What are the Main Film Genres?
The Big List of Film Genres
Action
- Action-Adventure
- Superhero
- Martial Arts
- Military Action
- Gun Fu
- Disaster
- Spy/Espionage
- Swashbuckler
- Revenge Action
- Crime Action
- Heist Action
- Survival Action
Adventure
- Jungle Adventure
- Treasure Hunt
- Expeditionary
- Pirate
- Road Movie
- Lost World
- Steampunk Adventure
- Fantasy Adventure
Comedy
- Slapstick
- Screwball
- Satire
- Dark Comedy (Black Comedy)
- Romantic Comedy (Rom-Com)
- Parody/Spoof
- Gross-out
- Coming-of-Age Comedy
- Workplace Comedy
- Cringe Comedy
- Buddy Comedy
- Mockumentary
- Stoner Comedy
- Surreal/Absurdist Comedy
Drama
- Historical Drama
- Political Drama
- Legal/Courtroom Drama
- Crime Drama
- Family Drama
- Romantic Drama
- Biographical Drama (Biopic)
- Period Drama
- Melodrama
- Medical Drama
- War Drama
- Social Realism
- Coming-of-Age Drama
- Psychological Drama
- Sports Drama
Fantasy
- High Fantasy
- Dark Fantasy
- Urban Fantasy
- Sword and Sorcery
- Mythic Fantasy
- Fairytale Fantasy
- Grimdark
- Magical Realism
Horror
- Slasher
- Psychological Horror
- Found Footage
- Monster/Creature Feature
- Body Horror
- Paranormal/Supernatural
- Haunted House
- Folk Horror
- Vampire
- Zombie
- Ghost Story
- Occult Horror
- Lovecraftian/Cosmic Horror
- Horror-Comedy
- Giallo
- J-Horror / K-Horror / Asian Horror
- Exploitation Horror
Science Fiction
- Hard Sci-Fi
- Soft Sci-Fi
- Space Opera
- Time Travel
- Post-Apocalyptic
- Cyberpunk
- Steampunk
- Dystopian
- Alien Invasion
- Techno-Thriller
- Robot/AI Sci-Fi
- Bio-Punk
- Sci-Fi Western
- Parallel Universe/Multiverse
- Sci-Fi Horror
Thriller
- Psychological Thriller
- Crime Thriller
- Political Thriller
- Tech Thriller
- Legal Thriller
- Erotic Thriller
- Conspiracy Thriller
- Survival Thriller
- Spy Thriller
- Neo-noir Thriller
Crime
- Heist
- Gangster/Mafia
- Film Noir
- Neo-noir
- Detective/Whodunit
- Cop Drama
- Prison Film
- Vigilante Crime
- True Crime
Western
- Classic Western
- Spaghetti Western
- Revisionist Western
- Contemporary Western
- Acid Western
- Western Horror
- Outlaw Western
Mystery
- Whodunit
- Locked-Room Mystery
- Noir Mystery
- Cozy Mystery
- Police Procedural
- Forensic Mystery
Romance
- Romantic Drama
- Romantic Comedy
- Historical Romance
- Teen Romance
- Erotic Romance
- Tragic Romance
- Paranormal Romance
Animation
- 2D Animation
- 3D Animation
- Stop-Motion
- Claymation
- Anime
- Adult Animation
- Experimental Animation
Documentary
- Nature
- Historical
- Biographical
- True Crime
- Mockumentary (Fictionalized)
- Social Issue
- Political
- Music/Band Documentary
- Sports Documentary
- Personal Essay Film
- Cinéma Vérité
Musical
- Traditional Musical
- Jukebox Musical
- Rock Opera
- Dance Film
- Musical Comedy
- Animated Musical
War
- World War I
- World War II
- Vietnam War
- Iraq/Afghanistan War
- Anti-War
- POW/Escape
- Resistance Movement
- Espionage/Behind Enemy Lines
Historical / Period
- Costume Drama
- Ancient World (Greece/Rome/Egypt)
- Medieval
- Renaissance
- Victorian
- 20th Century Historical
- Historical Epic
- Colonial/Postcolonial
- Revolution Era
Experimental / Art House
- Avant-garde
- Surrealist
- Minimalist
- No Dialogue
- Non-linear Narrative
- Slow Cinema
- Collage/Found Footage
- Dream Logic
Family / Kids
- Live-Action Family
- Animated Family
- Coming-of-Age
- Animal-Focused
- Children’s Fantasy
- Educational
Other Cross-Genres / Niche
Camp
Sci-Fi Western
Comedy Horror
Historical Romance
Action Horror
Musical Fantasy
Romantic Thriller
Horror Western
Sci-Fi Noir
B-Movie
Cult Film
Exploitation (Blaxploitation, Sexploitation, etc.)
Grindhouse
Midnight Movie
