Genre of stories like Terminator

Nick Marsden said:

I'm currently writing a book that I realize is a lot like Terminator. I have a super-strong villain (a supernatural monster in this case) who is murdering people. The people who have to stop it are grossly undermatched. I started out with this thinking Supernatural Thriller would be the genre. But I'm wondering if I should bill it as straight up horror, and write it accordingly.

So movies like Terminator (the original) and Predator (first or second) - where there is a single "rampaging" antagonist that must be stopped. Is that horror, or some type of thriller?

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ShayneRutherford said:

Is the main character the hunter or the hunted? If he's hunting the killer then I'd put it under supernatural suspense or thriller. But if the main character is the victim, and he's being hunted by the killer, I'd put it in horror.

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TimothyEllis said:

Terminator was science fiction thriller.
The original Predator was science fiction meets military.
The second Predator was science fiction meets cop.

Alien was Science fiction - horror

To be horror genre, it must be horrible.

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TimothyEllis said:

Terminator was science fiction thriller.
The original Predator was science fiction meets military.
The second Predator was science fiction meets cop.

Alien was Science fiction - horror

To be horror genre, it must be horrible.

People being outmatched by a superdude/bug/monster/whatever doesn't define a genre in itself. Its how its written that defines the genre.

A monster that eats space ships and threatens your planet is Space Opera. An unseen monster that eats people's brains is horror. Although if thats on another planet you need a space ship to go to, its scifi again with a horror twist. (Thinking Starship troopers. The brain eating scene was horror for me, but the movie was scifi.) (Then again, arachnophobia was my idea of the worst horror movie possible, but that wasnt even horror genre.)

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Nick Marsden said:

I'm currently writing a book that I realize is a lot like Terminator. I have a super-strong villain (a supernatural monster in this case) who is murdering people. The people who have to stop it are grossly undermatched. I started out with this thinking Supernatural Thriller would be the genre. But I'm wondering if I should bill it as straight up horror, and write it accordingly.

So movies like Terminator (the original) and Predator (first or second) - where there is a single "rampaging" antagonist that must be stopped. Is that horror, or some type of thriller?

Click to expand...

Nick Marsden said:

The story is set in the modern day Pacific Northwest, USA. The protagonists are a female cop and a guy with psychic abilities. The antagonist is a Wendigo -- in my story, the Wendigo is an unstoppable creature working for a dark supernatural force. The protagonists are hunting the Wendigo, until the Wendigo tries to get the upper hand and begins to hunt the family and friends of the protagonists.

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Nick Marsden said:

The story is set in the modern day Pacific Northwest, USA. The protagonists are a female cop and a guy with psychic abilities. The antagonist is a Wendigo -- in my story, the Wendigo is an unstoppable creature working for a dark supernatural force. The protagonists are hunting the Wendigo, until the Wendigo tries to get the upper hand and begins to hunt the family and friends of the protagonists.

Click to expand...

Lauren P. said:

This sounds like it could belong in a similar genre to GRIMM or SUPERNATURAL, both highly popular TV shows which combine drama, horror, mystery and the supernatural.

I really like the sound of your story.

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