Stages of Genre Development - Christian Metz

Christian Metz was a french film theorist who believed that genres go through a cycle of stages during their lifetime and these were:

- Experimental stage
- Classic Stage
- Parody Stage
- Deconstruction Stage

Experimental stage: is said to be the foundations of the genre where the basis is built. This is where the generic codes and typical conventions begin to stem from and the genre is established. In terms of the horror as it's the genre i'm focusing on an example of a film from the experimental stage is 'Psycho' which has become an infamous classic. Its plot is centered around the horror movie genre and it experiments with the sub-genre of psychological horror. 

Classic Stage: this is where the codes and conventions that have been set become iconic and idealized as the guidelines for the genre. There is more interaction between the subject and the camera which therefore leads to fixed camera angles and editing, creating narratives. 'Halloween' is a good example of a film from the classic stage as this is one of the films that made the codes and conventions of horror iconic and was one of the first slasher films. There is a step up in the use of camera angles and editing from older horror films creating a narrative. 

Parody Stage: is said to be the next stage. In order for this stage to be successful, the codes and conventions that have been formed in the experimental stage must be established, accepted and widely recognised. This must be done in order for the codes and conventions to be mocked and for the audience to understand what is parodied. the 'Scary Movie' films are one of the best films known for the parody stage as they show clear examples of mocking other films such as 'I Know What You Did Last Summer', 'The Exorcist', 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'American Pie'. 

Deconstruction Stage: this is where the genre begins to evolve and merge with others so the codes and conventions from the 'Classic' stage are less clear cut so then some of the rules may be broken creating hybrid genres. Results of this are a wider variety of films, short films and program's can be made. An example would be 'Alien' which is a science - fiction horror film which involves a extraterrestrial creature that kills a spaceship crew. It fits into the stage as it is a mix between the two genres of science fiction and horror