This document discusses various elements and conventions of horror films including common themes, settings, camera techniques, character archetypes and how more modern films have adapted classic conventions. It provides examples of influential early horror films and how they established tropes that continue to be used, and also examines how some films have combined genres or added new elements to conventions.

2. •The Exorcist 1973
•The Shining 1980
•The Blair Witch Project 1999
•The Grudge 2004
•Paranormal Activity 2007
•The Last Exorcism 2010
•Grave Encounters 2011
•Insidious 2011
•The Conjuring 2013

3. Themes-
•Revenge
•Haunting
•Demons
•Exorcism
•Gore
•Serial Killers
•Religion
•Ghosts
Gothic Films- Vampires, bit of romance, suspenseful, set at night
Slasher Films- serial killer, stalking, violent, gory, violent sharp
weapons (knifes/axes), usually younger people-out going, parties,
they all get killed of one by one.
Psychological horror- other peoples fears, emotionally unstable,
suiside, sounds used to build tension, ghosts, beliefs/religion- staged
in houses, hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, night time, families are
usually affected, possessions, exorcisms.

4. The art of camera work is an important element displayed in horror films. Through this
convention, the audience can easily be understood to what the film is trying to say.
Weird angles and canted cameras are most common. Also they often use extreme
close ups and POV in order to make the audience more involved.
FOUND FOOTAGE – documentary like footage, more realistic
ICONOGRAPHY- Dark colours like RED and BLACK- these connote danger, blood, these
colours are used in the posters. Blue filters add eeriness to the scene e.g. this is used
in the ring.
Settings- isolated, abandoned or locations with a hidden past – usually at night time.
Props-knives, blood, axes, guns.
Narrative- Cliff hangers, sequels, antagonist survives, last girl.

5. • The Protagonist - usually female, smart usually survives so
they can make a sequel.
• The Sex Appeal – promiscuous female, usually the first one
to be killed.
• The Unlikely Hero – Audience usually expects them to be
the antagonist however they help sae the situation.
• The Antagonist – the person or thing that kills and causes
bad things to happen. They usually aren’t killed off, this is
to allow a sequel of the movie.

6. Semantic- eerie music throughout the
film, setting-in a deserted hotel, lots of
blood, jack kills a man, killing happens in
the night, axe, low key lighting (scary),
isolated setting
Syntactic-murderous, jack is
psychotic, he gets mad as the hotel makes
you mad, he starts seeing things, family
survives, jack dies, fear

7. Semantic- isolated place (house is the
only house on the street), she wears a white
night gown covered in blood, her hair is
messy and mad looking, priest, night,
sacrifice fire, devil worshiping, low key
lighting
Syntactic- a girl is the possessee
(stereotypical as she is young and virginal),
the brother is a devil worshiper, possession,
an exorcism takes place, she kills animals

9. The Mummy (1932)
Man tries to bring back person
from dead
(zombie/resurrection) –
influenced many remakes like
The Mummy (1999) and many
other Mummy films.
Psycho (1960)
Man with
psychological
problems kills off
people one by
one- Slasher
horror- influenced
films like
Halloween,
Scream
Night of the Living
Dead (1968)
Group of people
try and survive
zombies that are
killing people-influenced
films
like Dawn of the
Dead
The Exorcist
(1973)
Girl gets
possessed by
ghost and
exorcism is
performed on
her. – influenced
many sequels.

10. Based on a book,
has conventions
like isolated places,
family being
tormented, blood,
gore. Man gets
possessed and tries
to kill his family-basis
of modern
horror films
Group of teens
getting stuck in
the middle of the
woods, one of
them gets
possessed and
starts killing the
others.
More of a
psychological horror,
with a cannibal serial
killer who tries to
get into peoples
heads. It is a horror-thriller
hybrid.

11. The Blair Witch Project has all
the conventions of the classic
but moving into documentary
style. This adds to realism and
makes the film more believable.
It also appeals to modern day
audiences as it is a modern
concept
Paranormal Activity is similar
as it has all conventions of a
classic but hand held camera/
found footage
Let the Right One In follows
conventions of a horror but adds
elements on romance and focus’
more o individual characters.
Alien has
conventions of a
classic however it is
mixed with the sci-fi
genre.
The Hills Have
Eyes has all the
conventions of a
classic e.g.
isolated setting,
however they add
things like
monsters that kill
people.

12. Parody of scream and other
horror/slasher horror. The film
references Scream, I Know What
You Did Last Summer, Buffy the
Vampire Slayer, Sixth Sense, The
Usual Suspects, The Matrix, The
Blair Witch Project and Dawson’s
Creek. Basically there is 5 other
sequels which reference other
horror movies and TV shows .
Shaun of the Dead was
supposed to be a parody
of Dawn of the Dead,
hence the name. It adds
element of social realism
and comedy.

13. Conventions of classic-like
family being
haunted, but with a
twist as it happens in
the boys dream.
“Based on a true
story”- haunted
house so uses
conventions of a
classic but with a
twist- paranormal
investigators.
Similar to Evil Dead as
they go to an isolated
cabin, they reference
slasher horror films in
the movie- the last girl.
Also the last character
is a guy.