The document discusses common elements of horror film trailers and movies, including stereotypical characters, plots, sounds, locations, and costumes. It notes that horror trailers and films often feature a vulnerable female victim, an evil character like Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street, and sometimes a heroic character. They typically start with a calm situation that builds tension through creepy sounds and leads to a dramatic scene with the victim encountering the evil character. Horror movies also commonly use creepy locations, props like lamps, non-diegetic sounds to build tension, and diegetic sounds like music boxes or nursery rhymes. Costumes are designed to portray characters in a vulnerable or creepy way and

1. Genre Research
By
Fiona
Bruce

2. Horror Trailers
Character
The stereotypical characters within a horror film
• A female victim as the may be viewed as more vulnerable. The victim is mainly shown to be
to hysterical in their reaction again showing the sexist view of women. For example in this
they use a blonde girl who is the stereotypical dumb blonde.
• There is a always evil character who may be shown to be a living thing which may be
possessed or a dead. The evil character is always given a costume or certain body language to
show they are evil.In the’nightmare on elm street’ there is a character ‘freddie cruger’ who is
a previous child murderer and is burnt alive then goes on to murder people in their dreams.
• There can sometimes be a hero who can be shown to be either gender as in for this film they
use a female as the hero as you lives through the murders in ‘nightmare on elm street’

3. Plots, situations and themes
• the plot within a horror film is starts with an everyday calm situation
• It then moves on to a lead up to a dramatic scene consisting of the the ever character and
the victim
• This would include creepy non diegetic sound and can sometimes consist of diegetic sound
for example ‘woman in black’ uses the sound of a child's jewelry box
• Then will come the way in which the victim becomes curious of the sound and gets closer to
the sound.
• This will build the tone of the tension in the non diegetic sound

4. Props
• The use of props in films can be shown via the evil character
in which they may use ‘a razor hand’ for example as their
weapon of choice.
• There may also be props such as lamps in which are mainly
used as a victims prop in which they fight the evil character
off with.however,more times than one it does not work

5. Sound
• The films normally use none diegetic sound
which can be heard as the tension builds up
• They also use many diegetic sounds such as a
music box and for example in this film there is the
use of a nursery rhyme
• One, two, Freddy's coming for you
Three, four, better lock your door
Five, six, grab a crucifix
Seven, eight, gunna stay up late
Nine, ten, never sleep again.

6. Location• Within horror films there
may be different types of
locations
• Some films use a creepy
looking place to create
the creepy atmosphere
• However, others such as
the ‘the nightmare on elm
street’ uses real places
which the film can get a
sense of realism scaring
the audience as it makes
them feel like it could
happen to them

7. Costume
• The costume within these films normally back
up the character or action
• The vulnerable person for instance is
portrayed as a blonde female making her
seem weak
• The evil character is portrayed in a very
creepy way for example he may be possessive
over a person in which they may show the
change in eyes using contacts
• In another case however, the evil character
may be naturally creepy for example within
‘nightmare on elm street’ there is ‘Freddie
cruger’ who is shown to have a razor hand
and severed face – which may explain the
story – in this film we are told of the fact he
was a child murderer and is burned alive for
it.