This document discusses several theories of audiences and media consumption, including uses and gratification theory, the hypodermic syringe model, two-step flow theory, and theories by Mulvey, Hall, and others. Uses and gratification theory proposes that audiences use media to fulfill certain needs like entertainment, social connection, identity, and information. The hypodermic syringe model suggests media automatically influences audiences without thought. Two-step flow theory found opinions are filtered through opinion leaders first. Mulvey's male gaze theory notes audiences view through a heterosexual male perspective. Hall believed audiences interpret media based on their own ideologies. The theories can be applied to understanding horror genre audiences.

1. Theoretical Research

2.  An audience is a group of spectators or listeners at a
public event such as a play, film, concert, or meeting.
 There are different types of people that consume the
media product and the audience can be categorised
into demographics and psychographics.

3.  Bulmer and Katz: developed the uses and gratification theory (1974).
The audience uses certain media texts for different reasons in this
theory. These reasons consisted of:
- Entertainment/Diversion
- Social Relationships
- Personal Identity
- Information/Surveillance
 Hypodermic Syringe Model: This theory was the first attempt to
explain the behaviour of mass audiences reacting to media
products (Since 1920’s). It is believed that the information is
consumed by the brain automatically without any thought.
Consumers are exposed of being manipulated by producers and this
results in the audience accepting dominant ideologies as the norm.
 Two Step Flow: In 1940 Lazarsfeld, Berelson and Gaudet analysed
decisions made by voters during the presidential election. These
results were then published in ‘The People’s Choice’. The results
found that the information didn’t flow directly into the minds of the
audience but was already filtered through opinion leaders who
communicated their ideas. This is known as the two step flow.

4.  The Male Gaze: Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory is formed
from the way the audience view people. She believed that
the audience view people in the eyes of a heterosexual
male.
 Stuart Hall: believed that audiences take their own theories
from media text because people are all individual. Making
them all have different ideologies.

5.  Audience theorists can be linked to the horror genre very easily. The
‘Hypodermic Syringe Model’ can be linked to horror films as some
people may watch a violent film and go and recreate the scene in
real life. This has lead to specific films being banned from the
cinema. This is also one of the reasons that films have age ratings
and why strong horror films are rated as an 18.
 Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory can be applied to many horror
films as the woman is usually seen as weak and vulnerable. In many
horror films the women relies strongly on the man.