6. THE FLY (1986)

Welcome to the wonderful world of body horror. The sub-genre filled with strange and twisted imagery and frightening ideas. Pioneered by Canadian auteur David Cronenberg, body horror remains one of horrors strangest sub-genres, and The Fly represents its turn to mainstream.

First and foremost a love story, Cronenberg crats a film that blends science-fiction and horror to create a suspenseful and uneasy experience. Slowly unfolding, the film centres on scientist Seth Brundle (played by the ever-excellent Jeff Goldblum), who, while testing his teleportation device, accidentally blends his DNA with that of a fly and begins to undergo a tragic transformation.

Body horror represents the gloopier and gorier end of the horror spectrum, but it is also about so much more than that.

Coming into body horror for the first time can be a little off putting, by The Fly isn’t all about the gross out practical effects, it takes its time, ensuring, in the way that only Cronenberg can, to tell a story that blends with the more frightening and weird stuff on offer later.

IF YOU LIKED THIS: The Thing, Videodrome, From Beyond, The Blob, Scanners

So, there you have it. Six sub-genres, six films to get you started on your horror journey. This list is by no means exhaustive and it’s most certainly not definitive, but these should be a good way into getting you started on your horror journey.

Happy Halloween!