YH

1. Target audience
profile
In order for any horror film to be a success, the
needs and expectations of the specific target
audience must be understood and met. In terms of
supernatural horror, however, the target audience
applicable to the general genre of horror is
narrowed significantly, as each subgenre appeals to
a different kind of individual. Therefore, it is
necessary to understand what kind of audience
would be interested in a film trailer for a
supernatural horror, and how to meet and exceed
their expectations.
The usual TA for modern supernatural horrors
consists of young males, aged 15-24, keen to be
scared, thrilled, and shocked. Ultimately, the reason
for this is that younger audiences are less likely to
be put off by the consistent themes of violence, sex,
and demonic/otherwordly imagery, whereas older
audiences may not be so accustomed to such
themes. Arguably, this is due to the fact that older
horror films were much less graphic than modern
horrors, and therefore younger audiences have
become accustomed and immune to the new era of
violent/scarier horror films.

2. Audiences who opt for supernatural horrors as opposed to, for example, slashers, are more likely to be at the higher end of the age
bracket. This is largely because horrors such as supernatural and psychological tend to have a degree of philosophical/spiritual
content that is utilised in order to make the audience think, as well as giving them the thrills and scares that they are accustomed
to. It can therefore be said that the typical male interested in my supernatural horror would be intelligent, intuitive and sociable,
with interests rooted in humanities based subjects such as Psychology and English. Because of this, it is likely that this young male
would still be in higher education, perhaps seeking some form of entertainment-based alternative to the daily academic stresses
present within his life. Going out to the cinema with his friends is a daily weekend occurence, serving as both a social event and a
chance to relax and unwind after a long, stressful week.
Despite his focus on academic studies and the deep thinking that goes along with them, the typical TA male considers himself to
be a typical ‘lad’, often relating to the protagonists in various slasher films despite his preference for the supernatural genre.
Consequently, he often goes to football games and popular bars/clubs with his friends, often getting into trouble or causing some
form of unrest. He is likely to be in a relationship, and often enjoys watching horror films with his girlfriend as it enables him to
provide her with comfort and, in turn, make him feel assured in his role as the ‘typical’ male. Furthermore, he considers himself to
be open minded, with a tolerance for all manners of religion and beliefs – although he doesn’t consider himself to be particularly
religious, he is willing to accept that there are otherwordly forces present within everyday life. He believes that fate and
inevitability shape the choices and actions he makes, displaying his external locus of control. For this reason, he loves books such
as the Da Vinci Code, The Stand, and Ghostwritten, and neglects thinking about the future as he believes that he will always end
up where he is meant to be.
Although he believes that keeping in shape is important, the typical male does not actively pursue attempts to keep himself fit,
instead allowing his busy social life to keep him on the move. He has been accused by his friends of being ‘lazy’ but, truthfully, he
spends much of time studying intensely, and is keen to try and expand his knowledge and opinions of current affairs in the world.
One of the more enjoyable ways he does this is by watching political thrillers/art house films, that allow him to detract meaning
from the plots and composition and apply it to what was happening at the time. Therefore, he considers horror films to be an
‘escape’, and his ideal horror would be one that stimulates his intellectual side while also allowing him to sit back and be
entertained – not too taxing, and not too simplistic. Based on this, some of his favourite horror films include Sinister, The Last
Exorcism, Paranormal Activity, Grave Encounters, and Oculus.

3. These films allow the typical male to indulge his
spiritual beliefs, while maintaining a likeness to
reality that still has the power to scare and thrill
him. Often, he finds himself relating to the
protagonists of these films, but his awareness of
the supernatural allows him to think that, in a
similar situation, he would have the intuition to
act differently. After films such as these have
finished, he often finds himself contemplating the
actual existence of the supernatural evils within
the film, and feels uncomfortable going to sleep
due to the fear that something is consistently
with him, something he cannot hope to
understand or stop.