Top 10 Movies That Started an Entire Genre

Time-Loop Movie

If 1993 feels like late in the game for a cinematic genre to be coined, that’s because it is. That said, “Groundhog Day” has, slowly but surely, gained steam with fans over the years. It’s basically thought number one that pops into cinephiles' heads when they discuss the nature of a “time loop” movie. Bill Murray’s character of Phil Connors may be forced to relive February 2nd over and over again, but later movies such as the “Happy Death Day” franchise played around with the time-loop formula with uniquely fun results of their own.

Blaxploitation Cinema

Melvin Van Peebles’ independently-produced “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” may have been released a few months earlier, but we’d argue that 1971’s “Shaft” better embodied the eventual trappings of the Blaxploitation genre. There’s still a lot of grit to be found within this adaptation of Ernest Tidyman’s series of private detective novels, while star Richard Roundtree wound up becoming an icon of the cinematic day. “Shaft” possesses all of the cool soundtrack cuts and fast action beats that would become part-and-parcel within Blaxploitation flicks. However, it also has plenty to say about masculine behavior and black power during an era where these topics were slowly rising amidst the cultural zeitgeist.

Gangster Pictures

The early 1930s were chock-full of notable character actors and movie stars who would become synonymous with that era’s gangster picture. Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney would rule the roost in outings like “Little Caesar” and “The Public Enemy,” respectively. Meanwhile, Paul Muni was a heavyweight player for Warner Bros. back in his day, and his starring role in 1932’s “Scarface” would help further cement his legend. The film was controversial in its day for a perceived glorification of violence. This, together with the Pre-Code violence found within “Scarface,” endeared it to generations of movie fans, to the point where it was remade in 1983 with star Al Pacino and director Brian De Palma.

Found-Footage Film

The found-footage cycle of horror movies certainly found its greatest prevalence in the aftermath of 1999’s “The Blair Witch Project.” That said, the popular origins of this cinéma vérité-styled approach to filmmaking can be found much earlier than the late nineties. We’re speaking specifically of 1980’s “Cannibal Holocaust,” one of the most controversial films ever made. Director Ruggero Deodato and screenwriter Gianfranco Clerici crafted a film (and a film within a film) that wasn’t only infamous for its crafted violence, but also the real-life demise of animals on-screen. Elsewhere, the understated beauty of the film’s score is often at odds with the comparatively visceral set-pieces. “Cannibal Holocaust” is a film of contradictions: where art and exploitation crash in the most memorable fashion.

Romantic Comedy

The study of cinema can also double as a study of society itself, a sociological journey where films such as 1934’s “It Happened One Night” influence our daily interactions. That’s because this film was a formidable influence on the “screwball romantic comedy” genre, to the point where many of its tropes continue to be parodied today. Ever seen a movie where a couple erects a partition between their beds, in order to create an illusion of “privacy?” This comes from “It Happened One Night.” The film also influenced fashion choices of the day, specifically during a scene where star Clark Gable disrobes, to reveal a lack of undershirt. All of this and more helped make “It Happened One Night” strike a serious chord with moviegoers.

Cyberpunk

There’s no denying the influence 1927’s “Metropolis” had upon the subculture of cyberpunk, as well as movies like 1982’s “Blade Runner.” That said, it’s probably this latter film from director Ridley Scott that’s largely seen as the embryo from which cyberpunk cinema was born. So many conventions of visual tropes of the genre are present here, from a lived-in, sprawling world to the dystopian energy of the action. Harrison Ford’s character of Rick Deckard feels like a man (or is that replicant?) out of time, a hard-boiled badass that’s living within a chaotic future. Anything feels as if it can happen as a result of this chaos, and it’s “Blade Runner” that lives on in our imaginations, rent-free, forever.

Giant Monster Movie

It may be true that ol’ King Kong wasn’t the first actual monster on screen, since German expressionist films like “Nosferatu,” “The Golem” and “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” had already introduced vampires, somnambulists, and more to the world. “Kong Kong” was something different, however… and something special. This film, directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, changed the game back in 1933, particularly due to the groundbreaking special effects work of Willis O’Brien. The results here are frankly incredible, going on to influence anyone and everyone who would create a giant movie monster. The stop-motion, matte paintings, and rear projection created a world unlike any other and gave rise to an entire kaiju industry in its wake.

Modern Zombie Movie

The atomic age of irradiated beasts essentially received its death knell once George A. Romero and crew came knocking with 1968’s “Night of the Living Dead.” This was real horror, with an edge, bite, and legitimate stakes. The public’s idea of a zombie (or “ghoul,” as they’re referred to in the film) also received an upgrade with “Night of the Living Dead,” distancing itself from origins of Haitian voodoo. Romero’s zombie movie also doubled as a siege film, with marauding hordes of the undead attacking a house where survivors are held up, fighting for their lives. Does this plot sound familiar? That’s because “Night of the Dead” basically did everything before its imitators could do anything.

Film Noir

It’s a little difficult to nail down what’s the “definitive” example of film noir, but 1941’s “The Maltese Falcon” certainly comes close. It’s actually a remake of a Pre-Code version of author Dashiell Hammett’s source novel, yet it’s the actual implementation of the Code that would go on to influence the noir-ish tropes of “The Maltese Falcon.” This is because film noir had to jump around a lot of Code-implemented hoops concerning the on-screen depictions of sexuality and violence. So, we got hard-boiled dicks, dastardly dames, double-crosses, and dirty deeds done in the secrecy of shadow. “The Maltese Falcon” also helped popularize the “MacGuffin” plot device, since the titular Falcon is only there to get other wheels of the plot rolling.

Slasher Flick

There were two British films released in 1960 that helped mold what would eventually become the “slasher” genre.” Michael Powell’s “Peeping Tom” may be less known, but is almost certainly the more lurid and psycho-sexual of the two. Meanwhile, Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” inhabits the more monstrous machinations of the mind with its tragically tortured antagonist, Norman Bates. Both films don’t possess high body counts, yet their influence is incalculable against the glut of slasher imitators that would rise in the wake of 1970s shockers like “Black Christmas” and “Halloween.” Add to all of this the influence of stylish Italian murder mysteries known as Gialli, and you have all of the ingredients for a modern slasher stew.

Can you point to any other film that kick-started a genre? Let us know in the comments!