Here are some potential reasons why spirits may haunt people:
- They are attached to a place or person from their past life and don't want to let go.
- They have unfinished business or a traumatic death that is keeping them from moving on.
- They want to communicate a message or warning to the living.
- They feel lost or afraid in the afterlife and haunting gives them a sense of purpose or company.
- In some cases, a malevolent spirit may haunt to torment or cause harm to the living.
The key things that seem to keep spirits earthbound and haunting are strong attachments, trauma, fear, confusion or a desire to connect with the living world. Communicating
Relief at Conventions: Psychological Thrillers that Shock
1. D.a
Supernatural Suspense
THRILLER
Relief at Conventions Shock
the end
False Villain/
Victim
ending
2. Convention Use / Develop / Purpose and Examples from
Thriller Challenge Description Films
False Ending Challenge – Something Purpose – To keep the Paranormal Activity
demonic and scary giving audience thinking; Cliff
false hope. Keeping hanger. Change the way
audience scared not just you view curtain
annoyed. situations.
Description – We through
there would be a new
equilibrium, but it ended
with a cliff hanger and the
Ending – Demon still in her.
demon is still inside her.
Innocent Use – Young girl. Purpose – To make the Disappearance of Alice
Challenge – Almost audience feel sympathy Creed
Victims being the villain, the for the character and to
victim ends up killing the shock from her killing the
villain. villain
Description – At the end
of the film the woman
taken hostage ends up
killing the men that took
her showing no remorse
over it. The Victim kills the villain.
Kaya Sanel Gia
Rahel
3. Convention Use / Develop / Purpose and Examples from
Thriller Challenge Description Films
Use (villain) – Can’t see You don’t see the Psycho
Villain and details, remains a
villain killing nor who
Victim mystery.
they are killing the
Use (victim) – An
attractive innocent woman in the shower,
woman. it makes the audience
wonder who it is.
Develop (villain) – You Scream
can hear that it’s a male The villain is a male
in their voice, not that
and you see the girl he
much of a mystery.
Develop (victim)– Both killed hurt but you
makes and females, you don’t see how he killed
can see them hurt but her or the gory details.
not them getting hurt.
House of wax
Challenge (villain) – Very The victim is a male who
shy and insecure. is killed by a shy and
Challenge (victim) – vulnerable villain, you see
Male, showing him in a the victims get killed and
gore like manner hurt. in detail what it looks like.
Kaya Sanel Gia
Rahel
4. Convention Use / Develop / Purpose and Examples from
Thriller Challenge Description Films
Escaped Use – Middle aged male. Purpose – To show the Law abiding Citizen
Develop – Female. mentality of the character
convicts – how smart and cunning
they are.
Description – The man
planned his escape from
prison before her went in
to out smart the police
and get justice. Planning an escape from
prison.
Challenge – Making it Purpose – To shock the The Human Centipede
Shock horrific and unexpected. audience, showing a real
Not predictable . life situation in a
Disturbing. disturbing and terrifying
manner.
Description – The villain
holds 3 people hostage
and shocks the audience
in doing some extremely
unexpected disgusting the Takes people hostage and
audience creates them into a human
centipede.
Kaya Sanel Gia
Rahel
5. Convention Use / Develop / Purpose and Examples from
Thriller Challenge Description Films
Blood Develop – To disgust the Purpose – To show Saw 2
audience psychological state of
characters and their
horrible mentality, also
how much they believe in
something
Description – When the
serial killer cut out a jigsaw
from a victims skin to show Cut out trademark some
his symbol/trademark.
someone's skin.
Use – To show ghosts Purpose – To terrify the The exorcist of Emily Rose
Supernatural exist audience showing that
Develop – Scaring the supernatural is stronger
audience putting the than yourself and can
supernatural in realistic controlling your mind.
situations Description – The victim is
possessed and cant
control herself, she forms
into unnatural positions
and talks in demonic Possessed on the floor and
voices of the demon. using demonic voices
Kaya Sanel Gia
Rahel
6. Convention Use / Develop / Purpose and Examples from
Psychological thriller
Challenge Description Opening Sequence
Purpose – To shock and
Supernatural Develop – The spirits
scare the audience in a
are hear and seen, but
sudden
also we developed the
Description – The
convention by having
closet doors will open
the spirits interact in
in a sudden out of no-
the real world
where The ghost are opening the
closet doors
Develop – Rather then Purpose – To keep the
Suspense build suspense to then audience interested
scare the audience and build tension so
afterwards, we will they’re on the edge of
build suspense slowly their seats
then show nothing Description – Laura is
after the build up in the closet in pitch
black
When she is in the closet and
Kaya D.b the audience doesn't know
what's happening
9. Convention Use/Develop/Challenge Purpose and Examples from
Thriller Description opening sequence
D.b
False Ending Use- Having the audience Purpose- To keep the
believing that something audience thinking
interesting is about to throughout .
happen.
Challenge- Something Description- Laura
scary but giving it a false walks to the
hope to make the cupboard with fear. When the girl opens the
cupboard and there was
audience scared. nothing in it.
Shock Challenge- By making Purpose- By shocking
something unexpected to the audience to get a
come by not being reaction out of them.
Description- When the
predictable.
victim is about to
experience something
unexpected and strange
to give the audience a
feeling of atmosphere. When Laura see’s someone
running behind her.
10. Inspirational Scenes Kaya E
The boogey man 1 Donnie Darko
Location of the spirit /
Relatable character
unusual happenings
I was inspired by the boogeyman
because of the location where the In reality Donnie Darko is a normal
unusual things happen in connection teenage guy, who is shy and doesn't
to the boogeyman. So I was inspired cause intentional trouble, however he
to have the spirits be connected to a can see and listens to something he
closet just like that film as it was very thinks is real but in fact is pretend.
scary and mysterious and dark
11. Kaya
E Inspirational Scenes
The woman in black
Non-diegetic sound to create
suspense
In this scene, the character is
looking through a spinning
lamp, while there is non-
diegetic sound of a regular
beat building to a climax
where the face of a woman is
seem with a sudden thud to
shock and give the audience a
fright
12. Inspirational Films (Paranormal Activity 3) -2010
Sanel
Db.
Paranormal 3 was inspiring to us because there structure starts of with a equilibrium
because it shows that the family are very close and happy. The film the changes to a
disequilibrium throughout the movie as something starts to happen and we don’t
know what is going on until the family starts to act very strange and different. All of a
sudden the mood has changed. So in our opening sequence we are going to start of
with equilibrium and then change to a disequilibrium as something begins to haunt
someone.
13. Sanel
Inspirational Films (Sixth Sense) -1999
Db.
The Sixth Sense was inspiring to because it involves with spirits and scares the
young boy seeing them and this related to our opening sequence as the girl starts
to see the spirit and gets very scared it shows us that the spirits can be anywhere
and tries to haunt you for a reason or tries to send you a message.
14. Inspirational Films
INSIDUOUS
The girl drops the phone
as she hears noises that
frighten her. This inspired
us to include this in our
own opening sequence.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
We were inspired by
the ghosts and the
haunted house aspect
of the film as it kept us
as an audience
interested in the film
15. Kaya & Sanel
Theme and Concept F
Previously, our Theme was childhood sentiment and our Concept was schizophrenia.
What Went Well
• The idea was messy, hard to understand
• It could connect with out audience
• It created enigma, It has an interesting climaxing ending
Even Better If
• Change narrative
• Need to develop sound and images
• So… We changed a little from drugs back to being haunted, so we can make a
effective scary film and opening sequence
16. Kaya & Sanel
Theme and Concept F
• To come up with out new Theme and Concept we all decided to keep the same idea of
the opening sequence, but change the cause of seeing delusions to suit the
psychological thriller genre more
• We all wanted an idea that could relate to our audience, making it seem more real to
them however at the same time frightening them with the characters situation
Theme: Concept:
Haunted Murder
17. GIA
Theme and concept
• Are previous theme was childhood sentiment and
are previous concept was schizophrenia.
• WWW
It suited our genre, it would scare our audience.
It was an interesting opening sequence.
• EBI
If people understood the plot, The idea was too complicated, not many people understood the plot
fully.
• Did we change are theme/concept? Why?
Yes We changed are concept because it wasn’t clear to most people what was wrong with the character Laura.
We also changed are theme because we wanted to start a new theme for are new opening sequence.
19. What does it mean to be
haunted?
There are many definitions:
• Having or showing excessive or compulsive
concern with something
• Showing emotional affliction or disquiet
• Inhabited by or as if by apparitions
20. Sanel
Why Do Spirit Haunt People? G
•Some spirits haunt their previous home. They feel comfortable existing in
the same house that it once inhabited. Some spirits choose to follow a
familiar person or a family member.
•The spirit may now exist with the feeling of fear because it doesn't know
what to do. It usually doesn't intend to scare the living, it is just haunted by
fear of the unknown.
•A spirit who feels it was had lived an evil life when it was alive, may seek
out like-minded evil living people because it feels a kinship to the negative
feeling.
•Even though those spirits may appear evil, they are just frightened. They
often scare the living in order to get attention. They are seeking help, asking
someone to rescue them and guide them to the light.
•The transition that follows physical death is not final until the thought
pattern that holds them earthbound is released and they can see the God
light.