2. Hotels featured are
often large in size. This is
so it is much more
difficult for the victim to
escape as it is unlikely
they will be able to find
their way around as
easily as they would so
in a house. The hotels
often have a ‘dark
history’ (the last
caretaker in The Shining
killed his family and
himself), furthering the
anxiety for the
audience.
The Creepy Hotel...
In horror films, the decor
in the hotel featured
usually tends to be the
same; slightly
dated/ornate. For
example, the patterned
carpet in this image is
very 70’s even though
this film was made in the
80’s. Similarly the
elevator on the left
hand side of the picture
looks almost like a wood
carving, adding to the
ornate feel.
The Hotel is a common location for a horror movie, as it is an unfamiliar setting but
the audience can relate to it (the likelihood is, they will have been to one at some
point). Since many people have stayed in the room before you, there is always a
sense of apprehensiveness, as it could have been anybody in the room before you,
whereas in your house, you know exactly who has been there recently. In this
particular film, The Shining, the hotel is also isolated, as they are snowed in for the
winter close to the mountains, heightening the sense of anxiousness.
3. The Isolated House...
The house can also be
haunted, or harbour a
supernatural presence,
as seen in The Amityville
Horror and more
recently, the
Paranormal Activity
franchise. This puts the
audience on edge, as
their home is meant to
be a haven;
somewhere they can
feel safe and relax. It
shows you can never
truly escape the
problem when it comes
to supernatural and
slasher films. It can also
help leave room for a
sequel, if the house is
the problem.
Houses often tend
to look old and
almost wooden,
however, this
convention has
been challenged
by recent horrors
such as Paranormal
Activity where the
house featured
seems relatively
modern.
The isolated area around the
house adds to the thrill of the
kill; nobody can hear your
screams heightening the
scariness.
The audience is again able to relate to this setting – they are
probably in a house as they watch the film! However, houses in
horrors tend to be isolated in country settings, demonstrated here
in The Strangers. These settings are much more common in slasher
and supernatural movies as both genres are more realistic/have a
much deeper realism element than say, gothic horror, although, in
slasher movies such as the Halloween franchise and the Scream
franchise, the houses are less isolated, and are usually in a
neighbourhood.
4. The Woodland/Outdoor Setting...
This setting helps to
create tension and
fear, due to the
‘unknown’ that could
lurk behind the trees in
the setting. At any
point, anything can
happen and anyone
or anything could
potentially jump out
and scare the
audience, keeping
them on the edge of
their seat.
The fact that the setting is so remote
also heightens fear – like the isolated
house (or hotel in The Shining),
nobody can hear your screams and
help you when the antagonist finds
you, building the tension.
The fear of the
unknown when it
comes to setting is
demonstrated
effectively in The Blair
Witch Project –
nobody knows what
even happens to the
characters, or why the
twigs are arranged in
the particular format,
therefore it is gripping
to the audience;
nobody knows what is
within the forest.
It could also be argued that since the forest consists
of neutral colours and is leafy, as well as usually
being a large area, it would be difficult for someone
to find you, including the antagonist; it is almost a
game of cat and mouse, again building fear and
tension.
5. The Hospital/Mental Asylum...
Usually the room is of
a dull colour with little
light, and it could
therefore be argued
that it reflects the
mood of the
individual,
foreshadowing that
bad things are about
to happen.
This setting is
conventional within
psychological
horrors, as they
usually feature a
disturbed or insane
individual/individual
s who is/are a
danger to society
(The Silence of the
Lambs, Gothika).
The fact that this setting often tends to be
quite bare/empty (lacking in props) reminds
the audience of the unpredictability of
characters, heightening fear and giving
them a sense that anything could happen –
building tension.
Fear is created in
this setting due to
it’s history; it has
been full of
‘insane’ people
before, who are
likely to have
committed
horrendous
crimes, and even
possibly died
within the setting
– it could be
haunted and
horrific incidents
could have taken
place in the cell
or hospital room.
