Conventions Of A Horror Film

2. The monster / villain is one of the main
characters within the story. They are
usually portrayed by a male. They are
normally killed right at the end of the film
by the Final Girl, although, some horror
films this does not happen, or a new
monster / villain arises in a sequel to the
film.

3. Within many slasher films there is most
likely to be a group of teenagers
involved. There is usually the jock, the
sexually active girl, the nerd and the
final girl. The group usually consists of
both genders, but at the end it’s normal
for only the final girl to survive.

4. The sexually active girl is usually the first
one to be killed by the monster / villain in
the slasher film, normally after having
sexual activity with someone else. The
character is usually portrayed as a young,
attractive blonde.

5. The final girl is normally the only one to survive
from the monster / villain. She also usually
ends up defeating the monster / villain by
killing them. Within the group the final girl is the
most sensible and wisest one in the group.
She is portrayed by being a brunette, with a
natural look and suitable clothing. Also, it
seems that the virginal girl does not die (final
girl) but the sexually active girl does.

6. The benefactor is a character within a film who is
wise. Within horror films, the benefactor knows
something about the monster / killer and tries to
help the victims by telling them about it.

7. Horror films usually involve someone who is
seen as an ineffective authority figure,
someone who is usually one step behind the
monster / villain, but not all the time.

8. The location is often set someone similar to
the real world, normally a family home. This
is done so that the audience can feel
uneasy about the film, as it is set
somewhere similar to their own
surroundings.

9. Within horror films the lighting is
normally dark, to make the film look
more uneasy and mysterious, with a
creepy atmosphere. Shadows and
silhouettes are usually used as well.