Genre and Subgenre

A genre is a category in which something is placed due to its content. For example, Paranormal Activity would be considered as being a thriller/horror because it contains scary elements. A genre is almost like a 'type' of movie. There are many different types of genre's, thriller being one of the most popular.

Although a movie could be categorised into being a thriller, there are several different types of thrillers. These films usually contain other elements to them, this is called 'Subgenre'. An example of this would be the movie 'Scream 4', Scream 4 is a thriller but it also contains elements of mystery throughout the film. Mystery would be the subgenre.
 
One of my favourite films is 'Shaun of the Dead'. Shaun of the dead is a comedy thriller based on the earlier film ‘Dawn of the Dead’. Shaun of the dead is a parody, which is a humorous imitation/variation of another film. I personally like this film as it is not only a scary movie it is also funny. I believe comedy is a good subgenre to incorporate with the genre of thriller as it takes the edge off and adds a new dimension. The comedy balances out the thriller element and the mixture of two genres appeal to a whole new audience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfDUv3ZjH2k