# What's your definition of a "horror" flick? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 25, 1999, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-definition-of-a-horror-flick/2827 "1999-08-25T18:59:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 1999, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-definition-of-a-horror-flick/2827/1 "1999-08-25T18:59:00Z")
My wife and I got into a discussion of what exactly is a horror flick? For example, is Silence Of The Lambs? a horror flick? What about Jaws? It’s definitely meant to scare you. I’m just curious what you guys think. Enright3 ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 1999, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-definition-of-a-horror-flick/2827/2 "1999-08-25T19:00:00Z")
Ooops, I guess underlining doesn’t work. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Nickrz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nickrz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nickrz)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 1999, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-definition-of-a-horror-flick/2827/3 "1999-08-25T19:05:00Z")
Any flick that instills horror in an audience. From Merriam Webster: Main Entry: 1hor·ror Pronunciation: 'hor-&r, 'här- Function: noun Etymology: Middle English horrour, from Middle French horror, from Latin, action of bristling, from horrEre to bristle, shiver; akin to Sanskrit harsate he is excited Date: 14th century 1 a : painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay \ b : intense aversion or repugnance 2 a : the quality of inspiring horror : repulsive, horrible, or dismal quality or character \ b : something that inspires horror 3 plural : a state of extreme depression or apprehension I guess that about covers it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 1999, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-definition-of-a-horror-flick/2827/4 "1999-08-25T19:07:00Z")
A horror flick is what I point to when I say, “That’s a horror flick.” From the example of the term “science fiction,” it boils down to the fact that there is no definition that will include all the films you think are horror, while excluding all those you don’t think are horror. So you can just point to examples and hope your audience agrees. * * * [www.sff.net/people/rothman](http://www.sff.net/people/rothman) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 1999, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-definition-of-a-horror-flick/2827/5 "1999-08-25T19:24:00Z")
IMO, Nickrz pretty much has it right. I’d extend it a little further, though, to say that any movie that _tries_ to instill horror in the audience is a horror flick. If it fails to do so, it’s simply a **bad** horror flick. * * * ‘They couldn’t hit an Elephant from this dist…!’ Last words of General John Sedgwick ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 1999, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-definition-of-a-horror-flick/2827/6 "1999-08-25T20:01:00Z")
I can’t believe I’m the first with this obvious smartass joke. I’d better type quick! Ahem. Any film with Tom Hanks, Demi Moore, or Jim Carey. Now, that’s out of the way, I’ll return you to the discussion. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 1999, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-definition-of-a-horror-flick/2827/7 "1999-08-25T20:19:00Z")
One of the best movies I’ve seen is “Jacob’s Ladder”, with Tim Robbins and Elizabeth Pena. I never could find it in the video store, though, until someone finally clued me in that it was in the horror section. I would never in a million years have labelled it a horror movie. It’s got some graphic parts but so does “Saving Private Ryan” and “Platoon”. I thought it was much more like these than any horror movie I’ve ever seen. I guess it gets the label because things get a little “horrific” for Tim Robbins’s character. The intent of the movie is not to scare you; it actually has a happy (sort of) ending. But it is intended to engage you emotionally. ## So my definition of horror movie? Not “Jacob’s Ladder”. “non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem” ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 1999, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-definition-of-a-horror-flick/2827/8 "1999-08-25T21:27:00Z")
I’ll take a crack: A horror flick is one in which one or more people are in danger of being violently killed in a way or by an entity that is not fully understood. I hope that definition rules out other forms of adventure and suspense movies that most people wouldn’t consider to be horror. ---
**Author:** ![Keeves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f05b48/32.png) [@Keeves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeves)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 1999, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-definition-of-a-horror-flick/2827/9 "1999-08-25T22:06:00Z")
PapaBear, hoping is nice, but only decisive action will solve the problem. How about: A horror flick is one _whose main plotline involves_ one or more people in danger of being violently killed in a way or by an entity that is not fully understood. ---
**Author:** ![Bluepony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Bluepony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bluepony)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 1999, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-definition-of-a-horror-flick/2827/10 "1999-08-25T22:43:00Z")
- Beaches \* starring Bette Midler * * * “…send lawyers, guns, and money…” ``` Warren Zevon ```