Quote Originally Posted by Merlin1958 View Post
Well there you go then. Dreamcatchers' plot premise is "Sci-Fi". So is "Alien", even down to the, what could be called "Horror" elements, The delivery of the monster and its birth. It's alien biology, no? Yes, there is quite a bit of suspense, but that does not constitute "Horror. Also the entire plot premise is "Sci-Fi" set in the future, in space and traveling to distant planets and meeting new organisms. If "Alien" is "horror" then so is "War Of the Worlds". See what I mean?
I think we'll both argue this point to death without either side changing their minds. As we've seen with the nominations in this tournament, the horror genre is wide and encompasses many different facets of film making. It has no true, set parameters.

Alien the film has been discussed and dissected as a Horror film, it has all the hallmarks of one. The gradual revealing of the killer, the increasing body count as the film progresses (typically with the protagonists being picked off one by one which is a staple of the genre), the killer being a relentless, seemingly unstoppable force of nature. The fact that it also exists in the realm of sci fi does not mean that it is NOT also a horror film.

The difference between Alien and Dreamcatcher is the former centers on the unknown lurker and the feeling of paranoia, isolation, and helplessness the protagonists find themselves in; the second fully embraces it's science fiction roots as it deals with telepathy, transfiguration, mind reading. The focus is never on Mr. Grey lurking in the shadows dispatching our would be heroes.