48 Hour Film Project

‘Life is like a box of…’ Genres! At the Kickoff event, each team receives two genres in a random drawing. Whether it is “Comedy or Horror” or “Musical or Mystery”, each team must ensure that their film fits into one of the genres–or a combination of both.

Genre Group #1

Classic Monster / Creature Feature

Revolves around a monstrous being — from giant beasts to legendary creatures like werewolves or mummies.

Curse / Prophecy

A character or group is doomed by a spell, ancient curse, or foretold fate.

Dream / Nightmare Horror

Blurs the line between dreams and reality — surreal, disorienting, and often psychological.

Eco-Horror

Nature turns deadly — animals, plants, or the environment itself lash out at humanity.

Gothic Horror

Dark, atmospheric stories set in crumbling mansions, ancient ruins, or haunted pasts.

Home Invasion

Features intruders breaking into a home, turning a safe space into a site of terror, often highlighting isolation, and psychological fear.

Paranormal

Ghosts, spirits, and unexplained phenomena that defy the laws of nature.

Period Horror

Horror set in a historical era, often blending time-accurate settings with supernatural or terrifying events.

Possessed Person / Thing

A human, object, or animal is taken over by a malevolent force or entity.

Slasher / Splatter

Focuses on violent killers and gruesome deaths, often with high body counts and gore.

Sports / Game Horror

Films where competitions or games turn deadly, blending action with terror.

Supernatural Horror

A horror film centered on the supernatural such as ghosts, spirits, the paranormal, demons, etc.

Techno-Horror

Technology becomes a source of fear — AI, smart devices, or digital systems gone wrong.

Undead

Features creatures that were once alive but now walk again — zombies, vampires, ghouls, etc.

Voodoo / Witchcraft

Involves magic, spells, rituals, or curses, often tied to witches, shamans, or supernatural traditions.

Genre Group #2

Abduction

Horror focused on kidnapping or disappearance, often with psychological or alien twists.

Body Horror

Body going through some...changes? There's a plethora of movies in the Body Horror genre that have characters whose bodies are mutating, becoming zombified, or otherwise changing in mysterious or horrific ways.

Clown / Funhouse / Carnival / Freaks

A film set in carnivals or featuring clowns and "freaks," playing on warped entertainment and unsettling performances.

Comedy Horror

Horror that blends scares with humor, often parodying or subverting genre tropes.

Demonic Pact

Horror involving deals with dark forces that come at a terrifying cost.

Folk Horror

Horror that explores rural traditions, pagan rituals, or ancient beliefs turned sinister.

Found Footage

In which all or a substantial part of the work is presented as if it were discovered film or video recordings. The events on screen are typically seen through the camera of one or more of the characters involved, often accompanied by their real-time, off-camera commentary.

Holiday Horror Film

Films centered around holidays, twisting festive cheer into terror.

Insect / Parasite Horror

Horror where bugs or parasites invade bodies or environments, often triggering disgust and dread.

Local Lore

Horror rooted in regional myths, legends, or superstitions.

Parental Horror

Horror that explores fears around parenthood, children, or family dynamics.

Post-Apocolyptic

Horror set after societal collapse, where survival is haunted by monsters, madness, or ruin.

Revenge Horror

Horror driven by vengeance, where payback turns violent or supernatural.

Sci Fi Horror

Horror with futuristic or technological elements, often involving science gone wrong.

Trapped Horror

Horror where characters are confined in one location with no escape from danger.

Genre Drawing