AS media: Conventions of media

1. Conventions of
the Horror
Genre

2. • Conventional Character types- generic
characters like the main character an attractive
hero, a villain, sometimes a monster or mutilated
'freak, stupid or immoral teenagers who are
killed etc..

3. • Common Themes- Good vs Evil,
Childhood issues, Revenge, Supernatural,
Science gone bad, insanity etc.

4. • Supernatural Beings- E.g. Vampires,
ghosts, aliens, werewolves, zombies, evil
witches or monsters.

5. • The Dark Side of Humanity- Cannibals,
stalkers, gore, torture etc.

6. • Main Characters forgot about the major
threat briefly only for it attack them while
they are unsuspecting.

7. • Dark Settings- places with negative
connotations, evoking fear and making the
audience anxious e.g. abandoned houses,
asylums, hospitals, dark woods, alley
ways etc.

8. • Pathetic Fallacy- the use of weather to
create a mood e.g. cloudy skys, rain etc.

9. • Chase sequences where very little of the
killer/creature is shown to build tension
and create a sense of hysteria.

10. • Abstract Camera Angles- High and low
shots or P.O.V angles to create fear.

11. • Music- music with a fast tempo to build
tension and make the audience anxious