The document discusses the conventions of the horror genre. It identifies key elements such as narratives involving groups being persecuted by antagonists, isolated locations like abandoned houses, and teenage characters. It also examines conventions for specific horror subgenres like gothic, slasher, paranormal, found footage, and gore films. Theories about why audiences enjoy horror focus on the genre providing an escape from reality and experiencing situations outside of everyday life.

1. By Bethany Jones
Conventions of the Horror Genre

2. Genre’s and their
Conventions
• Films have been categorised in to their own genre, this is for the
audiences because it gives them the expectations and lets them
already know what is going to be in the film and therefore can
expect what the narrative is. Each genre has its own conventions in
which tell them apart. For example the horror genre is set apart from
other genres as its conventions are blood, scare factor, and the
characters are most likely to be teenagers. This is therefore good for
audiences as when they spend money on a film wether it be in the
cinema they know what their getting.
• by categorising them in to genres institutions now find it so much
easier to market the films, this is because they know the genre of
the film and each genre has is own targeted specific audience and
therefore the marketing of the film becomes much easier, cheaper
and effected.

3. • The typical conventions of each genre represent the genre as a
whole. The three main things in which categorise the conventions of
each genre, these include the narrative, the locations and the
characters. These are the fixed elements within the genre. For
example..
Horror:
Narrative: A group of people being
persecuted buy the antagonist.
Location: An isolated location, an
abandoned house, or an everyday know
location.
Characters: Normally a group of
teenagers, always a woman in which is
the antagonist and gets away.
Western:
Narrative: A town persecuted by the
antagonist or a group of them, someone
saves the day normally a alone unknown
cowboy.
Location: A isolated desert or local small
town
Characters: Group or individual
antagonist, Protagonist.Every day stock
characters.
Romance:
Narrative: A man and a woman fall in
love, an incident occurs preventing them
from being together, at they end they end
up back together.
Location: Any location, in which is
recognisable in everyday life.
Characters: Young people, ether young
adults or teenagers.
Action
Narrative: Hero and villan
compete against each other,
hero saves the day.
Location: an everyday location,
normally within a city
Characters: Middles aged or
young adults.

4. Posters that include
iconography
Posters of films will include the iconography of the genres of the film. This gives the
audience automatic knowledge of what the genre the film is featured in and if they would
go to watch it. Before watching a film the poster shows the conventions of the film
therefore the audience can then predict what is going to happen within the film. This
means their audience gets to know each convention and already knows what their film
consists of. Institutions are affected by this as well as it then becomes easier for them to
market their film to the targeted audience in the correct way.
Horror
The conventions of horror include
blood and a conventional weapons.
The iconography would be a knife.
This is seen on most horror posters
as its shows the audience
automatically what genre it is.
Romance
The conventions of the
romance are the colour red
as it signifies roses. Also a
male and female on the
poster are the conventions of
romance.

5. • Lighting: Within horror films they normally have very low
key lighting, in either some or all of the film. This is done to
create a dark atmosphere as we stereotypes peoples fear
of darkness and use it.
• Props: The props in horror films in which are used are
sometimes a mask and some sort of a weapon. Normally
the props are based on the antagonists image.
• Characters: Within horror films the characters are normally
aged, within young adults, teenagers or, large families.
• Narrative : this is always the protagonist being persecuted
by the antagonist or a group of antagonists.
• Location: The locations for horror films is ether isolated
location, an abandoned house and land or a very
populated town or village.
Conventions of horror films

6. The sub genres of
Horror.
• Gothic
• Slasher
• Physchological/paranormal
• found footage
• Gore

7. Gothic Horror
• Gothic horror’s narrative includes a group being terrorised by a supernatural or
not human creature in which is targeting the protagonists. Like all horror movies
gothic horror includes a lot of blood, it scares the audience by showing fear and
mystery in whats going to happen next. Gothic can be anything from including
vampires, or such man made creatures like the famous “Frankinstein”.
• Gothic horror is recognised by its individual locations, gothic horror sub genre, it
is recognisable because gothic horror is recognisable through castles, castles
are a very common locations. This is because they are normally and isolated
location in which has many rooms and passageways and old medieval looking.
The characters within the film are usually based around characters in which are
vulnerable and alone, they normally use a woman as the protagonist whom is
seen to be threatened and scared by the antagonist, she is shown to be weak.
• An example of Gothic horror would be the film frankenstein or Dracula.

8. Paranormal horror
• Paranormal horrors narrative is a antagonist which is normally a
unity, ghost or supernatural spirit. With this genre they rely on
scaring people out of there most common fears. Such as ghost,
this is something that cannot be seen but can terrify you. This
genre makes them question ghosts. These films are set in
everyday life, as they try convince the audience that it is real life
and could happen to them. This is all located in a normal house.
When casting one of these films they normally want the
protagonist/s to be young of age, or a young family. This is mostly
common with Slashers as well.
• The props used in a paranormal horror are usually some sort of
toy in which paranormal entity can stay in. Usually related to the
narrative and some how tied in with the spirits background.

9. Slasher horror
• Slasher films narrative normally includes the protagonist being
persecuted by the antagonist. This would include the know
antagonist to kill each protagonist down one by now. These types
of slasher films usually come in a collection as the killer returns
again. It i know for the last stating protagonist to always be a girl.
The locations used in slasher films are again isolated, abandoned
locations. Or very built up populated towns in which there is a
hidden killer.
• Props used by slasher films include a deadly weapon known by
the audience. This would normally include a weapon that can hurt
and creates blood. For example in Texas Chainsaw massacre the
main weapon is a chainsaw. This is then what th antagonist is
known for.

10. Gore Horror
• The narrative of gore includes a pyscho which is torturing a
group of people. This because they are not mentally okay or the
known normal and their will always be a lot of blood and pain
shown through the camera to show the victims being tortured. A
gore horror film is normally located in again an isolated place,
this is because they don't want the audience to know the
location, and they want the victims to experience being trapped
and unable to escape so is therefore isolated from everything
and everyone. The props they use for this are usually some sort
of weapon in which inflicts a lot of pain and is an unusual
medieval torturing method which is unknown to the audience. A
gore film in which agrees with the narrative, character and props
is the SAW franchise. It includes al this iconography.

11. Found footage Horror
• The narrative in found footage is always about a spirit or entity in
which attacks and haunts a group of people, normally teenagers,
research group, or a family. Found footage creates a realistic
twist tot the film and gives the audience a more realistic edge to it
and therefore are more scared of it. The location does not help
this ether this is because it is set in everyday life, it could be
anywhere. most commonly used in a house hold but could be
anywhere. For example the blair witch project was in all different
locations. This gives a more realistic viewing for the audience as
it isn't set in one place
• The props used within this are mostly just the cameras, for
example in paranormal activity the main props were the camera
in every single room.

12. Theories of the Horror Genre
• Richard Dyers first theory stated that audiences enjoyed horror because the film
gave the audience an escape from everyday life and allows the audience to feel
in the location of the victims or killer. Although somewhat like Rick Altmans
theory.
• Rick Altmans theory includes the belief that the audiences enjoy the release from
everyday life and they can experience what the victims and killers lives as its not
the known normal or against the law in real life so they treat it as an escape from
all the rules and the regulations.
• Jackie Stacy’s theory was a bit different, her theory suggested that the
audience enjoyed horror films as something much wider , as the audiences
tastes have developed older films aren't seen to be scary any more. Their is a
lot of difference between modern horror and the earlier years os horror films it
is much noticeable that back then they used mostly man made props to scare
the audience whereas now we have cgi, in which scare the audience more in
to reality.