1. Identifying Genre Signifiers
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Blood – Blood is a genre signifier because it helps to indicate extreme
violence and gore.
Weapon (chainsaw) – A deadly weapon also indicates violence and
murder.
Good-looking girl – Hot girls are normally in horror films so it is a genre
signifier. If the girl is promiscuous, she will tend to be killed of. If
however she is a smart/good girl she will be what is know as the ‘final
girl’. The final girl theory backs up this hypothesis.
Graveyard – Graveyards connote death and ghosts. They are genre
signifiers because a horror film tends to be about death.
Mysterious house – Big/Mysterious houses are genre signifiers because
they tend to be haunted or possessed. In this case though, it is home to a
psychopath, which is also a genre signifier.
Psychopath – If the film has a psychopath murderer it tends to be a
horror. They are easily recognized in trailers because they will appear
to be after someone or a group of people.
Paranormal activity
Creepy music- this is a genre signifier because it sets the tone and pace
of the trailer. If the trailer had up beat hip-hop music it would render
the trailer non-scary.
Security camera capturing paranormal behavior – Example opening of
doors when knows around indicates some sort of paranormal presence.
2. Possessed baby – babies are targets in horror films because the
audience with feel more protective over them. It’s a genre signifier
because no other movie genre would have possessed children in it.
Insidious
Big ‘family’ homes – Houses with a family in normally get attacked in
horrors. Paranormal things tend to happen in big houses because they
tend to have a past.
Possessed child- Children normally get attacked by paranormal entities
because there an easy target, the audience will empathies for them more
than an adult. This is a big genre signifier for these types of movies.
Cameras- Using cameras to capture a paranormal event is becoming
more popular in horror movies so it can be seen as a genre signifier.
Hand held lamps- normally used to guide someone through a dark
space. The dark is a key genre signifier for horrors.
