Media A-level Genre conventions of horror

1. Horror

2. • Good vs Evil
• Depression
• Religion
• Revenge
• Supernatural
• Beyond Death
• Science gone bad
• Suicide
• Lust
• Envy
• Nightmares/insanity
Themes

3. • Main protagonist, often the main victim or hero of the film.
• The villain (Antagonist) Either a monster, mutated creature, alien or serial killer/ psychopath
• Teenagers or adults that just get killed off randomly during the film due to their ignorance and stupidity
• Creepy/ supernatural/ taken over children
• Police officers who usually try to help sometimes do but mostly don’t
• Other ones such as; Ghosts, Zombies, Demons, Stalkers, Weirdos, Werewolf’s, schoolkids and more…
Character types

4. • Visual Style: Often dark colours such as red and black as they link to blood and danger and also evil
• Lighting is not natural, sometimes flashing light or distorted or straight at the camera to make it hard
to see, or at some times just no lighting at all to create tension and make it hard for the viewers to see
and let the antagonist get by without being seen, its usually created by things such as fires or broken
lights that are swinging
• Props can also be used to help horrors be more horrific or horrifying. For example: Chainsaws,
machetes, knifes, guns, rope, masks and body parts
• Objects that are frequently used in horror are: Weapons, Masks, Bibles, Crosses and other religious
icons etc.
Iconography

5. • Settings usually include small communities or isolated places, such as hospitals, schools, asylums or
building blocks. They also include places such as different urban environments, dark streets and
alleyways. Run down places such as ghost towns are also used for a character to stumble across or a
abandoned house for shelter is commonly used. Many things that shouts out isolation or loneliness to
the viewer
• Sometimes places with a dark or mysterious history are used in supernatural horrors to help create a
sense of tension for the viewers so they know something is wrong with the place the character is
• Locations for horror films could be: Lakes, roads, highways, countryside, barns, farms. Dark woods,
woodlands, houses, cabins, cities, subways, underground tunnels, graveyards/ cemetery's, schools,
basements, attics, factories, labs, asylums shopping malls and others etc.
Setting

6. • The use of different camera angles and camera work is crucial for a horror. Camerawork needs to be non-natural and expressive,
High and low angles can be used to connote fear
• Handheld shots are used for tension build ups as you can see what the character is seeing and as it is quite a difficult angle to keep
sturdy, it means the audience will find it difficult to see exactly what is going on and then therefore will create mystery and show a
character perhaps being chased
• Framework is also used to create a depth of field so that it is difficult to see the antagonist creeping up on a character or a building
• Sounds are crucial to a horror film as-well, this is because music and SFX are the main technique in a horror or thriller to create
tension with little happening on the screen. This is because the audience knows something is about to happen as the music will be
getting louder or louder or a noise will happen outside that the character reacts too
• Editing also helps create unsettling tension and suspense. If the editing hasn’t been paced up then it is more likely that something
bad is about to happen or something is about to jump out at you on your screen
• POV shots are also used in Horror so that the audience can see through the perspective of the killer or monster and they can see it
or them creeping up on the main characters and lets the audience know something is either about to happen or what’s going on in
the film. It also can create suspense as if you have not already seen the creature or person then you are unsure if it is just another
character you are seeing through the eyes off who is perhaps playing a joke or if it is in fact imminent death or danger for your
characters.
Filming