A film's genre is the collection of elements, tropes, aesthetics, and conventions that it follows, loosely categorizing it with other films and letting audiences know what sort of story they're going to be told. They're by no means exclusionary labels, as demonstrated the well-known action-comedy or comedy-drama genres.
Rarer, however, are films that, rather than blending genres, switch from one to another. They begin with all the tropes and conventions of one genre, such as Western, tragedy, or superhero, only to make a complete change in their story to another genre. They often keep the same characters, setting, and even sometimes plot, but change the style of story completely.
7 Hot Fuzz Switches From A Detective Story To An Action Flick
Part of the genre-deconstructing 'Cornetto Trilogy', Hot Fuzz spends its entire time lampooning and poking affectionate fun at every kind of police film. For its first two acts, the genres most on show are detective mysteries. The story follows Nicholas Angel as he attempts to find a murder within the small village of Sandford.
Once Nicholas finds out just how many murderers are in Sandford, however, Hot Fuzz takes a different tack. After spending much of its runtime mocking American police-action movies as unrealistic and impractical, the third act turns into a full-on reconstruction as Nicholas and the other police fight the Neighborhood Watch Association in a blazing, lengthy gunfight that would fit into any action film.
6 Predator Becomes Far More Tense Once The Titular Alien Appears
Predator is best-known for its lengthy sequences of Dutch, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, brawling with the film's titular creature in a sci-fi action thriller. For almost half of its runtime, however, this aspect is nowhere to be seen. Predator plays out like a generic military action film with a squad of soldiers mowing down insurgents.
As the crew move to evacuate, they're beset by an invisible alien hunter, set on picking them off one by one. The previously light-hearted, explosive movie takes a turn for the tense as this squad of human soldiers are attacked by something from another world. Then, Predator shifts again to a more straightforward action science-fiction story for its climax.
5 Audition Goes From A Rom-Com To Something Far More Sinister
One of the most acclaimed genre changes ever is in the Japanese film Audition, by filmmaker Takashi Miike. The first half plays out like an innocent, sweet romantic comedy as widower Shigeharu Aoyama holds mock auditions in an attempt to find a woman he can connect with, finding himself irrevocably drawn to Asami Yamazaki.
There are a few hints of strangeness about Asami, but they simply seem to facilitate the meet-cute plot. At Audition's halfway point, however, Asami is shown to be a torturing serial killer who targets men for not loving her enough. Audition turns into a tense horror vehicle as Aoyama falls into her trap and she tortures him horrifically.
4 The Sound Of Music Is A Romance Until The Nazis Arrive
A classic romantic musical, The Sound of Music tells the story of the real-life von Trapp family in the days before the Anschluss between Germany and Austria. Its first half follows a nun named Maria as she becomes the governess for the von Trapps, only to fall in love with the father and undergo a number of tribulations before they marry.
The Sound of Music's second half takes a radical turn, loosely reflecting the events happening in the real world. When Maria and Captain von Trapp return from their honeymoon, the Nazis have taken control of Austria and seek to force the Captain to take up a post in the Navy. As such, The Sound Of Music's last act follows the family's escape from the Nazis, with almost all singing gone from the film.
3 The Babysitter Is A Coming-Of-Age Horror Movie
With its nondescript title and opening minutes, there is no indication for the first part of The Babysitter that it is anything other than a coming-of-age story about a teenage boy struggling with his crush on his babysitter. When Cole's friend Melanie suggests he see what his babysitter, Bee, does while he's in bed, Cole watches her and her friends murder another teenager.
The Babysitter then becomes a comedy-horror as Bee and her friends attempt to kill Cole and drain his blood for a demonic sacrifice. While it retains comedic elements throughout, the shift from coming-of-age to horror is a pronounced one, giving The Babysitter its particularly shocking early twist.
2 From Dusk Till Dawn Stops Being A Crime Film Sharply
From Dusk Till Dawn begins the way that any audience might think a film written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez would go - with a pair of foul-mouthed criminals on the run from the law. Through its first half, the Gecko brothers commit a crime spree as they head for a club in Mexico where they can be spirited away to a criminal sanctuary.
As they relax in this club with several others, the staff and dancers suddenly reveal themselves to be vampires. The rest of From Dusk Till Dawn plays out like an action-horror B-movie as the few humans fight back in any way they can. The film has one of the more notorious and acclaimed genre shifts in cinema, considered to distinctly elevate the film.
1 Paddington Is A Fish-Out-Of-Water Comedy With A Homicidal Taxidermist
Paddington Bear is well-known as a child-friendly character, a small bear from Peru who gets into adorable and comedic misunderstandings. Much of the first Paddington movie follows this formula, showing Paddington falling in with the Brown family and struggling with everyday activities like washing himself.
However, there is a secondary plot thread that takes center stage for Paddington's climax in the form of Millicent Clyde, a taxidermist who wants to prove Paddington's existence to repair her father's reputation. As such, the film's third act takes on the trappings of an action-thriller as the Browns try to save Paddington from being flayed. It's a fairly sinister departure from Paddington's earlier comedy.