2. Iconography
• The prop that features most frequently in Horror films is
some form of weapon. Most Horror films involve some sort
of attack, or murder, which is often performed with some
sort of weapon.
• In a Horror film, the costumes are not likely to be brightly
coloured, they will be dark and menacing, like the film
itself. Most Horror films will also star some form of monster
or creature, so painstakingly made costumes will be
required for this. The use of prosthetics is also quite
popular.
• There is also always a central villain in horror films
3. Setting
• The majority of Horror films nowadays are set in an average
family home, in order to appear more familiar (and
therefore more terrifying) for the audience. The home will
often be not very well-lit, and may even have a dilapidated
appearance, to show that all is not well.
• Any setting in a Horror film is not likely to be bright and
colourful, as it would not match the overall tone of the film.
• Horror films are traditionally set at night.
4. Characters
• Nearly all horror films have a central villain. There
is also nearly always the following set of
characters in Horror films:
1. Someone who falls into a trap at the start of the
film, to provide entertainment for the audience,
and to set the tone for the film.
2. Characters who are killed off whilst figuring out
how to defeat the villain.
3. One character (often a woman) who survives
until the very end, and often defeats the villain.
5. Theme
• All Horror films are centered around Conflict.
There is nearly always a central villain in
horror films. Most Horror films will involve
some form of monster or creature that
terrorises the protagonist of the film, and will
often be some sort of being with possessive
qualities.
6. Narrative
Horror films nearly always follow an order:
• A threat is established
• The majority of the film is spent figuring out
how to defeat said threat.
• The threat is defeated.
• Some films stray from this order though, and
have the antagonist triumph over the
characters, often by killing the entire cast.
7. Style
• The sound used in Horror films is often
ambient, background noise often with a low
pitch. The sounds are often unusual and
distorted, and therefore unnerving.
Horror films often use little lighting, the
settings are often dark as aforementioned.
