Movie Genres List. Overview of Main Genres, Subgenres, and Film.

Identifying a film’s genre can help you target the right audiences and tailor marketing strategies effectively. Genres shape viewer expectations about the film’s tone, pace, and style.

Understanding genres is also great for film students and enthusiasts who analyze filmmaking techniques, themes, and historical relevance. It also serves as a practical organizational tool.

Below, you can see a genre taxonomy of 25 main movie genres, including three common subgenres for each main genre. I’ve included a brief description and movie examples for each genre and subgenre.

Read more on the definition of genre.

Action

Films characterized by high energy, physical stunts, and intense sequences.

Subgenres:

• Martial Arts: Focuses on combat scenes featuring martial arts techniques.
  • Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Enter the Dragon (1973)
• Action Comedy: Combines action’s thrills with comedy’s humor.
  • Rush Hour (1998), Deadpool (2016)
• Superhero: Centers on characters with superhuman abilities or powers.
  • The Dark Knight (2008), Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Adventure

Often paired with action, these films focus on quests and expeditions in exotic locales.

Subgenres:

• Survival Adventure: Characters struggle to survive in extreme conditions.
  • Cast Away (2000), 127 Hours (2010)
• Epic: Grand in scale, often involving journeys or quests.
  • Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Braveheart (1995)
• Treasure Hunt: Characters search for hidden or lost treasures.
  • Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), National Treasure (2004)

Comedy

Designed for laughs with humor ranging from light-hearted and playful to more satirical and dark.

Subgenres:

• Romantic Comedy: Humorous storylines centered around romantic relationships.
  • When Harry Met Sally (1989), Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
• Slapstick: Comedy based on silly, exaggerated physical actions.
  • Dumb and Dumber (1994), The Mask (1994)
• Black Comedy (Dark Comedy): Humor derived from darker aspects of life.
  • Fargo (1996), In Bruges (2008)

Drama

Focuses on character development and an emotional narrative, tackling serious themes.

Subgenres:

• Legal Drama: Focus on legal proceedings and law-related conflicts.
  • A Few Good Men (1992), The Verdict (1982)
• Period Drama: Set in a specific historical period.
  • Pride and Prejudice (2005), The Favourite (2018)
• Melodrama: Emphasizes emotional and dramatic situations.
  • Titanic (1997), The Notebook (2004)

Fantasy

Features magical, mystical, or supernatural elements often set in imaginary worlds.

Subgenres:

• High Fantasy: Features magical elements, often in an alternative or medieval universe.
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
• Dark Fantasy: Incorporates darker and sometimes horrifying themes.
  • Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), The Witch (2015)
• Urban Fantasy: Fantasy narrative with an urban setting.
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) and Hellboy (2004)—regarding the latter, see also Steampunk!

Historical

Centers around historical events or set in past eras.

Subgenres:

• Period Pieces: Dramatizations of a particular historical period.
  • Amadeus (1984), Barry Lyndon (1975)
• Biographical (Biopic): Based on the life of a real person.
  • Lincoln (2012), Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
• War: Centers on warfare, typically focusing on battles or soldiers’ experiences.
  • Saving Private Ryan (1998), Dunkirk (2017)

Horror

Intended to frighten, scare, or disgust the audience with horror elements or supernatural themes.

Subgenres:

• Slasher: Features a killer stalking and murdering a group of people.
  • Halloween (1978), Scream (1996)
• Supernatural Horror: Involves paranormal or otherworldly elements.
  • The Conjuring (2013), The Exorcist (1973)
• Psychological Horror: Focuses on the mental, emotional, and psychological states to frighten.
  • The Shining (1980), Black Swan (2010)

See a comprehensive list of horror subgenres.

Science Fiction (Sci-Fi)

Deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life.

Subgenres:

• Dystopian: Set in an imagined future with oppressive societal control.
  • Blade Runner (1982), The Hunger Games (2012)
• Space Opera: Epic scale, often set in outer space with dramatic themes.
  • Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
• Cyberpunk: Focuses on high-tech and low-life scenarios, often futuristic.
  • Ghost in the Shell (1995), Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

Mystery

Revolves around the solution of a puzzle or crime, engaging the audience in a solving process.

Subgenres:

• Whodunit: A complex, plot-driven variety of detective story.
  • Knives Out (2019), Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
• Crime Mystery: Centers around a crime that needs solving.
  • Se7en (1995), Zodiac (2007)
• Paranormal Mystery: Involves supernatural elements in a mystery plot.
  • The Sixth Sense (1999), Stir of Echoes (1999)

Romance

Focuses on love stories and relationships between people.

Subgenres:

• Romantic Drama: Focuses on love relationships with emotional depth.
  • The English Patient (1996), Atonement (2007)
• Romantic Comedy: Light-hearted portrayal of romance.
  • Notting Hill (1999), The Proposal (2009)
• Historical Romance: Romantic stories set in a specific historical period.
  • Out of Africa (1985), The Age of Innocence (1993)

Thriller

Designed to provoke excitement and suspense, often involving crime, espionage, or psychological angles.

Subgenres:

• Psychological Thriller: Focuses on the psychological states of characters.
  • Gone Girl (2014), Shutter Island (2010)
• Crime Thriller: Involves a crime, often from the criminal’s point of view.
  • Heat (1995), No Country for Old Men (2007)
• Spy Thriller: Centers on espionage and intelligence.
  • Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), The Bourne Identity (2002)

Western

Set in the American West, typically in the late 19th to early 20th century, focusing on cowboys, outlaws, and tumultuous law enforcement.

Subgenres:

• Spaghetti Western: A broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe.
  • The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
• Revisionist Western: Challenges the traditional tropes of the Western genre.
  • Unforgiven (1992), Django Unchained (2012)
• Contemporary Western: Set in modern times but maintains Western elements.
  • No Country for Old Men (2007), Hell or High Water (2016)

Musical/Dance

Contains substantial music or dance sequences where they are integral to the narrative.

Subgenres:

• Movie Musical: Combines songs sung by the characters with narrative film.
  • La La Land (2016), The Greatest Showman (2017)
• Dance Film: Focuses on dance performances as a central element of the plot.
  • Step Up (2006), Black Swan (2010)
• Operetta: A genre of light opera, combining spoken dialogue, songs, and dance.
  • The Merry Widow (1934), The Desert Song (1953)

War

Centers on warfare, typically either focused on battles or the psychological aspects of fighting in war.

Subgenres:

• Combat Film: Focuses on battles or military conflicts.
  • Full Metal Jacket (1987), Platoon (1986)
• Resistance Film: Centers on resistance movements during war.
  • Casablanca (1942), Army of Shadows (1969)
• Prisoner of War Film: Focuses on the plight and survival of prisoners of war.
  • The Great Escape (1963), Rescue Dawn (2006)

Documentary

Non-fiction films intended to document reality primarily for instruction, education, or maintaining a historical record.

Subgenres:

• Nature Documentary: Explores wildlife and natural environments.
  • Planet Earth (2006), Blue Planet II (2017)
• Historical Documentary: Documents specific historical events.
  • They Shall Not Grow Old (2018), 13th (2016)
• Investigative Documentary: Explores a particular topic, seeking to uncover new information.
  • Making a Murderer (2015), The Act of Killing (2012)

Biographical (Biopic)

Depicts the life of a historical, influential, or interesting person.

Subgenres:

• Historical Biopic: Focuses on a historical figure’s life.
  • Schindler’s List (1993), The King’s Speech (2010)
• Celebrity Biopic: Centers on a celebrity’s life.
  • Walk the Line (2005), Judy (2019)
• Political Biopic: Focuses on the life of a political figure.
  • The Iron Lady (2011), Nixon (1995)

Family

Suitable for a family audience, often designed for children but enjoyable for adults as well.

Subgenres:

• Animated: Family-friendly films that are primarily animated.
  • Toy Story (1995), Frozen (2013)
• Fantasy: Family films that incorporate fantastical elements.
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
• Adventure: Family-oriented adventure films.
  • The Goonies (1985), Jumanji (1995)

Animation

Any film with animated sequences, may also fall into other genres.

Subgenres:

• Computer Animation: Created using computer-generated imagery.
  • Shrek (2001), Finding Nemo (2003)
• Stop Motion: Animation technique to make physically manipulated objects appear to move.
  • Coraline (2009), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
• Traditional Animation: Hand-drawn animation.
  • The Lion King (1994), Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Crime

Focused on criminals, criminal acts, and the criminal justice system.

Subgenres:

• Gangster: Focuses on organized crime and gangsters.
  • The Godfather (1972), Goodfellas (1990)
• Heist: Centers on the planning and execution of a theft.
  • Ocean’s Eleven (2001), The Italian Job (2003)
• Police Procedural: Involves a detailed depiction of police methods.
  • Se7en (1995), Zodiac (2007)

Noir

Characterized by its cynical attitude, moral ambiguity, and its visual style that emphasizes low-key lighting and unbalanced compositions.

Subgenres:

• Neo-Noir: Modern take on the traditional film noir style.
  • Blade Runner (1982), Sin City (2005)
• Tech Noir: Blends film noir and science fiction.
  • The Terminator (1984), RoboCop (1987)
• Film Noir: Characterized by its cynical attitude, moral ambiguity, and visual style.
  • The Maltese Falcon (1941), Double Indemnity (1944)

Indie

Films produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to an approach to storytelling that is typically different from mainstream cinema.

Subgenres:

• Mumblecore: Low-budget, dialogue-heavy independent films.
  • Frances Ha (2012), Drinking Buddies (2013)
• Arthouse: Films that are artistic or experimental in nature.
  • The Lighthouse (2019), A Ghost Story (2017)
• Low-Budget: Films made with a limited budget.
  • El Mariachi (1992), Clerks (1994)

Psychological Thriller

Emphasizes the psychological states of its characters, including disturbed emotional states.

Subgenres:

• Mind-Bending: Involves complex psychological puzzles or twists.
  • Inception (2010), Memento (2000)
• Erotic Thriller: Combines elements of psychological thrill and eroticism.
  • Basic Instinct (1992), Fatal Attraction (1987)
• Paranoid Thriller: Focuses on the paranoia and instability of characters.
  • The Conversation (1974), Enemy of the State (1998)

Superhero

Centers on superheroes, individuals who possess extraordinary talents, supernatural phenomena, or superhuman powers.

Subgenres:

• Comic Book: Adaptations of comic book stories with superheroes.
  • The Dark Knight (2008), Spider-Man (2002)
• Fantasy Superhero: Combines elements of fantasy with superhero themes.
  • Doctor Strange (2016), Thor (2011)
• Sci-Fi Superhero: Incorporates science-fiction elements with superheroes.
  • Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), The Matrix (1999)

Mockumentary

A fictional movie made to appear like a documentary, often for comedic purposes.

Subgenres:

• Comedy Mockumentary: Presents fictional events in a documentary style for comedic effect.
  • This is Spinal Tap (1984), Best in Show (2000)
• Horror Mockumentary: Uses the documentary format to deliver horror storytelling.
  • The Blair Witch Project (1999), Paranormal Activity (2007)
• Political Mockumentary: Satirizes political events, figures, or systems by mimicking the style of a documentary, often to provide commentary or criticism.
  • The Great Hack (2019), Death of a Nation (2018)

Experimental

Rejects traditional narratives and methods to explore non-linear approaches or abstract techniques.

Subgenres:

• Abstract Film: Focuses on visual elements such as shape, color, and form to create a non-narrative and often non-representational aesthetic experience.
  • Wavelength (1967), Anemic Cinema (1926)
• Structural Film: Emphasizes the basic elements of cinema like time, space, and sound, often forsaking traditional narrative for patterns or the exploration of the medium itself.
  • Zorns Lemma (1970), Tom, Tom, the Piper’s Son (1969)
• Surrealist Film: Incorporates dream-like sequences, bizarre imagery, and illogical scenarios, drawing heavily on the surrealist art movement that seeks to challenge the conventional reality.
  • Un Chien Andalou (1929), The Holy Mountain (1973)

Closing Thoughts

Creating a genre taxonomy is challenging (to say the least) because of the many cross-overs. That’s why biopics can be seen as both a main and a subgenre of the Historical genre.

Likewise, you’ll see movies that are mentioned more than once. Blade Runner is as much a sci-fi movie as a neo-noir (and even tech noir) film.

Of course, this list is not exhaustive, but I hope it gives you a good overview of the main movie genres and their subgenres.

Up Next: What is a High-Concept film?