and some unknown actors are all you need to rake in millions while convincing audiences that your film is real footage.

Since then, a steady diet of found footage horror films have found their way into the mainstream, including the “Paranormal Activity” franchise, “Cloverfield” and “Unfriended.”

Psychological horror

A broad subgenre that is often included on lists with psychological thrillers, the psychological horror film gets under your skin and sticks with you well after the film is over. Instead of favoring gore or jump scares, psychological horror films focus on making the audience uneasy by emphasizing dread, madness and often dream sequences or misleading flashbacks. Catch “Get Out,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Shutter Island” and “It Follows” for some unsettling “feelies.”

Black comedy

Horror is undeniably fun to watch. The feeling of being scared while knowing you’re actually a pause button and a light switch away from returning to reality is what makes the genre so appealing, and watching your friends freak out when you already know what’s coming is always fun, too.

Black comedy, however, purposely incorporates actual comedy tropes into the usual scares for satiric and comedic effect. The “Scary Movie” films do this to a campy effect, but there are plenty of quality black comedy horrors that offer some more substance and quality, including “The Cabin in the Woods,” “Zombieland” and the recent “Happy Death Day.”

Slashers and splatter

I’m not talking about that terrifying, unidentifiable splatter on your shoes after a night at DJ’s On the Hill. I’m talking about the ever-popular slasher and splatter genres, also affectionately known as “torture porn,” or “gorno.” What these movies lack in character development or plot are made up for through effects and macabre violence. Cathartic, if sadistic human torture is your thing.

The “Saw” and “Hostel” series are the most notable of the bunch, and don’t pretend you haven’t at least tried to sit through one of “The Human Centipede” movies.

Netflix-Late-Night-B-Movie-Surprise

Like most seafood offered in the dining halls, there’s really no telling what you’re going to get with a movie from the deep abyss that is Netflix’s horror crop. You could be pleasantly surprised, as I was when I stumbled onto the unsettling “Session 9” one late night. Or you could just be going for whichever film sports the most clever or absurd title. “Zombeavers,” “Avalanche Sharks,” “Big Ass Spider!” or “Airplane vs. Volcano,” anyone? Best enjoyed after 2 a.m., drunk Calios in hand.

Whatever your specific taste is, celebrate the holiday accordingly. Whether you’re on your 10th screening of “Hocus Pocus” this week or just dipping your toes into more hard-core horror, there’s plenty of movies to get you into the proper holiday spirit.

Lilly Stuecklen is a senior television, radio and film major. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. She can be reached on social media @Stuecks or by email at lsstueck@syr.edu.

Published on October 31, 2017 at 2:28 pm