1. Knives cause a
slow and painful
death, which
may be viewed
as misogynistic
when females are killed.
This idea is introduced by
Freud’s sadism theory.
Knife: weapons are always portrayed in horror
movies. As knives were the most popular
weapon chosen from our target group, we have
chosen to use one.
Shouting: Characters screaming is a typical convention.
Every single horror movie of any subgenre includes this. It
is effective as it highlights the emotions characters are
experiencing. As our trailer plot is filled with shocks and
suspense, shouting is an important aspect which will be
regularly portrayed.
The Importance of Horror
Movie Paradigms Used In
Treatment for Trailer.
Teenagers: As the most popular responses to the subgenre of
horror movies from our questionnaires were slasher, we decided to
incorporate the presence of teenagers, as this is central aspect of
slasher movies. Movies such as scream, Halloween, prom night,
valentine and alien, each revolve their plots around a group of
teenagers. The effect of displaying teenagers in these types of
movies is that it appeals to a wider target audience of teenagers
who are largely influenced by technology and so are easily able to
access movies. Additionally, teenagers are able to relate to
characters in slasher movies. The central concern of our trailer is
based around a group of teenagers, so in this aspect, the ideas in
our trailer conforms to a rule of slasher movies.
Isolated Corridors: Isolation is one of
the top golden rules for a successful
horror movie as it encapsulates the
emotions of fear and panic from the
character. Being isolated creates a sense
of instability from the outside world. The
idea of an isolated house was used in
both Halloween and scream. We have
decided to use a corridor in our trailer to
reinforce the school setting, yet show
that even a deserted school can create
horror.
Hearing your name being called: This is a
typical convention of successful horror movies
as it creates an eerie atmosphere which
generates a feeling of fear amongst both the
characters and audience. This technique will be
used in our trailer as we hope it would highlight
the subgenre and style of our movie.
Figure dressed in black: This is an essential
horror movie paradigm as it heightens the fear of
the unknown. Many iconic slasher movies have
disguised their killers either with a mask (scream,
Texas chain saw massacre) or in very dark clothing
(prom night). As Barthes’s theory of signs and
signifiers suggests, costumes which are used for
disguising methods enable characters to act in a
way which is not socially acceptable as it provides
them with anonymity traits.
Chase Scenes: These
are acknowledged in
almost every slasher
horror movie. They
increase the audience’s
heart race and add an
essence of excitement
and an uncomfortable
thrill to the movie. Our
trailer will include a
chase scene for the
reason that it fits in
perfectly with the style
and story we have
chosen
Blood: It defines the true meaning
of a horror film. Without blood,
horror films to not achieve to their
maximum. We have decided to
show blood throughout the trailer
as the plot of our films is quite gory.
Phone battery dying: This is a
typical event to occur in an intense
scene of a film. It amplifies the
helplessness of a character which is
what we are going to portray with
our character Jay.
Anonymity: This links in with the
idea of being able to behave as
morally wrong as possible because
of a hidden identity. Milgram
conducted a psychological
experiment testing the strength of
anonymity and found that
participants behaved brutally when
disguised. This fits in with Derrick’s
characteristics.