Media studies, horror conventions work

1. HorrorGenre Conventions

2. Genre Conventions: Horror
Cinematography Conventions
• Hand held camera
• Close up shots are used to capture
emotions e.g. fear
• Low angles are used to create the
feeling of superiority of certain
characters this may be used on the
antagonist.
• High angles are used to create the
opposite to illustrate that a certain
character is inferior
• Eye level shots portray unity between
two characters that may be fighting an
antagonist together.
• Zoom in is used to build tension, this
may focus on a certain object or person
to demonstrate their significance.

3. Genre Conventions: Horror
Costume
• Fake blood
• Ripped clothing
• Make up (masks, zombie flesh)
Lighting
• Dark, gloomy
lighting
• Flashes of lightening
• Low Key lighting
Mise En Scene
Props
• Weapons: Knives, guns, Chainsaws
• Mobile phones
• Limbs and flesh
Setting
• Rain, thunder and lightening
• Abandoned, derelict place
Thunder and lightening can raise tension as
you may only be able to see what’s on
screen when the lightning flashes. Also,
pathetic fallacy is used to foreshadow awful
events. Abandoned buildings are often used
as no one really knows what happened in
there over a long period of time and ghosts
are likely to haunt them.
Weapons connote violence, death and pain all of
which are things included in horror films. Mobile
phones are also commonly used prop as they can be
used to communicate a sinister message from an
antagonist. Limbs and flesh contribute to the gory,
grotesque element of horror.
Low key lighting is used to create a feeling of
suspicion and tension. As well as this the
less the audience know about a character,
setting or narrative the scarier the film
becomes. In addition, darkness is used to
illustrate the darkness a character may have
within them that makes them inhumane and
able to willingly kill or harm others
Clothing is used in horror films to emphasise the
grotesque nature a certain character may have
which sets them apart from the other character
and makes them a clearly distinguishable
antagonist. Fake blood can be used to show pain,
death or harm and could imply to the audience
just how evil the antagonist is.

4. Conventional location/setting
Location
• Abandoned/Derelict
building
• Forest
• House
• Warehouse
Setting
• Stormy weather
• Eerie
• Darkness
• Remote landscape
Genre Conventions: Horror

5. Genre Conventions: Horror
Editing Conventions
• Slow start to build tension and suspense
Enlightens the audience to the fact that the genre of the film is horror
• Animated horror antagonists
Can add to the supernatural element of some villains adding to the fear they
produce amongst the audience as it adds an aspect of unpredictability.
• Jump cuts (Jump Scares)
Jump cuts can be used to make the audience jump as they fear what is to come
next.
• Eye line Match
An eye line match editing technique can be used in a horror film to give the
audience and insight to the types of emotions caused by seeing an object,
character or setting.
• Long Shot
Long shots can be used to connote the relentlessness of the fear and pain
caused by the antagonist or the length of time and effort it takes to catch the
antagonist.
• Short Shots
Short shots are used in a similar way to jump cuts; they can make the audience
jump or create a feeling of urgency.

6. Genre Conventions: Horror
Sound Conventions
• Screams
• Wolves howling
• Wailing
• Thunder and
lightening
• Foot steps
• Crying
• Tension building
music
• Chainsaws
• Banging
• Drums
• Heavy Breathing
• Heart beat

7. Genre Conventions: Horror
Conventional Characters
• A psychotic antagonist
• A main protagonist (who is usually one
of the only ones left alive). This
character maybe male or female who is
usually left alive with their love interest.
• The stupid character who will ultimately
die
• The wise old man/woman
• The strong man who takes authority of
the group
• The brains, the person that will usually
get the group out of a difficult situation

8. Genre Conventions: Horror
Conventional Characters: Gender representation
Female representation
• The damsel in distress –
stereotypically killed for ‘injustices’.
• Unlikely to be the villain as females
arguably lack physical power over
men
• Can be the antagonist in ghostly or
psychological horror films as they are
stereotypically seen as having the
power of manipulation over both
genders.
Male Representation
• Often the main protagonist as they
are often portrayed as being
masculine, brave and heroic.
• Also often the main antagonist this
may occur because men are seen to
have more physical power than
women.
• The man is often accompanied by a
female accomplice of whom becomes
his love interest, these are usually
among the last alive.

9. Genre Convention: Horror
• At the beginning of a horror life is seemingly calm
and happy.
• The first victim is then claimed or attacked, which is
when the antagonist first appears.
• In response to this, the various other characters
must find the killer and destroy them.
• There is normally many deaths and obstacles before
they eventually find the unforgiving villain.
Conventional Narrative

10. 1700 2000
In the 1700’s
artists began
painting dark
paintings
such as devils,
demons and
evil things
In 1815, Mary
Shelley wrote
the first ever
world-famous
gothic horror
novel
'Frankenstein‘.
This
influenced
other writers
to create
similar novels.
1815
The Gothic
Horror Dracula
was written by
Bram Stoker, to
this date it is still
famous. At the
same time that
this novel was
published, many
ghost stories
were published
this is due to the
Victorian publics
fascination with
life after death
and the
macabre.
1897
Sci-fi and
psychological,
horror movies
started to
become popular
in 1950. This was
when the war had
ended &
development of
space technology
sparked an
interest for the
public in space.
1950
The famous
movie Psycho
was written and
produced by
Alfred Hitchcock.
This film set new
standards for
horror films and
introduced the
‘Slasher'
subgenre as well
as focussing on
the psychological
genre.
1960
1970
In the 1970s
began the
demonic themed
movies that
focussed on
demons,
possessions,
devils and evil
spirits such as
The Exorcist.
The subgenre
of Teen
Slasher
Horror was
created in
1978 when
'Halloween'
was released;
it was written
in Hitchcock's
Slasher style
of horror,
looking for a
teenage
demographic.
1978
Mid 1990s was
when Scream
was produced,
this film made
viewers look
at horror in a
different way
whilst meeting
all the general
genre
conventions of
a Slasher film.
1990
Parodies such
as Scary
Movie came
about after
the popular
Teen Slasher
movie period
in the 1990's.
Films such as 'I
Know What
You Did Last
Summer' were
incredibly
popular at
that moment
in time.
In recent years,
demonic horror
has began once
again, with film
makers bringing
out remakes of
famous movies
such as, Carrie
and The Exorcist.
Films such as,
Insidious and
Annabelle are
new films which
represent this
satanic genre.
TODAY
Development of Horror Genre Timeline

11. Sub-genre
Conventions
SLASHER
• Slasher film - Often revolves around a serial killer who
systematically murders people through violent means.
Examples include: Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw
Massacre, Halloween, Friday the 13th, Black Christmas,
A Nightmare on Elm Street, You're Next and Scream.

12. Reflection:
What genre conventions are you going to employ for your film
opening?
• For Mise En Scene I would definitely consider using a derelict or
abandoned setting in a remote area as it has less noise pollution.
• As for sound I would also consider using footsteps and a heart beat
to build suspense along with screams to connote pain and suffering.
• Thinking about editing techniques I think the most appealing one is
jump cuts and short shots to make the audience jump and increase
the feeling of fear they have.
• For Cinematography I think that a hand held camera technique
could aid the realism that is produced by my film which would also
aid the fear of the audience as they begin to empathise with the
protagonist.