The document analyzes the generic conventions used in horror movie trailers to attract audiences. It discusses conventions like a dark atmosphere, isolated settings, close-ups, eerie music, and changing editing pace. It then examines trailers for the movies Insidious and House of Wax, finding they both make use of many standard conventions like changes in editing speed, unsettling music, dark scenes, and close human shots to generate fear and suspense without revealing too much of the plot.

1. Generic Convention
Investigation

2. In show these typical conventions of a horror trailer I have analysed two
different trailers to represents the different codes and conventions used to
attract the target audience.
Previously researching horror trailers I know that the generic conventions usually
include:
- A dark mise-en-scene
- An isolated location
- Close ups
- Eerie Music
- Slow and fast pace editing
- High angle shots

3. Insidious is the gripping story of a family in search of help for their son, Dalton, who fell into
a coma after a mysterious incident in the attic. Little do they know that there is much
more to this endless sleep than meets the eye as they explore the paranormal, and
rediscover the past; the key to getting their son back once and for all.
The trailer contains slow and fast pace editing and unnerving music to help create a
mood and atmosphere. This film also adheres with Todorov’s theory of equilibrium with a
happy family.
These screenshots shows that the trailer uses
a lot of the generic convention of a dark
mise-en-scene. This typical horror genre
convention creates a sense of unease as it
sets fear for the audience with the fear of
the unknown and what's lurking in the
darkness.

4. Close ups and extreme close ups are generic conventions of horror trailers and are used
continuously throughout the trailer. There is the use of close ups of objects such a door
handle that shows someone trying to entre as well as close ups and extreme close ups of
the characters. This creates suspense, tensions by not giving away the whole shot and
gives the audience the feeling of a presence in the room.
There is high angle shots throughout the
trailer. This screen shot shows an example of
a generic convention of a high angle shot.
This convention is very effective as it seems
like the camera is looking down at the
character, causing the audience to feel
symphony towards her.

5. Six friends are on their way to a football game. They decide to
camp out for the night and continue driving the next day. The next
day the friends find that they're having car troubles, so two of the
friends accept a stranger's ride into a small town named Ambrose.
The main attraction in Ambrose is the House of Wax. Except
something is not right in this town, the wax figures are so realistic
and the whole town is deserted - except for two murderous twin
brothers. The six friends must fight to survive and escape from being
the next exhibits in the House of Wax.
This trailer contains many conventions such as slow and fast pace
music to create a trilling atmosphere for the audience and close
ups, making it feel cramped, like there is another presents in the
room that is hidden from the audience causing fear form the
unknown.
The House of Wax horror trailer adheres to Todorov’s theory of
equilibrium and John Berger’s theory of ‘men act and women
appear’ as throughout the trailer we see the women that is weak
and vulnerable that seeks help from men to be rescued.
A generic convention used in the trailer that many horror film
trailers use is the blink editing. This form of editing is very effective
with both slow and fast pace editing and creates a heart racing
effect for the audience. It represents that with each time you shut
your eyes and blink a different horror unfolds in the film. It also gives
the audience the feeling of someone lurking in the dark and
watching the characters every move.

6. Using title edits in a horror trailer is very common as they bring the trailer, giving the audience a insight into
the film and building suspense without giving too much away. The lines used are short and intrigue the
audience. The typography used is also important to reflect the film, as seem on the House of wax trailer
with dripping typography down that represents the melting wax. It is also generic to uses lines such as
‘From the producers of…’ which helps to attract an inherited audience form previous horror films.
These two screenshots shows us that the film House of Wax uses the generic convention of a isolated
location. This straight away gives that audience a feeling of unease as the characters are far away from
society, lonely and lost. People are commonly scared of the unknown. Being alone somewhere that your
not familiar with the surroundings can be unnerving and eerie.