The Ultimate List of Movie Genres in Spanish

What are your favorite movie genres? 

Movie genres are identifiable categories of films, such as action, comedy, and drama. Genres provide structure for the script, production, direction, casting, and more. 

Watching films is a wonderful way to spend quality time with family, friends, or yourself! 

And learning about movie genres in Spanish makes watching films in Spanish the next logical step.

Keep reading for the ultimate list of movie genres in Spanish so you can talk with your friends and family about movies in Spanish like a total pro. Grab some popcorn, and let’s begin! 

Movie Genres in Spanish

Learning los géneros de películas (“movie genres”) in Spanish is an excellent way to choose what to watch on your next movie night. 

Movie genre classification began at the end of the silent era, and many films are hybrids of multiple genres.The most common movie genres include western, horror, comedies and action-adventure, musicals, and science fiction. 

Now that you have an idea on how the classification of movies began, is time for the list of movie genres in Spanish!

Ready? Set. Action! 

1. Acción – Action

The action movie genre includes  high energy films with lots of action (hence the name), in the form of races, rescues, battles, martial arts, or mountaineering. They often involve disasters, fights, escapes, and crime. 

Subgenres 

• Action-comedy
• Action-horror
• Action-thriller
• Disaster film
• Martial arts
• Science fiction-action
• Spy film
• Swashbuckler film

Iconic Action Movies

• 007: Licencia Para Matar – Licence To Kill
• Kung Fu Panda 
• Matrix 
• Missión Imposible 

El subgénero de Gangster – The Gangster Subgenre

Crime and gangster movies are a popular subgenre of action films developed around the sinister actions of criminals, gangsters, and hoodlums. 

This category of films includes gangster, detective/mystery films, thrillers, and police films. Here’s a list of gangster films that will have you at the edge of your seat:

• El Padrino – The Godfather
• El Irlandes – The Irishman
• Bonnie y Clyde 
• Tiempos Violentos – Pulp Fiction

2. Aventura – Adventure

The adventure movie genre features films that tell exciting stories. It’s similar to the action genre, as both are designed to provide an experience full of action and energy.

Contrary to action films, which tend to center on violence and conflict, adventure movies focus on conquest and exploration, creation of empires, journeys, and the struggles and situations the protagonist must confront for growth. 

Subgenres 

• Pirate films
• Swashbuckler films

Classic Adventure Movies

• La máscara del Zorro – The Mask of Zorro
• Apocalypto 
• El Conde de Monte Cristo – The Count of Monte Cristo
• Everest 

3. Comedia – Comedy

The comedy movie genre that is designed to make us laugh. Comedies are crafted to amuse, entertain, and be enjoyed by the public. Comedy often exaggerates situations, language, action and characters. This movie genre usually has a happy ending, although the humor can be dark.

Subgenres

• Comedy of ideas
• Comedy of manners
• Black comedy
• Farce
• Parody
• Situational comedy
• Slapstick
• Surreal comedy
• Action-comedy
• Comedy-thriller
• Dramedy (dramatic comedy)

Excellent Comedy Movies 

• Shrek 
• Los caballeros de la mesa cuadrada y sus locos seguidores/Monty Python y los caballeros de la mesa cuadrada – Monty Python and the Holy Grail
• Las Locuras de Dick y Jane/ Dick y Jane: Ladrones de Risa – Fun with Dick and Jane
• El jovencito Frankenstein – Young Frankenstein

4. Dramático – Drama

The drama movie genre encompasses films that presentation serious stories with realistic characters, settings, and situations.

Subgenres

• Legal Drama
• Medical Drama
• Melodrama
• Political Drama
• Docudrama
• Teen Drama

Must-See Dramas

• Talentos Ocultos/Figuras Ocultas – Hidden Figures
• Lejos del Cielo/Lejos del Paraíso – Far From Heaven
• La vida de Pi/Una aventura extraordinaria – Life of Pi
• Carol 

5. Histórico – Historical

This movie  genre takes an historical or imagined event with a mythic, legendary, or heroic figure and adds extravagant settings and lavish costumes, with grandeur and spectacle. These films recreate past events, making this movie genre is one of the most expensive to produce.

Subgenres

• Alternate history
• Biopic
• Epic
• Historical fiction
• Period piece

Recommended Historical Films

• Baahubali: El Principio – Baahubali: The Beginning
• 300
• Danza con Lobos – Dancing with Wolves
• La Princesa Mononoke (1997) 

6. Terror – Horror

The films in this genre are designed to frighten the audience by causing panic, dread, and alarm. Horror movies are scary for the sole purpose of entertainment, and they prey on viewers’ fears. 

Subgenres

• Psychological horror
• Slasher
• Found footage
• Monster horror
• Paranormal horror
• Comedy horror

Classic Horror Movies 

• La Cosa – The Thing
• Noroi: la maldición – Noroi: The Curse
• Anaconda
• La masacre de Texas – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

7. Musical – Musical

Musical and dance films are cinematic creations that emphasize and showcase full-scale song and dance productions. Musical and/or dance performances are part of the narrative. 

Subgenres 

• Animated Musical
• Ballet
• Dance film
• Film opera
• Musical fantasy
• Musical romance
• Operetta
• Rock musical

Amazing Musical Films 

• En el Bosque – Into the Woods
• La bailarina – The Dancer
• August Rush: Escucha tu Camino – August Rush
• Ballet 422 

8. Ciencia Ficción – Science Fiction

Sci-fi movies are usually visionary and highly imaginative. They involve surreal or dystopian settings, with expert production designs, advanced technology, scientific developments and state-of-the-art special effects.

Subgenres 

• Dystopian 
• Apocalyptic 
• Tech noir
• Utopian 
• Space opera

Super Sci-Fi Movies

• Ella – Her
• Titanes del Pacífico – Pacific Rim
• Donni Darko 
• Ataque Extraterrestre – Attack the Block

9. De Vaqueros – Western

The Western genre is casually called de vaqueros (“of cowboys”). This movie genre is considered “nostalgic” for it’s themes. It’s one of the oldest, most enduring and flexible movie genres. 

Subgenres

• Epic Western
• Revisionist Western
• Spaghetti Western

Wonderful Westerns

• Rango 
• El Asesinato de Jesse James por el cobarde Robert Ford – The Assasination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford
• Django sin cadenas/Django desencadenado – Django Unchained 
• Los Siete Magníficos – The Magnificent Seven

How Talk About Your Favorite Movie Genre in Spanish

Talking about movies is a great ice-breaker for a conversation! So, how do you do it in Spanish?

Here’s a list of useful vocabulary words you can use when talking about movie genres.

Example Sentences

¿Qué género de películas te gusta más?
What movie genre do you like most?

¡A mi me encantan las de vaqueros!
I love Westerns!

Mis películas favoritas son las de ciencia ficción.
My favorite movies are the sci-fi ones.

El género favorito de mi hermana es el de comedia.
My sister’s favorite genre is comedy.

A no me gustan las películas de terror para nada.
I don’t like horror movies at all.

Want To Learn More About Movies in Spanish?

Movies are a worldwide phenomenon! It’s fun to learn to communicate your tastes in movies and films, so you can bond with other native Spanish speakers who also love movies! Sign up for a free 1-on-1 class with a native Spanish-speaking teacher and become one of Homeschool Spanish Academy’s more than 24,000 actively enrolled students! What are you waiting for? 

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Carmen Rizzo

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

I’m a native Spanish speaker from Guatemala with a B.A. in Psychology. I have a passion for teaching Sunday school in my spare time and for learning and sharing valuable information. I'm a cat lover who gets excited over cartoons, anime, and video games. I dabble in digital illustration and animation. I'm inspired by sharing my culture, traditions, food, and beliefs with others, while learning about theirs in return.

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