2. WHY I CHOSE HORROR
Horror films have always interested me in the way that they are set out and their specific
codes and conventions particularly intrigue me. I however view horror films for a strange
reason, to laugh. For as long as I remember horror films have never really scared me
and I just love to laugh at all the fakery and things like holes in the story and breaks in
continuity. There are a few horror films that I can appreciate for the level of detail and
attention to story but most of the horror films I like to watch are just so cheesy and fun
thereโs just nothing like it to do. Away from the Glitzy Clichรฉs of other film Genres Horror
feels more like a secluded and private art for only certain people to watch which is a
rather interesting feeling when thinking about cinema and films.
3. 1 REPO THE GENETIC OPERA
In the year 2056 - the not so distant future - an epidemic of
organ failures devastates the planet. Out of the tragedy, a
saviour emerges: GeneCo, a biotech company that offers
organ transplants, for a price. Those who miss their payments
are scheduled for repossession and hunted by villainous
Repo Men. In a world where surgery addicts are hooked on
painkilling drugs and murder is sanctioned by law, a sheltered
young girl searches for the cure to her own rare disease as
well as information about her family's mysterious history. After
being sucked into the haunting world of GeneCo, she is
unable to turn back, as all of her questions will be answered
at the wildly anticipated spectacular event: The Genetic
Opera.
Year of production: 2008
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
4. 2 GRAVE ENCOUNTERS
For their ghost hunting reality show, a production crew locks
themselves inside an abandoned mental hospital that's
supposedly haunted - and it might prove to be all too true
Year of production: 2011
Directors: The Vicious brothers
5. 3 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
After a young, middle class couple moves into a suburban
'starter' tract house, they become increasingly disturbed
by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic
but is certainly most active in the middle of the night.
Especially when they sleep. Or try to.
Year of production: 2007
Director: Oren Peli
6. STAR THEORY
The actors and actresses in a film are often a crucial part of Bringing in the
Viewers, if a Viewer loves a certain actor or actress they will be more compelled
into seeing any films with him or her in it. This works perfectly well for Rom
coms and such with people like as Hugh Grant or Action Films such as The
Expendables where they threw everyone in every action film ever at you. With
horror This is not such a crucial part and in many horror films the actors are
sometimes rather unknown in the film world e.g Paranormal activity. People
watch Horror films for the tension and Fear and not so much for the actors or
actresses in them. In this way Horror feels more like an individual indie sort of
genre away from the massive glitz and glamour of other film genres. Certain
films though use Famous people for effect, For example The Spanish Film REC
Stars a Spanish news reporter to make the film more realistic for the
audience, Seeing this woman and placing her face with the news creates a
feeling of trust which allows you to believe what she is saying and going through
as though it is live on TV and not on a cinema Screen. This is A Clever way to
use Actresses or actors in horror as it creates a link from other media sources.
In Repo! The Genetic opera They use Some other Recognizable actors Such as
Alexa Vega (spy kids) and Anthony head (Buffy The Vampire slayer) and Paris
Hilton (The Simple life) but they place them in unusual roles and twist the
audiences perception of these people as actresses, in Spy kids Alexa Vega is so
innocent and childish whereas in Repo! She is dark and more gothic and caught
in such a Dark predicament it shocks previous fans of hers.
7. INTERTEXTUALITY
Within Horror Films It can be often hard to Find Intertextuality because it
can be hard to distinguish at times the difference between Convention
and clear references to other films. The Film Grave encounters could be
seen as a pastiche of many other films that use the handheld camera
technique such as REC or The Blaire Witch Project, and also a pastiche
of made for TV Ghost hunter shows. The Story follows a group of young
people interested in becoming a real ghost hunting reality Show so they
decide to investigate an old abandoned mental hospital (so clichรฉ) by
breaking in and then later becoming trapped. Whether this can be seen
as Intertextuality to any specific film or show can be left to speculation
but the clear inspiration from these shows and films is quite obvious in
the way that the film is presented. In no way does it reference any other
Show or film specifically and uses its own sort of style throughout but itโs
hard to deny the similarities, a purposefully made point. This could mean
that the film is trying to create the same sort of feeling as Rec with the
Realness factor behind it.it feels very much like a TV show in the way
that at first you notice small things on camera that the people filming
donโt which creates this sort of fear for them, small cheesy things though
like a wheelchair moving slightly or a door closing but I gradually gets
worse and worse and throws a lot more at you such as full apparitions
running directly at the camera. In this way it feels a lot like REC in the
way it feels like a very first person experience when the person filming is
running away or exploring dark corridors. As I said it can be very hard to
distinguish between clear references, slight inspiration or just Clichรฉ and
Convention.
Grave Encounters
Most haunted (Generic ghost hunting show)
8. RECEPTION THEORY
Reception theory is the way a Viewer will interpret and
process a film and his or her thoughts or feelings on the film
as they watch it. Reception Theory argues that Contextual
Factors Influence the way that people process films.
Contextual factors include things such as a persons
personality, Preconceived notions of a film or genre, Political
issues, social background and so on. In Short Reception
Theory says that a persons personality and their historical
and social backgrounds help hem to process films in their
own way, For example someone with a high class upbringing
constantly surrounded with money and luxuries would
possibly interpret films or media products differently than
those of a lower class within society. For example When I
saw Paranormal Activity I was expecting it to be completely
terrifying due to all the hype around it from the
Advertisements and word of mouth but as I watched it the
film just seemed a lot more amusing to me in parts because I
as a person have become De sensitized To certain things as
they are often overplayed and overused in Horror films you
can recognize that it will happen and you donโt react in the
same way as you have before
For example The body is thrown at the camera
after a short moment of silent tension and then the
woman jumps towards the camera with a scary
face, whilst momentarily jumpy it ultimately feels
cheesy.
9. MEDIA LITERACY
Media literacy is the way we discover new media
products and gather information and make a decision
on the product. A simple way of putting it is say you
were looking around on Facebook and somebody
posted a status about seeing a new film you was
interested in you could speak to this person and then
do a bit more research from online. You could also
Read Advertisements around in public or on television,
whichever strikes you as the most effective. I wanted
to watch paranormal activity because the adverts were
literally everywhere you went and I wanted to see what
all the hype was about. The Vague and unrevealing
advertisements would draw you into the hype and
make you search for more information. There multiple
different ways you can research a film such as imdb,
social networking websites, Television adverts,
Physical Advertisements and Trailers on youtube etc.
10. ACTIVE SPECTATORSHIP
Active Spectatorship is the way that you as a person perceive and react to
a film or media product. Say that you went to the cinema with your friends
and once you were going to the Screen you Saw an advertisement for
another film youโd like to watch ad you Gasp and Show your friends and
get excited for it. This is active spectatorship in the way that it creates
emotion ad actions on your part. The same can be said for when you watch
a film and you feel certain ways at Certain points of a film, this could be
due to your own pre conceived notions or opinions or could be because of
the film is made to make you feel such a way. For example when I First
Watched Repo! The Genetic opera it was recommended to me by a friend
because the music style was similar to a band that I once liked, This in
itself is active spectatorship because I was intrigued and had already had
my own pre conceived notions Due to this fact. The film itself has a lot of
conflicting emotions pulling you one way and another and the final Scene
in the film is truly upsetting after All the truth has come out ad shilo is
offered an ultimatum. The way the film creates this feeling with character
deaths after you have watched their stories unfold the way that you react
to the saddening moments is Active spectatorship
Sheโs not dead
12. GENRE ANALYSIS: REPO! THE GENETIC
OPERA
While the film Repo! Can be classed officially as a horror/musical The Codes and conventions of a traditional
horror are clearly not followed and it shows little conformity, The only Characteristic of the horror genre that
is present could possibly be the gore and Violence, such as the opening Explaining Scene where the Repo
man cuts the woman's throat and rips the heart from her chest. There is also a lot of surgical Equipment
used as well and Graphic Detail on organs and blood. Also unlike in a traditional horror the Character
Archetypes are different in the way that Certain characters can fit into multiple roles such as a Villain who is
also a Victim etc.
The overall Design of the Sets and props around are dark and gothic in a Future surrounded by death and
debt this is reflected in the way every set looks, Even the well built up places like the GeneCo Renaissance
Fair have a Certain Grime and low Tech feel as though the world has not developed and has been crippled
by this deadly pandemic. In a way the Design of the Set and characters Could fit into a traditional horror
Genre with lots of Dark colours and unusual Clothes and such.
The Narrative is at times often non linear because at times the film will go back into the past to explain a
certain point that has been made in the present, This is sometimes the case with some horrors but a lot of
normal horror films will just feature a very simple and plain Start middle and end Linear Narrative.
14. GENRE ANALYSIS: GRAVE ENCOUNTERS
Grave Encounters fits perfectly into The horror Genre using the first person Camera technique seen in REC and
The Blaire With project. The Setting of an abandoned mental institution Features lots of grime, Empty and silent
rooms and old Creepy bathrooms and such and this is a perfect Representation of the Clichรฉ Horror. The
Character Archetypes are closer to a traditional Horror where there is always โโthe one who goes firstโโ and โโthe
one who survives to the endโโ the way the story is told and the characters are developed you can clearly tell for
yourself who is more important and who is least important to the story
The Narrative is slit up and follows certain people at Certain times but is Linear with a Start middle and end. In a
confusing Twist Time seems to stand still for the victims trapped within the hospital and even though they have
been inside for a few days the date and times on the cameraโs show that there is no difference in time from the
moment they walk in and are locked inside the hospital.
Characteristically it is most definitely a horror with Jumpy and adrenaline rushing parts with Scary apparitions
and Paranormal activity such as screams, door slamming and moving objects and windows et.c
