an introduction to all the sub-genres within horror

3. Within the sub genre of ‘slasher’ there is usually a masked
killer with an unknown identity, who ‘slashes’ a young group
of teenagers, usually a group of friends (who are
transgressors - rule breakers) who drink, do drugs and have
casual sex. One by one they are then killed. At the end of the
film, the final girl puts a stop to the killer somehow,
provoking him leading for the movie to end with many
questions. This usually results in a sequel. Such as the
Halloween Franchise and the Scream Franchise.

4. An antagonist is an opposing force that
brings conflict with a protagonist. In the
film ‘Halloween’ is Mike Myers, who was a
young boy who murdered his sister and
then came back to town fifteen years later
to murder more teenagers.
The antagonist is usually a male, showing
superiority to all his victims. Low angles
shots are often used throughout horror
films to present this idea to the audience.
They always seem to have a lot of
strengths, fighting many of his victims of,
yet still coming back for a sequel.
Insinuating to his victims that they are
doomed as he is undefeatable.
The killer is usually masked, so the identity
is hidden and unknown. This is intriguing
for the audience, as they will be desperate
to see who the killer is and what his motive
is behind the killings.
The antagonist usually has a signature
weapon that they are renowned for using. In
Mike Myers case it is a machete knife. Other
weapons that are common in slashers are:
swords, chainsaws, knifes, hammers, axes and
hatchets.
The reasons behind the killings is usually
caused by a childhood trauma. This can be
depicted by the location of the film as well as
some of his victims.Mike Myers, Antagonist in the Halloween Franchise.

5. A protagonist is an individual/group who come into conflict with the antagonist. The protagonists in Halloween are
three females. Female victims are often seen as sexual transgressors, which can sometimes be the cause of there death,
it is there punishment for being a transgressor. They usually surround themselves around alcohol, drugs and sex. This
combined with a lack of focus, awareness and coordination leaves them less likely to protect themselves and makes
them even more of a victim. They are usually chased and scared witless by a male antagonist making them appear weak
and powerless, eventually, they are killed in graphic ways making them seem even more like a victim. All of them end
up dead, apart from one who is known as the ‘final girl’. A final girl is a lone survivor who remains after her friends
have been killed. However, she looks death in the face plenty of times before her eventual escape/defeat of the killer.
Unlike her friends, she is sensible, brave, virginal, intelligent, perspective and reasonable. She is a proactive fighter, not
a passive victim, which is why she manages to survive.

7. Antagonist may seem normal however it is
evident throughout the film that they have
a twisted mind. This can be adapted to the
film ‘Psycho’ by Alfred Hitchcock, whereby
the character Norman Bates both looks and
seems normal, despite this, we are exposed
to the dark side of the human mind.
The audience may also be fooled into thinking that
the antagonist is innocent/harmless. Just like in
the film the orphan whereby the audience will
think esther is a sweet, innocent little girl, before
they find out she is a 33 year old woman who is
very violent and has killed at least 7 people. Also
in relation to the Orphan, a shock can be revealed.
It was not predictable that Esther was going to be
33 years old who had hypopituitarism, a hormone
disorder that stunted her physical growth.
The twisted nature of the antagonist would scare
the audience, and deaths are not ruled out, despite
the idea that they will not occur as often as they
would within the slasher genre.
In ‘Scream’ a total of 8 people
died.
In ‘Gone Girl’ 1 person dies.

9. The narrative of a supernatural film focuses on the presence of an evil spirit that cannot be controlled nor
defeated with ease.
Those within the world of the film try to
make contact with the spirit through an
ouija board/seances, or call upon
psychics and mediums to help to get rid
of the spirit. This always seems to make
the situation worse. Just like in
Paranormal Activity. Once they seek
help from a professional, he is driven out
of the house being warned by the spirits,
which eventually lead to the paranormal
activities to develop even further.
Contrapuntal sounds such as nursery
rhymes increase the scare factor.
Additionally, by using innocent objects
do the same as they are often used in
order to do something unnatural making
it terrifying for the audience and the
characters.
Suburban family home, seems like
a perfect family home, that they
have usually just moved into. They
are unaware of the horror that is
about to happen. This happened in
the film the ‘Amityville Horror’
whereby a family move into their
new house, without knowledge of
what had happened in the house
prior to them moving in.
Mirrors/Windows/Baths are often used in order to create a jump
scare.

11. Possession movies have similar convention to those in the supernatural genre.
However, there are distinguishing conventions. It is likely that a family have just
moved into a new suburban family home/house. Just like in the film “The
Possession” whereby the two girls are visiting their dad's new house, and the box
with the possessive spirit is brought to and were the possession takes place.
Religious subjects and symbols are also very common, which is then why priests
and rabbis are sought out to help and resolve the issue, however, they are usually
unsuccessful. The spirit is often shown to move onto another person, also present
in the film “The Possession”. A common contrast within supernatural movies is a
juxtaposition between good and evil, a common example is young children being
possessed, like in “The Exorcism”. Lastly, contortion/levitation of the body is
presented, implying just how much control the demon has over the victim and
their body.

13. ● Locations within the films are set in a far and mystical land which is
also largely uninhabited, like Transilvania is Dracula.
● Mise-en-Scene seems to be majorly dark, gloomy, foggy and misty.
● Mythical monsters usually featured as the antagonist, however, unlike
other horror genres the monster can be deafed.
● The films themselves are usually set in the past and feature a
protagonist who saves the day who is usually a male, the female takes on
the roll of the damsel in distress. This is potentially due to the times in
which these films were set.
Typical
Conventions