The document discusses key elements of the horror genre that aim to provoke fear in audiences. It notes that horror films use techniques like unusual camera angles, movement, and editing to unsettle viewers. Successful horror leaves audiences feeling scared after watching by building suspense and tension without necessarily showing graphic violence. Common conventions of early horror films include Gothic settings and characters like vampires, ghosts, and werewolves derived from folklore. More modern horrors continue to use themes of blood and death while suggesting terrifying events off-screen to frighten audiences. Music is also important for creating an unsettling atmosphere and raising tension during scary scenes.

1. The Genre that I would like to use is horror as it is a different genre where cinematography has to
be much thought out and uses different angles, shot types, movement and editing to all add to the
fear and negative reaction in the audience. The way that some films for example Shutter Island,
play tricks on the audience’s mind is something that I find very interesting and by creating
suspense, fear and keeping the audience on edge and leaving them scared after watching the film.
All aspects of the film should be focused on scaring the audience for example the music should be
eerie, make the audience feel uncomfortable and include long silences to build tension.
History of Horror
Horror films go back over 100 years ago where films tested your imagination to see ghosts,
shadowy shapes, fear of the unknown and fear of things that will most likely not happen. It’s quite
a unique genre as it gives an opening to the world of fear which allows you to feel fear and horror
without actually being in danger. When horror films are done properly and don’t actually show us
the gory horrific images, but just provoke the happening of such events is when the film really
plays tricks with your mind, as the audience will always be on the edge of their seats waiting for
the impending threat that has been provoked in the film.
Some of the earliest Horror films were a Gothic style meaning they were often set in Castles, large
mansions and are regularly fog shrouded, dark and shadowy. Their main characters would have
included unknown human like creatures for example madmen, vampires, ghosts, possessed,
werewolf’s and even the unseen presence of evil. These types of characters where mainly formed
from myths, witchcraft and Folk-Tale
Most of the earliest horror films used vampires, the viewing of blood, cannibalism and corpses.
These films of vampires only began to be seen in the 18th and 19th century where Bram Stokers
1897 Vampire novel ‘Dracula’ was written. This would have caused creations based on the book as
this type of film was only just being explored and the popular Novel showed people what things to
include making it scary and under the horror genre. This early sighting of horror films would be
what moulded the horror films we have today as still we have blood in modern horror films today
for example the 20th Century Fox's "Devils Due" film.
Example of a Horror
One example of a horror film that was one of the most successful horror films shown by the fact
that The film cost $22,000 to make and made back $240.5 million, a ratio of $1 spent for every
$10,931 made. The exhibition and distribution of the film created a great build up and struck fear
the audience when they watched it. The film was so successful that it left people believing the
story was real. People believed that the supposed story of the Blaire Witch was real, despite the
fact that actual body of the witch or thing that was killing or chasing the victims, was not actually
shown on screen. This backs up the fact that you do not actually have to show the horrific gore and
ghastly scenes of killing but just suggest and provoke the idea of them. Also as I have taken most
my ideas from Shutter Island and I would like to explore the side of mental illness and
psychological horror, not showing the gore and ghastly side as that would cost a lot of money and
take too long for me to do. I also feel that the fear is really based in the unknown and this is down
even down to the details like masks.
Music in Horror
Another thing that is well known for a horror film is suspense and build-up in the music. For
example a single sound slowly getting louder or slow rising in pitch until something scary or drastic

2. happens in the film. This puts the audience on edge and if the sound that is rising is uncomfortable
for example scratching a stringed instrument or jagged playing of an instrument then there is
more fear as the audience will feel that they are not in a content place and that they are under
threat therefore inducing fear upon them. As tension is a very important concept to include in a
horror film, the sound is very important. This is why horror and thriller films use tension building,
uncomfortable and scary music as they want the required effect of the film scaring the audience.
Without the music the scenes of fear and where tension needs to be built will not have the
required effect of fear induced upon the audience. However sometimes silence in the music is what
is needed for that intense build of tension which is very much needed in a horror movie because
without the audience feeling scared there is no point to the film and they would see it as a poor
attempt at a horror film as the whole purpose of this type of film is to scare the audience. The
sounds you would hear in the music of a horror film would be quite similar to a film of the genre of
thriller or chiller. However some parts of the film in a horror may need to use dark distorted
sounds with a gradually faster paced drum beat in the background to create panic in certain
scenes or shots. This would be used for example in a scene where a victim is under great threat of
thing that is being portrayed as bad or causes fear to the characters.
Genre Conventions
The main point that shows that the film is horror is the genre conventions as they props,
costumes, colour, lighting and set, all contribute to the feel of darkness a fear. One of the first
things would instantly show that it is a horror film is the props for example weapons like knifes,
axe's, chainsaws, butcher knives, ropes, chains, constriction mechanisms and guns. For example if
you were to see the use of a knife with some sort of intention of being used for bad for example a
blood stain in a film this would instantly show the audience that it is a weapon to be used for bad.
This would not only make them feel uncomfortable, but also that they are under threat therefore
confirming that it is a film under the horror genre. This brings me on to talk about other things like
blood. This is something very common seen in horror films and is almost signature for these types
of films, however it is also found in similar genres which are not as punishing as horror films for
example, action, thriller or a crime orientated film. There are so many other props shown as
weaponry which show that a film is actually the horror genre. Chainsaws for example in the 'Texas
Chainsaw Massacre' this is a prop used for bad acts and this film is horror related. The props of the
horror films "SAW" are taken to an new level of deathly contraptions with a lot of gore and blood.
The only reason these props would be used in horror is because they would all be used to harm or
to cause death to people. This shows that death is the real fear as the audience will feel very
scared of the weapons and the danger of what could happen using this weapon. By giving away
information to the audience for example a shot face on with the victim and the killer being behind
them, causes great apprehension, fear and worry for the audience as they know that something
bad may happen.
The conventions of Location in a horror film mostly make the audience feel fully isolated and
alone. The lighting in this area is also very important and is most likely to be dark as to reveal that
it is not a nice place to be and that bad occurrences may happen in the film. Locations that may
commonly be seen in horror films are such as follows: Ghost Towns, Dark Streets or Alleyways,
Abandoned areas, Woodland, basements, run down cities, roads, lakes Asylums and Countryside.
These are all places that would make the audience feel uncomfortable being there and also as if
they have been left there and with no sign of help or aid to get out of this situation. Therefore
making the audience believe that they have no escape from the bad events that may occur and in
turn creating fear and horror in the audience as they are scared for a character or their own lives.
The kind of shots and camera work that is included in horror is very expressive and not natural as

3. to make the audience feel like they are experiencing something new. To add to this POV shots are
used quite a lot to allow the audience to see through the eyes of the victim or monster/scary
character or presence. It can also be useful in showing the audience that certain characters are
being watched therefore giving the audience information that these certain characters are in
danger and furthermore making them anxious for those characters. This imposes fear on the
audience in such a simple and unique way without using the high costing blood and gore.
Handheld shots are also a very effective shot to use as it not only makes it harder for
the audience to make out what is happening, but also creates the feeling that the audience is in
the shoes of possibly the innocent victim of a killer or someone who is under threat of the fear
suggested in the film. Extreme close ups can also induce fear quite simply by not letting the
audience see what is around a certain character. Perhaps there is a scene where a character is
nearby a protagonist and then the audience see an Extreme Close Up of this characters face
therefore excluding their surroundings and only focusing on their emotion and facial expression.
The fact that the protagonist is unseen creates fear for the audience.
The kinds of themes that you will find in horror films are as following: Good VS Evil, Religion,
Depression, Revenge, Childhood Issues, Science gone bad, Nightmares, Madness, Lust, Suicide,
Envy, Self-Consciousness and Supernatural. These are all quite common themes as they all have
the same effect on the audience which is that they are sensitive topics and are therefore either
uncomfortable for the audience to watch something which incorporates this or scared as
they don't know what is going to happen. Themes like Nightmares for example is something that
we all get and therefore makes it more realistic for the audience as they know that it could happen
to them. This reveals that realism of the fear provoked in the horror film is another element of fear
that affects the audience.