Christian Metz model of Genre development:

In Christian Metz's book 'Language and Cinema' (1974) he explored the development of Genre film such as Horror and suggested that genres pass through four stages of existence. These are:

- The Experimental
By Experimental we mean the phase of early films which explored and experimented with horror themes in its narritives. Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari are examples of experimental films.

 

- The Classic
By Classic we mean the phase of films which established the narritive conventions of the horror genre in its most successful and defining period. Frankenstein and Dracula are examples of classic films.

 

- The Parody
By Parody we mean films that have mimicked the horror genre in some comical way. Scary Movie, Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein and Carry on Screaming are all examples of parody films.

 

- The Deconstruction
By Deconstruction we mean films which have taken the generic elements of the horror genre and amalgamated them in to varying sub genres. Scream, The Sixth Sense, Se7en and the Blair Witch Project are all examples of deconstruction films.

  


There can be limitations using the Christian Metz model of Genre development. For example, where would you position films like Psycho and the Slasher films of the late 1970's and 80's. Also, where would films like Halloween and Friday the 13th fit in the development model?