Horror is a genre intended to frighten or disgust readers/viewers by inducing feelings of horror and terror. The genre originated with Horace Walpole's 1765 novel The Castle of Otranto, which may be considered the first horror story. Horror has ancient roots in folklore and religious traditions focused on death, the afterlife, evil, and demons manifested as creatures like vampires, werewolves, and ghosts. Early influential horror films from Germany in the 1910s-1920s like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu helped establish the genre and used a macabre atmosphere and themes to create horror.

1. HORROR
Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten, scare, disgust, or
startle its readers or viewers by inducing feelings of horror and terror. The genre was invented
by Horace Walpole, whose Castle of Otranto (1765) may be said to have founded the horror
story as a legitimate literary form.The horror genre has ancient origins, with roots in folklore and
religious traditions focusing on death, the afterlife, evil, the demonic and the principle of the
thing embodied in the person. These manifested in stories of beings such as demons, witches,
vampires, werewolves and ghosts. In the earliest horror films, which were influenced by German
Expressionist cinema, the effect of horror was usually created by means of a macabre
atmosphere and theme; The Student of Prague (1913), an early German film dealing with a dual
personality, and The Golem (1915), based on the medieval Jewish legend of a clay figure that
comes to life, were the first influential horror films. In the 1920s such German films as The
Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Nosferatu (the first filming of the Dracula story; 1922), and
Waxworks (1924) were known throughout the world. In the United States a number of
outstanding horror films were produced in the 1920s. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) became a
classic of the silent screen, and Lon Chaney terrified audiences as The Hunchback of Notre
Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). The Cat and the Canary (1927) was an
atmospheric thriller set in a fog-shrouded house honeycombed with secret passages.
LOCATION

2. • Spooky graveyard
• Haunted house
• The gas station
• Dark and silent street
• Forest
Sound SYSTEM
Within horror films the main stereotypical sound effect used include, creaking doors ,foot
step, wolf howling, owls hooting , bats ,echoes ,voices ,storm.

3. Props
• Bare Hands/Fisticuffs.
• Teeth. ...
• Fire/Explosives. ...
• Machete. ...
• Hooks. ...
• Supernatural Powers. ...
• Chainsaw. ...
• Firearms. Though not an overly common weapon used in horror flicks, they are
frequently found. ...
The characters
The main protagonist, often the ‘victim/hero’ of the movie.
· The villain, often a monster, mutated freak, alien or serial killer – tend to have a
trademark characteristic as to how they kill (e.g. weapons and who they kill)
· The stupid/immoral teenagers that always get killed
· Creepy children
· Police officers (either good or bad)
· Many others: Ghosts, zombies, demons, psychopath, stalker, weirdo, werewolf,
cheerleader etc…
CAMERASHOTS
Camera shots and angles for a horror film

4. Hand held camera shot.
Low angles.
Tilted angle. Tilt shots add a lot of dramatic tension to shots, and could simplify a
supernatural being, for example pushing or moving the camera. ...
Close up. ...
Tracking or panning shot. ...
Reverse. ...
Birds eye/high angle.
EDITING
A quick succession offast-paced short clips will disorient an audience.Quick cutting with
fast moving clips creates a pace in which the audience starts to believe that everything on
screen is being performed in haste and they feel a sense ofurgency. It’s best to use the quick
pace, short style when there is a lot ofaction taking place and more than one perspective to
see.Close-ups and hand held camera work lend to the urgency ofa scene
lighting
Low-key lighting is used for horror films due to the effects it creates.The dim hue and
shadows created by this type oflighting are suited to the conventions ofa horror genres.It
creates tension due to its mysterious and dark atmosphere,controlling howmuch ofthe
surroundings and characters are revealed