The document discusses common elements of the horror genre including iconography, characters, ideological themes, settings, and narrative structure. Iconography in horror includes symbols like revenge, hauntings, serial killers, demons, and monsters. Common characters are protagonists, villains like monsters or serial killers, idiots teenagers who get killed, and creepy children. Ideological themes involve the supernatural, good vs evil, religion, and psychological issues. Typical settings are isolated areas, abandoned buildings, forests, and graveyards. Narrative structures in horror films usually involve a protagonist on a mission to kill or solve problems, with slasher films following a formula where the villain returns to prey on teenagers after some childhood trauma.

1. Repetoire of Elements
Horror

2. Iconography
Iconography is the physical tools of trade. In the horror genre, recurring symbols
include:
• Revenge
• Hauntings
• Serial killers
• Death
• Gore
• Demons and exorcisms
• Religious belief and icons
• Weapons
• Masks
• Monsters such as mummies, vampires, werewolves/ghosts/villains
• Lighting is often expressive and non-naturalistic. Dark shadows are created
with low-key lighting

3. Characters
• The protagonist – hero of the movie
• The villain – often a monster or serial killer
• Idiotic teenagers that always get killed
• Creepy children
• Police officers which can be good or bad
• Other common characters include zombies, ghosts, psychopaths, werewolves,
stalker and more.
• Examples of famous horror film characters include:
Freddy Krueger
(A Nightmare on Elm
Street)
Chucky (Child’s Play)
Ghostface
(Scream)
Jason Voorhees
(Friday the 13th)

4. Ideological themes
• Ideological themes are sets of values or belief and the ideology message can
be delivered by the media text and its producers. Some ideologies can be
conflicting.
• In horror, ideology themes include:
• Supernatural
• Revenge
• Suicide
• Good vs. Evil
• Religion
• Childhood issues
• Science experiments gone wrong
• Nightmares
• Psychological issues
• Apocalypse
• Beyond death

5. Settings
• Isolated areas
• Dark streets
• Abandoned buildings
• Alleyways
• Run down ghost towns
• Insane asylums
• Lakes
• Highways
• Forests
• Graveyards
• Deep water
• Hospitals

6. Narrative structure
• A narrative structure provides a formula or template in film production
• However the narrative is not simply just the plot or story, it is also the
meaning for the audience
• Film makers look to experiment with the structure of the story
• In horror, there’s always a protagonist keeping up with the conventions of
the genre. Usually the hero must embark on a mission to kill or solve
problems.
• Slasher films have noticeably formulaic narratives – After some event or
childhood past that turns the killer insane, the villain returns to his home
town and preys on teenagers. These teenagers are seen as immature and
stupid and they are usually the ones who start the horror at the beginning
or get killed quickly. There is also usually a survivor, most likely a female
character.
For example, Final girl becomes more masculine and
phallic as she becomes more aggressive from hiding to
fighting back the killer and hunting him down.