2. CHARACTERS
Tatum Riley was a main character who was killed by the notorious serial killer ‘Ghost Face’. She is
part of the ‘dumb blonde’ representation of women in Horror films, a genre to which Scream (1996)
falls under. She is represented as a ‘dumb blonde’ because of her large bra size, her hair colour and
the fact that she was unaware to the fact that she was dating one of the killers, Stu.
A shot of Tatum in the trailer (this is the scene where she is
killed in the film).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM39LABHEDc
Images of Tatum from the same scene in the trailer
in the film where she is tormented/killed.
3. CHARACTERS #2
Judy is Friday the 13th part VII is seen to be a dumb blonde because of her hair colour and lack of
common sense to run out of the tent the antagonist Jason is slicing his way through. She ends up
being killed by being bashed against a tree while stuck in the sleeping back she thought she could
hide unseen in.
Judy calling out for her boyfriend to come inside the tent
when she hears footsteps, but it’s actually the killer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFueYFS9rB4
Judy in the film when she gets killed.
4. CHARACTERS #3
Barbara, a small character with her boyfriend Bobby in the film Piranha (1978) is seen as a dumb
blonde because of her hair colour and the fact that her and her boyfriend, instead to the local pool
or ocean, decide to go swimming in a darkened former military research facility which houses
thousands of Piranha. Of course, both characters get eaten to death.
Barbara swimming in Piranha-infested pond with her
boyfriend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg3Cr5z3rSs
Barbara with her boyfriend in the film before
they go swimming and die.
5. SETTINGS
Typical setting locations are remote places. For example, The Woman In Black (2012) is set in a
remote village where the main protagonist is an outsider. As we are meant as an audience to
empathise with this character, this plays on the human fear of isolation.
Arthur in the very isolated and remote destination of
Eel Marsh House and its surrounding settings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lReemWmO5o
Arthur Kipps being taken in the film to where the film is
mainly set of Eel Marsh House, an abandoned house after
the owner died.
6. SETTINGS #2
Another film set in a remote location is The Wicker Man (1973) which is set on a Scottish Island, far
away from supposed sanity. This convention plays on the human fear of entrapment, as in the film
the main protagonist who is a police officer just doing his duty, finds out he cannot leave the island
unharmed.
A shot showing the vast sea that surrounds the small
island in which Sergeant Howie is stuck on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FdV-O8o7ok
The ending of the film where Sergeant Howie and animals
are burnt to death as a sacrifice.
7. SETTINGS #3
Black Rock (2012) is a Horror/Thriller film set on remote island off the coast of Maine, USA where
three female friends run into some trouble and it turns into a fight for survival. Setting this film on a
isolated island takes advantage of the human fear of isolation, providing a good plot for the film.
The three friends travelling to the small island away
from civilisation.
A shot from the trailer for Black Rock showing in the
background the vast amount of water that surrounds the
island.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCrjq3B0h10
8. LIGHTING
Lighting is a powerful tool for Horror films. The typical convention is to keep the lighting dark which
heightens mystery and can reflect the genre itself. Use of low-key lighting also preys on a human fear
of the unknown (as things are harder to see and understand in the dark) as well as the fact that a lot
of people, of all ages, are quite scared of the dark. An example that shows this is the film The
Strangers (2008).
A shot from the trailer showing one of the lead
protagonists looking outside the basement window where
the three antagonists, labelled ‘the strangers’ are roaming
around.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5m_MaEy3ho
A shot from outside the house where the protagonists of
the film are hiding, which shows that low-key lighting is
used throughout the film. This enforces the sinister vibe of
the film.
9. LIGHTING #2
Another example of a Horror film who uses low-key lighting in a large amount is the film Train (2008).
A shot of two minor antagonists in the film before the deadly
events starts to unfold.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej8jaARbYkk
A shot from the film much later on with the same two
characters from the trailer shot. This shows that low-key
lighting is used several times throughout the film.
10. LIGHTING #3
A final example of a Horror film that uses low-key lighting is Paranormal Activity (2007) who uses
low-key light heavily throughout the film as an influence on the audience’s reactions.
A trailer shot of low-key lighting used in the middle of the
night where a supposed camera is filming paranormal
activity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twoWuDy5kys
A shot from the ending of the film where low-key lighting
has been used again.
11. PROPS
Many films feature iconic weapons for their antagonist’s killings. For example, Jason Voorhees only
used a machete when killing his victims in the franchise, Friday the 13th.
A shot of the film where the masked Jason Vorhees
carrying his iconic weapon.
A shot from Friday the 13th part VII film’s trailer showing
Jason Voorhees with his famous machete.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7Hm9RNGo8A
12. PROPS #2
Another example of a horror film with an iconic weapon is Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) where the
antagonist Freddy Krueger wears a glove containing knives for fingers.
A scene from the film where Freddy Krueger’s famous
weapon is seen.
A shot of the trailer where Freddy is shown with hands
showing the iconic knife fingers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuYoEtEI_go
13. PROPS #3
A final example of an iconic use of weapons in Horror films is the Scream franchise, where the
unknown killers using the mask of ‘Ghostface’ always kill their victims using a knife while wearing the
costumes.
A shot from the first Scream film where the unknown killer
is wearing a costume and carrying the knife always used
with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC5RQngpXuA
A shot from the film where the killer is holding the
bloodied knife in full view.
