Christian Metz - Model Of Genre Development.

Christian Metz in his book LANGUAGE AND CINEMA [1974], explored the development of genre film and suggested that genres pass through four phases of existence.

(1) THE EXPERIMENTAL - e.g Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr Calligari.

Nosferatu

By experimental we mean the phase of early films, which explored and experimented with horror themes in its narratives.

(2) THE CLASSIC - e.g Frankenstein, Dracula,

By classic we mean the phase of films which established the narratives conventions of the horror genre in its most succesful and defining period.

(3) THE PARODY - e.g Scary Movie, Abbot and Costello.



Scary Movie



By parody we mean films that have mimicked the horror genre in some comical way.

(4) THE DECONSTRUSTION - e.g Se7en, Blair Witch, Scream, The Sixth Sense.



Blair Witch Project.



By deconstruction we mean films that we have taken the generic elements of the horror genre and amiagated them into a varying sub genre.