Peter Maddison A2 Horror genre research

1. Horror Genre research

2. Definition of a horror film
• A horror film attempts to take a viewer out of there comfort zone by creating a negative emotional
reaction. By playing on viewers nightmares, fears and terrors of the unknown.
• They have existed for over a century, being inspired by early literature by authors like Edgar Allen Poe.
• Popular elements of horror films include ghosts, vampires, demons, monsters, zombies and serial killers.
“Always make the audience suffer as much as
possible”

3. Horror genre conventions
Setting
• Isolated areas with small communities are common,
dark streets can connote isolation as people are at
home at night time.
• Common convention is an abandoned house or
hotels as the element of mystery as it is unknown
what is in there.
• Typical areas for location are cemeteries and the
countryside as it is an area which is isolated and
creates an eerie feeling
Iconography
• Visual style is often dark colours like
red and black, red connoting blood
and gore.
• Low key lighting often used to create
shadows and darkness which triggers
attention to any little bits of light and
movement.
• Objects used are masks and weapons
like knives especially for slasher films.
Narrative structure
• Classic structure of the three stages of the
set up, disruption and the resolution,
typically left for closure also to create a
lasting effect.
• Typical character types like a hero who is
usually a normal person who is put
completely out of their comfort zone to
solve the mystery, also the ‘final girl’
hypothesis where a female is last alive after
devastation of previous characters.
• Binary opposition as the villain is always
psychotic and this goes against the typical
hero characters who are just ordinary
people with normal backgrounds who are
suffering from traumatic events.
Other conventions
• POV shots used to show the viewer the
view of the villain or to express the view of
the protagonist characters which is fear
and anxiety.
• Handheld shots are used to make it hard
for the audience to sense what is
happening which adds to the mystery e.g.
Cloverfield.
• Editing typically creates unsettling tension
and suspense along with the sound to be
able to predict a jump scare which is a
typical convention in itself.

5. Horror sub-genres
• Action horror
• Comedy horror
• Gothic horror
• Natural horror
• Psychological horror
• Science fiction
• Supernatural

6. Sound
• Diegetic – sounds that naturally occur in the world of the character, so examples are creaking floorboards,
screaming, a door being shut and typical narrative from the characters.
• Voices which echo in movies is a common example of diegetic sound, this is typical in films consisting of ghosts
or spirits and it is effective in frightening an audience.
• Non-diegetic - Sounds that are added to the background, so a soundtrack linking in with instruments.
• Sound used can be isolated instruments such as a piano which links the idea of vulnerability just before
something bad occurs.
• Long suspenseful notes help create enough suspense for jump scares which are typical in horror movies that
they trick you by using this sound and then not adding a jump scare.
• Extreme changes in pitch create effect as the sudden change tells the audience that something has happened
therefore making them feel tense and anxious, also the change in pace creates effect, as if the pace goes from
slow to fast then the audience become immediately tense as it is common that something bad is going to
happen.

7. Mise-en-scene
• Setting – where the movie is set, for horror films this is usually an isolated or abandoned area, where there is just the one house in the
countryside with nothing around it. This creates a sense of vulnerability which creates tension due to the fear of the unknown.
The Overlook Hotel The unmapped cave
system
Silent Hill, closed
down area
• All of these films having unique locations which are enclosed and isolated from human activity, therefore anybody visiting is at risk as
nobody can protect them, especially the location of Silent Hill as it is a town that is closed off so that already suggests danger.
• Type casting (actors) actors in horror movies are typically unknown as it creates an effect, making it more realistic and they aren’t
credited on the film poster to add to this realism, although big actors like Ethan Hawke are in the Purge they aren’t credited to add to
the realistic effect all horror directors want to show.
• Colour and lighting in horror films uses stereotypically low key lighting, which uses dark colours like black which creates shadows which
can create unsettling tension to an audience as it creates fear of the unknown.

8. • Props are typically masks and weapons such as knives, with iconic masks such as the mask from scream which almost everybody will
recognise, mask wearing is a very typical convention for horror as it creates fear of not knowing who it is and the masks are typically eerie in
the way they look. Weapons used can be different variations of knives, chainsaws from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre or axes, all of these
weapons having the same feature which is that they have the potential to brutally murder somebody which is the reason for their usage.
• Costume, hair and make up; costume in horror movies for villains is typically dull and worn out clothing such as Mike
Myers boiler suit in the Halloween movies, these types of clothing fit the psychopathic characters as they aren’t going
to wear fancy clothes or change, so there clothes are dull and old, Freddy Krueger's costume also suits his character as
he wears his iconic red and black jumper, the red colour connoting blood and gore which defines his character. Hair is
typically long, which may be due to them being made in the 20th century when having long hair was the norm, make up
is a clever way to give a villain a more frightening appeal, usually scars from knives or fire are used on characters to
make them look they are invincible as they have survived the almost impossible therefore connoting their inhuman
features.

9. Camera
• Close up, typically used in horror movies to show the facial expressions of characters, especially
victims who are being targeted by a villain as they are scared to death and the close up shows how
they are reacting to it, also a close up is used on the villainous character as it creates tension and fear
to an audience as the typical mask wearing villains are horrifying to most people.
• Low angle shot, usually used from the point of view of the victim as the villain is higher up to connote
their authority over the character as they most likely murder the character eventually. Also as it
usually to do with a chase scene between villain and victim and the victim will look upwards towards
the villain to see where he is.
• High angle shot, usually a Point of view shot from the villain as they are higher up to show their
commanding dominance over the other characters, but also can be a birds eye view, which is used to
show both characters, an example being two characters walking up a flight of stairs and the shot will
show the position of both characters this creates unsettling tension as it may show the villain getting
closer to the victim and at this point there may be the typical trip by the victim which makes them
lose a lot of ground over the villain.

10. • Point of view shot, can be from the view of any character but most commonly the villain as it shows
who they are targeting and where they are positioned, this type of shot will be used in almost every
slasher movie, as these all consist of the villain chasing characters with the intention to murder them, a
good example being Halloween as there is a point of view in almost all of the instalments, also multiple
POV shots from the view of the hero in Halloween Laurie Strode who see’s Mike Myers in the distance.
• Long shot, used in multiple ways, can be used to introduce a new setting which can be a house or
building, before you see inside the building a long shot will be used to show you where they are, it
most effectively sets the scene for a film but can also be used to show the point of view from a
character as they can be looking into the distance.

11. Ideology
• The main focus of horror is to frighten the audience with mystery and fear of the unknown, Stephen King observes horror
as “extremely limber, adaptable and useful”
• Horror films, especially slasher always focus on teenagers, they are always targeted by the murderer, almost as a message
to younger people, as they are always shown as wanting to party and drinking, also having sex at a young age which
connotes that they are killed due to the fact they are having sex before marriage which goes against God and is clearly seen
as wrong by the writers and directors, almost as if sex gets you killed.
• Also the first person killed in these movies is typically a girl who is perceived as stupid, a male who is shown as being a
‘jerk’ or the black character, which is known to typically be killed first, the stupid female and the jerk are killed first as these
two, especially the jerk character are always the non-believers who go to long lengths to prove that something isn’t real,
the typical blonde female always ends up alone as they make wrong decisions and seem to have no fear of darkness or
isolation. The black character can be similar to the jerk character, but usually they die first, which can be seen as racist by
many people.
• Another idea expressed in horror movies is the idea of fate as in many horror movies things like having low signal or falling
over are typical and relating to the idea that the villain is targeting the characters due to them being teens and going
against god, it is also the idea that God is supporting this villain as they make it harder for the characters to survive by
putting obstacles in their way as they have done acts that go against God such as sex before marriage.

12. Narrative
Plot
• For horror movies, the plot usually is a group of teenagers who visit a house of some sort in the middle of nowhere and
end up being targeted by a psychopathic killer or a detective who visits an abandoned building to look for answers, these
are two very typical plots in horror. For slasher, it is simply just the murderer killing the characters, always teenage
characters in a coordinated fashion.
• The use of Todorov’s theory is regularly used in horror, as it is a simple structure and the 5 stages suit the horror genre
well as every horror movie starts off by setting the scene which will be in a village of some sort, then the audience and
them only will see the villain before the characters, then the characters see the villain and may be killed or are attacked,
then characters will attempt to repair and lastly a new equilibrium will be made, however I believe a horror film best fits
the first three stages as horror movie villains are particularly seen as invincible and to go with this theory they always
come out on top however movies where this doesn’t happen will have the 4th and 5th stages, the trinity theory of
equilibrium, disruption and then resolution doesn’t fit horror movies as there is rarely a resolution and in my opinion
shouldn’t be to continue the convention of villains winning and being invincible.
• Binary oppositions are typical in horror, especially with the villain as they are opposite to every other character in their
films, however an exception being films like Freddy vs Jason as these are both villains, looking at the main character in a
horror they are clearly binary opposite towards the villain, as the villain is bloodthirsty and evil where as the hero is good
and displays anxiety, almost like good v evil, also films like Saw could be different as the villain character targets people
who have wronged him or others and similar to most horror films where usually stereotypical teens are targeted by the
villain who are seen as bad and against God.

13. Characters
• Hero character who is usually male show little fear in the film and are supportive of
other characters, ultimately they solve the mystery but rarely do they triumph over the
villain
• Villain character typically; serial killer, zombie or a demon. These characters are often
hidden behind a mask to create the fear of the unknown, they also show no pain which
connotes their inhuman like features.
• Female victim who are portrayed as being vulnerable and in need of protection, these
characters are also commonly blonde and attractive and shown as stupid and annoying,
also can be in a couple which represents the typical stupid couple in horror movies who
seem to always make wrong decisions.
• The Black Guy, this character is typically killed off first in horror movies and is spoofed in
the first Scary Movie, it is that common that it is almost a norm.

14. Final Girl Theory
This theory relates to the plot consisting of a female being last alive to confront the killer, can sometimes be the one who
tells the story, this is very common in horror films especially within the slasher genre. Films such as Alien and Halloween
support this theory, with Laurie Strode in Halloween and Ellen Ripley in Alien, both of these female characters having the
same in common, in which they both share elements of bravery and survival instinct, also are seen as strong compared to
most females portrayed in horror, so a binary opposite to the typical blonde screaming girl in need of protection.
The term was created by Carol. J Clover.

15. Editing
• Cuts are typical to use especially in a trailer as you need to show as much as you can in a short space of time so
fast cuts are typical during mid way through the trailer where we are introduced to the villain character and he
is haunting the other characters.
• Fast pace is effective in building tension as it is typical to have a fast paced soundtrack with fast paced cuts
which trigger to an audience that the villain is present.
• Slow pace at the beginning of the trailer to set the scene as at this point nothing sinister has happened and we
are just getting an idea on the setting and the characters, so slow cuts are typical at this point.