Horror Location Shot Types, AS Media

1. Horror Location Shot
Types

2. Isolated Settings
•Effective location for a horror film because it makes the audience feel
more alone and therefore vulnerable .
•This is good for building suspense; they feel unsafe and expect something
to go wrong.
•Very foreboding, it is unlikely there will be someone to save the character
or a quick way of escaping/ finding safety.
•It could be argued they make the film more realistic; an isolated setting
could make them feel like it is actually happening without them knowing
it is happening because of the remote location.
•The following slides give examples of places that give this impression
locally

3. Wooded Areas/ Forests
•Normally isolated, just outside of the urban areas associated with safety.
•Sinister looking trees cast shadows and create darkness, which provokes
fear of the unknown- the antagonist could be hiding in the shadows.
•Examples of areas like this locally include Weston Woods, Norton and Ivel
Springs.

4. Fields
•Flat, open area that makes the audience feel like they can see everything,
and would be easily alerted to danger.
•In horror films, suspense can be built and prove this statement wrong.
•Ideal for chase/ fight scenes.
•Examples of this locally could be Arbury Banks, Bygrave Fields and Ivel
Springs.

5. Alleyways/ Pathways
•Thin, narrow and often empty means that these settings create
claustrophobia as well as isolation.
•They are often darker, foreshadowing dark events and creating fear of
the unknown.
•Heightens panic during fight scenes or chase scenes.
•Examples locally include Pepper Alley and Ivel Springs.

6. Urban Settings
•Not stereotypically as scary as isolated settings because of the
connotations of community and life, therefore safety.
•When horror films are set in urban areas, they are more effective in
making the viewers themselves feel more unsafe because it turns the
places they associate with security into somewhere they feel scared.
•It could make the plotline seem more relatable, adding to this fear.
•The following slides give examples of these kinds of places in the local
area.

7. Churches
•Found in most regions, a place of religious worship and celebration, often
referred to as one of the central points of community.
•These positive ideas of the church are challenged in horror films,
particularly of the occult sub-genre.
•Most churches have graveyards, which connote/ foreshadow death and
suggest dark themes.
•Examples of this locally include St Mary’s in Baldock and Ashwell or St
Paul’s in Letchworth.

8. Houses
•If a horror film uses a house, it has a similar effect as a church, by making
them associate a place of security with fear. It makes the events seem more
realistic and therefore more scary.
•The architecture/ aesthetic of the house can enhance this, especially if a
modern, suburban house is used. On the other hand, gothic architecture
links in with the horror genre. Abandoned housing also connotes isolation
and fear, so can be effective.
•Examples locally include the old houses on Baldock High Street and Buffs
Field.