There are 5 main aspects that make up the form of a horror film: theme, settings and location, characters, narrative, and iconography. Common horror film themes include supernatural, gothic, slasher, and psychological horror. Typical settings are old, abandoned locations like houses, schools, forests and countryside. Characters of all ages and genders can be used depending in the theme. Narratives usually start with disequilibrium, have a circular structure, and end with the resolution of fear. Iconography like blood, gothic styles, and low lighting help identify the horror genre.

1. FORM RESEARCH

2. HORROR AS A GENRE
• There are 5 main aspects that make up the form of a horror film
1. Theme
2. Settings and Location
3. Characters
4. Narrative
5. Iconography

3. THEME
• Main subgenres are
1. Supernatural
2. Gothic
3. Slasher
4. Erotic
5. Thriller
6. Psychological horror
7. Religious
8. Speculative horror
9. Sci-fi horror
10. Dark fantasy

4. SETTINGS & LOCATION
• Conventional locations are
1. House
2. school
3. Church
4. Abandoned fields
5. Forest
6. Countryside
• Usually old, abandoned and rundown
• Low key lighting
• Not many residents around
• Bad weather

5. CHARACTERS
• Characters of all age group and both gender can be conventional characters according to
the theme of the film
• Children and teenager usually connote innocence and relatively weak in both physical and
mental status, hence are usually the protagonists
• Adults are usually of both protagonists and antagonist
• With the antagonist, women may also fit into the role despite the stereotypes of being
weaker than men

6. NARRATIVE
• Usually starts from disequilibrium
• Circular narrative
• Ends with new equilibrium where the fear/horror is resolved
• There’s always the first event which
inherits a reason that leads to the
ending result of the plot
• Mood horrors where the suspension
of absolute terror is left to be
uncovered in the last moments of the
film

7. ICONOGRAPHY
• We instantly recognise the genre through the
iconography created by the film
• Main icons are
1. Blood
2. Goth
3. Low key lighting