The document discusses conventions of horror movies, including subgenres like slasher, supernatural, and hybrid genres that combine elements. It provides examples of subgenres like extraterrestrial and monster films. Slasher films involve a psychopathic killer murdering victims violently with a signature weapon, while supernatural films depict unbelievable abilities and unnatural events. The document analyzes how two films from 1976 and 2014 both fit in the thriller/horror subgenre by involving paranoia or hallucinations, showing how the subgenre continues to be popular and reimagined over time.

1. Horror Movie Conventions
By Paige Livingston

2. Sub genres
• A sub genre is a smaller category within the genre
itself, they then perform a specific work for the
larger genre.
Eg:
-extraterrestrial
-slasher
-monster
-supernatural
-gore

3. Horror hybrids
• A hybrid is something of a mixed origin or
composition. Two film genres are combined
together to create a new mix of both genres.
Eg. Combination of extra-terrestrial and
supernatural

4. Slasher films
• Involve a psychopathic killer, that usually have
a killing line of victims, this then gets done in
an extremely violent manner with a particular
weapon that gets used every kill.
• Various weapons used, lots of gore involved.
• Numerous low and high angle shots used to
display fear and vulnerability. Close ups are
then used to show emotions, reactions and
facial expressions.

5. Supernatural films
• Unusual events that occur that appear beyond
normal expectations of daily life.
• Villains then have unbelievable abilities that
are definitely not normal for a normal human.
• Plenty of special effects to portray the abilities
of the villain.
• The lighting used is not natural and can be
very expressive.

6. 2 films of same sub genre but released
different times
• The Tenant (1976)
• Babadook (2014)
• These two films are the same sub genre
(thriller/horror)
• They both involve either the main character or
the next in line, to experience paranoia or
hallucination of spirits or imagination.
• In Babadook, the presence around her is from
within the book ‘Babadook’ that is read to her
son every night and he then becomes obsessed
and drawn to it by the presence.

7. Was the sub genre re-invigorated?
• The sub genre that I picked before hand
(thriller/horror) is popular within horror films
so therefore it will always be a popular sub
genre with numerous films released a year in
this particular sub genre.
• As the films in this sub genre all follow a
similar idea, the directors and producers need
to think of different way to present this in
narrative styles.