Sub-Genres of Horror

1) Psychological Horror:
 Psychological horrors use a characters fears, beliefs, guilts and emotional instability to build tension. Because of this, this particular genre is subtle in its methods of scaring an audience as it does not include a lot of scenes with physical harm, violence or gore but looks into the human psyche and psychological vulnerabilities. it choses to expose the possible evil hiding behind normality and so deepens the plot of the overall story. 

Examples- The shining(Stanley Kubrick) 
        - Rosemary's Baby(Roman Polanski) 
        - The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick)


2)Slasher Horror: 
Slasher Horror films focus around a psychopathic killer stalking and murdering its victim. They typically devote more screen time to portray a murder and so contain violence and often suspense. Frequently such films tend to create ominous and threatening tones through concealing the identity of the killer and gives the killer an unstoppable and uncontrollable quality. The normal setting used tends to be one that is a normal environment that then becomes the target of terror. 

Examples - Psycho(Alfred Hitchcock)
         - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre(Tobe Hooper)
         - Halloween (John Carpenter) 


3)Supernatural Horror: 
Supernatural horror centres around unknown beings that are not found in reality, such as ghosts, demons and devils and so normally explore such things ruining the life of the protagonist. This sub-genre is rooted in folklore and religious tradition and so relies upon special effects, eerie lighting and,commonly, isolated settings. 

Examples - Poltergeist (Tobe Hooper)
         - The Exorcist (William Friedkin)
         - Paranormal Activity(Oran Peli) 

4)Action Horror: 
This sub-genre places an emphasis on the abilities of humans when faced with impossible situations, battles with evil forces or supernatural beings. It looks at the characters struggles and their skills and plans in these situations. In short how the protagonist will battle their nightmares. 

Examples - The Ghost Rider(Mark Steve Johnson) 
         - Alien(Ridley Scott) 
         - Dawn of the Dead (Zachary Snyder)