Have you ever left the video store completely confused? You know, you’re walking the aisles seeking a drama or a horror or a comedy but not the type of dramas/horror/comedies you see on the shelves? Or have you been on the internet looking for a very specific type of film and realized that it did not fit neatly into the designated categories provided? I’m sure that it must be convenient for retailers to display their DVDs on shelves labeled “drama,” “sci-fi,” “fantasy,” “horror,” “comedy,” “romantic comedy,” “musicals,” “animation,” “children,” “foreign,” “documentary” and “art film,” however, the movies have changed. Dramatically. They’ve evolved beyond these simple terms. More movies combine genres now than ever before and enough of those hybrid films exist to create whole new categories.

Take Borat, for instance. At its heart, it’s a comedy, but it also combines elements of documentary, mockumentary, satire and gross-out comedy to earn the right to be in a category by itself. (That is, until the inevitable copy-cats come along.)

One only need take a look at the evolving genres of music to see how helpful new genre definitions are in finding just the right sound to fill that need. If Death Cab for Cutie were around in the 1970s, would they be punk? Emo is the perfect shorthand definition for bands like Death Cab and I’m pleased when a new musical genre or subgenre is created and the word is popularized quickly into common usage. In fact, there are more subgenres of Metal music than there are entire genres of movies – Speed Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Doom Metal, Thrash Metal, Folk Metal, Nu Metal, Power Metal, Glam Metal, Extreme Metal, Troll Metal, Celtic Metal, Viking Metal, Christian Metal, Groove Metal, Metalcore, Rapcore, the list goes on and on.

So, I propose that the following genres act as the beginning of finally offering the kind of specificity that will make going to the video store a more pleasurable experience when it comes to quickly finding just the right movie.

Agenda Doc - A documentary containing an issue.
See films such as An Inconvenient Truth.

American Movies – Films which utilize the term “American” in the title.
See films such as American Movie, American Psycho, American Hardcore, American Pie, American History X, American Beauty, American Splendor, American Graffiti.

Asian-American Horror Redux – Asian horror films remade by an American film studio preserving the visual look of the original while missing the mark with regard to actual scares.
See films such as The Ring, The Grudge.

Classic Remake Upgrade – Films, most often from the science fiction, fantasy or horror genre, which are remade with upgraded digital effects for modern audiences presumed to lack the patience to view the originals or seek out original entertainment.
See films such as Peter Jackson’s King Kong, The Omen, Poseiden, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, Rollerball.

Disney Direct-to-DVD – Sequels to classic Disney animated features intended for direct-to-DVD release at retail selling mostly in large numbers at grocery stores to unsuspecting parents at the request of single-digit-aged children lacking an ability to discern quality filmmaking. In all cases, these films cheapen the originals.
See films such as The Lion King 2, Little Mermaid 2, Lady and the Tramp 2, etc…

Docucomedy - A documentary addressing an issue that is funny, and therefore, more widely accepted by audiences.
See films such as Super-Size Me.

Existential Art Comedy - A sometimes funny film in which the lead character is thrust into a fantasy situation and "learns something." Often the lesson is as simple as "be less of an asshole."
See films such as Stranger than Fiction, Groundhog Day, Truman Show, Liar, Liar, Family Man.

Fast Food Films (AKA Market-Driven Milque-Toast) – Movies made for the sole purpose of filling a slot on the calendar, generally released during a slow period for theatrical market such as February, but sometimes dumped into multiplexes since new product is needed on screens each week regardless of the availability of quality movies. Often these films offend no one, excite few moviegoers and are forgettable minutes after viewing.
See films such as Failure to Launch, Step Up, Catch that Kid, Kangaroo Jack, Crossroads, Hitch.

Franchise Filler – Films which serve to continue a popular film or franchise that has no future, usually as direct-to-DVD product.
See films such as American Wedding (AKA American Pie: The Wedding), Slap Shot 2, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous.

Girlvert - A teen comedy in which roles traditionally played by males are held by females.
See films such as John Tucker Must Die.

Lynchian - Films by David Lynch or films that attempt to replicate the tone of films by David Lynch.
See films such as Eraserhead, Donnie Darko.

Monkey Mayhem - Simply a film in which the co-star is a monkey.
See films such as Dunston Checks In, Monkey Trouble.

Oscar Bait – Movies made with A-list actors seeking to win an Oscar that are generally ignored by the Academy and do not go onto win the gold.
See films such as A Good Year, Cinderella Man.

Rebel Sci-Fi - Science Fiction in which the protagonist questions the utopian society in which he/she is forced to live and attempts to escape/destroy said society.
See films such as THX-1138, Brave New World, 1984, Logan's Run, Apocalypto.

Torture Porn - A horror film in which the entire premise merely acts as an excuse to bound the likable cast into various devices to be brutally maimed, tortured and often killed in gruesome ways for a majority of the screen time so as to result in being uncomfortable to watch for extended periods of time.
See films such as Turistas, High Tension, Hostel, Wolf Creek, Saw, Saw II, Saw III and probably Saw IV.

Troma Movie – A film made by ultra low-budget Troma studios. Movies generally lack quality on nearly every level, yet charm through their unique blend of crap.
See films such as The Toxic Avenger. (Thanks to MisterSatan.)

One day I hope to walk into a video store and see a few of these on the shelf. It would make me smile. And I could quietly take pleasure in knowing that I had a small part in this naming process which will inevitably impress no one but movie geeks like me.

Gore gone!

Chris_Gore is an author, a filmmaker, the creator of Film Threat, and plans to define a whole genre with his next film, a light comedy in the category of porno-horror which will evolve into its own genre known as "Gorenography."
NOTE: After I finished this piece, I kept coming up with new genres, so check back as I add to this list. And if you have suggestions, post them in the comments.