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From whimsical spooky fun to the darkest corners of cinema, the horror genre spans a massive spectrum. Join us as we break down every tier of horror filmmaking, covering everything from family-friendly frights like "Coraline" to mainstream slashers, elevated psychological terror, and the most extreme, disturbing films ever committed to screen. Which level are YOU brave enough to handle?
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00:00I got a better one. Have you heard about this videotape that kills you when you watch it?
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the 9 levels of the horror genre.
00:10Creating a Siamese triplet.
00:16Level 1. Good ol' spooky fun.
00:19This is Halloween, this is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween.
00:25Level 1. The perfect starting point for pint-sized horror fans.
00:29This level is all about gateway films that offer spooky atmospheres and mild thrills without leaving the little ones traumatized.
00:35Think classics like Coraline, Goosebumps, or The Monster Squad for all you 80s kids out there.
00:40I expect you boys thought I was some kind of monster myself?
00:44A vampire, perhaps?
00:47That's quite alright.
00:48But I am not, you know.
00:50If I were a vampire, then I wouldn't have a reflection.
00:57These movies lean heavily into creepy imagery and fun creature designs, but never quite descend into any genuine horror.
01:03They're the cinematic equivalent of a spooky Halloween theme park ride.
01:07Plenty of skeletons and ghosts and zombies, but wrapped up in a nice safe package.
01:11They give younger audiences that first intoxicating taste of the macabre,
01:15while ensuring they can still sleep with the lights off.
01:17It's harmless, whimsical fun that lays the foundation for a lifelong love of the genre.
01:22More importantly, it lets them know that maybe, just maybe, there's some darker stuff out there.
01:27Mom?
01:28What are you doing here in the middle of the night?
01:31You're just in time for supper, dear.
01:33Level 2. Popcorn Horror.
01:35Then suddenly, this woman comes on, smiling at you, right?
01:41Seeing you through the screen.
01:45And as soon as it's over, your phone rings.
01:50Someone knows you've watched it.
01:53And what they say is, you will die in seven days.
01:58After the kiddie stuff, you graduate to popcorn horror, movies usually nestled in the PG-13 territory.
02:04Despite the rating, these are the movies you typically watch when you're nine or ten years old.
02:08When you think you're pretty darn cool for watching the good stuff.
02:11Indeed, this is where the real jump scares and tension begin.
02:15These are the ultimate crowd pleasers you'd see in a packed theater on a Friday night, like Insidious or Megan.
02:32Level 2 films often rely on a building of dread, legit supernatural entities, and jump scares to get your heart
02:39racing.
02:39While they definitely feature terrifying demons and cursed videotapes,
02:43they still lack the intense gore or psychological cruelty that completely ruins your week.
02:48It's all about the shared thrill of screaming or laughing alongside a bunch of other teenagers in a packed movie
02:52theater.
02:53The perfect comfort food for the casual horror fan.
03:08Level 3, Blood and Guts
03:10I dreamed about a guy in a dirty red and green sweater.
03:15Well, what about the fingernails?
03:19Oh, he scraped his fingernails along, thanks.
03:23Actually, they were more like finger knives or something, something he'd made himself.
03:27But they made a horrible sound.
03:30This is the bread and butter of the horror genre.
03:33It's where all the heavyweights like Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street reside.
03:38And it's arguably what everyone thinks of when they think of horror.
03:41Here, the body count skyrockets and the blood and guts flow freely.
03:45Whether it's a masked killer stalking teenagers or some kind of grotesque monster on the loose,
03:49the violence is front and center.
03:51Don't let her live.
03:53I won't chase him.
03:55I won't.
03:57People die in awful ways.
03:59Blood gets everywhere.
04:00And if it's really extreme, body parts go flying.
04:04However, Level 3 contains a sense of camp, fun, or otherwise cinematic unreality.
04:09It's still a good time, despite the violence.
04:11We know there are rules.
04:13We cheer for the characters.
04:14And we appreciate the creative deaths for their ideas and practical effects.
04:18It's gross, but at the end of the day, it's still entertaining.
04:28Level 4.
04:30Elevated Dread
04:31What have you done to it?
04:33What have you done to its eyes?
04:36He has his father's eyes.
04:37Things take a somber and deeply unsettling turn at Level 4.
04:42Say goodbye to the fun popcorn scares, because these movies are not very fun in the traditional sense.
04:47They are very psychological, designed to get under your skin and genuinely disturb you with their themes,
04:53surreal visuals, and unconventional stories.
04:55Wouldst thou like the taste of butter, a pretty dress?
05:04Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?
05:08Anchored by modern-day heavy hitters like Hereditary, The Witch, and probably best exemplified by The Shining,
05:14Level 4 replaces cheap thrills with a suffocating atmosphere and general weirdness.
05:19They explore real-life traumas like grief, inherited madness, paranoia, and isolation.
05:24And while they often earn critical acclaim and find an audience within horror circles,
05:28they never make the insane money of the blockbusters.
05:31These are the movies that stick with you for years, and you always feel a little off after watching them.
05:38I just wanted to talk to you.
05:43Level 5.
05:44Hardcore Mainstream
05:52Hold on to your stomachs, because the hardcore mainstream is here.
05:55These movies often represent the limit of what major movie theaters will show.
05:59They often push the R rating to its limit.
06:02And indeed, many of them were rated NC-17 before being cut or censored by the studio to ensure a
06:07mainstream release.
06:08He doesn't want us to cut through our chains.
06:13He wants us to cut through our feet.
06:15Here, the violence is less fun and more disgusting.
06:19The characters face grueling physical torment, the gore is gross, and the endings are often utterly hopeless.
06:25It is a punishing endurance test that pushes the boundaries of mainstream cinema,
06:30challenging casual viewers to see just how much carnage they can actually stomach before looking away.
06:34Hardcore horror fans may not have a problem with them,
06:37but this is where general moviegoers typically throw their hands up and say,
06:41yeah, no, I'm done.
06:43It's funny.
06:45You were so scary at night.
06:48Level 6.
06:49The Deep End
06:50You're really weird, you know that?
06:52Yeah.
06:54Look, I get it, dude.
06:55The whole creepy silent mime gimmick?
06:58I mean, it's very effective, and the blood is a nice touch also.
07:02We are officially diving into the deep end with Level 6.
07:06At this stage of depravity, the plot takes a back seat, and the vicious cruelty becomes the main attraction.
07:12These movies often try to outdo each other with the violence and gross-out factor.
07:16It's perhaps best defined by movies like Terrifier, Hostile, and The Human Centipede.
07:21The Human Centipede.
07:26First sequence.
07:29These movies specialize in prolonged and sadistic sequences of bodily destruction,
07:34utilizing incredible practical effects to induce actual nausea.
07:38And there are rarely any heroes to root for here.
07:41They're usually just victims subjected to unimaginable agony,
07:45and often for someone's sick amusement.
07:47They actively trade suspense for unadulterated shock value,
07:51and caters strictly to the most hardcore gore-hounds out there.
08:02Level 7. Transgressive Cinema.
08:16Level 7 introduces us to transgressive cinema,
08:19a brutal realm often defined by the new French extremity movement and global shock films.
08:24Masterpieces of misery like funny games, high tension,
08:28and even Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left rule this territory.
08:31You know these types of movies when you see them,
08:33often pairing stomach, churning, and ultra-realistic violence
08:37with profound psychological degradation.
08:39Come here.
08:44Piss your pants.
08:49Piss your pants.
08:51I said piss your pants.
08:54They attack both the viewer's senses and morals simultaneously,
08:58exploring the darkest depths of human suffering,
09:00and featuring villains who just want to cause as much torment as possible.
09:04They are often hailed by critics,
09:06but they come with a massive warning label,
09:07and are often released unrated.
09:10It's the kind of cinema that changes you.
09:12And it's the type of movie you leave saying,
09:14yeah, I'm never watching that again.
09:20Level 8.
09:22Cinematic Nihilism
09:23Level 8 introduces the movies
09:43that aren't really movies in the traditional sense.
09:46They're cultural controversies
09:48that actively seek to violate every known societal taboo.
09:51We're talking about the ultimate forbidden fruits of cinema,
09:54like a Serbian film,
09:55Cannibal Holocaust,
09:56and Salo,
09:57or the 120 Days of Sodom.
09:58Well, Your Excellency,
10:00are you convinced?
10:01It is when I see others degraded
10:03that I rejoice
10:03when they suffer humiliating disdain
10:05that I have the exquisite pleasure
10:07of realizing
10:08how much better it is to be me
10:10than one of the inconsolvential barclers.
10:12Wherever men are evil,
10:14and such differences do not exist,
10:16true happiness can never exist.
10:18You won't often see these movies on Netflix.
10:21You have to actively seek them out.
10:23These entries feature extreme sexual violence,
10:26real animal cruelty,
10:27and themes so radioactive
10:29they have sparked bans,
10:30confiscations,
10:31and even real-world legal investigations.
10:34It's pure cinematic nihilism,
10:36and it's not meant to be enjoyed.
10:38Passed around like cursed objects
10:39on underground forums,
10:41these films are designed solely
10:42to push human depravity
10:44to its absolute limits.
10:46You must admit it's exceptional footage.
10:48I didn't expect such impact,
10:51such authenticity.
10:52I don't know.
10:53I don't think exceptional is the right word.
10:55Level 9, Underground Atrocities
11:04Finally, we reach the darkest depths
11:08of the horror iceberg.
11:09This level barely even qualifies
11:11as narrative filmmaking.
11:12Instead, it consists of hyper-obscure
11:15underground projects
11:16created with one singular goal,
11:18to look like recovered snuff footage.
11:21Infamous titles like Guinea Pig
11:22and the Vomit Gore trilogy
11:24exist solely as ultimate endurance tests.
11:27When death is caused by these machines,
11:29the witness can suffer
11:30extreme psychological damage.
11:32Often shot on grimy camcorders,
11:34there are no plots,
11:36no real characters,
11:37and zero artistic redemption.
11:39Some of the more extreme examples,
11:41like Men Behind the Sun
11:42or even Faces of Death,
11:43feature real footage of corpses and gore.
11:45They are relentless exercises
11:47in mutilation and scatology,
11:49and sometimes they even exist
11:51in legal gray areas
11:52regarding obscenity laws.
11:54This is the end of the line
11:55for the horror genre,
11:57residing in the darkest corners
11:58of the internet
11:59where only the most morbidly curious
12:01dare to tread.
12:15Which level do you feel
12:17most comfortable at?
12:18Let us know in the comments.
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