research into horror

1. Horror Genre Research
featuring

2. Psychosis Genre
The genre of our film ‘psychosis’ is horror. Horror is designed to play on
our primal fears or fears of the unknown. Audiences typically enjoy the
thrill of being scared which is why we chose to create our own horror
film as we believe it would be the more entertaining genre of film to
produce. The sub-genre of our film would be psychological horror. Sub-
genres are where a genre is further categorised into smaller groups.

3. Storyline
At the beginning of many horror films it’s never too apparent as
to what is going to happen to any of the characters. As the film
develops further a change will occur within the characters which
conveys to the audience that something bad will happen and
then they will be able to distinguish between the antagonist and
protagonist. A good example of psychological horror is A Tale of
Two Sisters, which is based on two sisters who, after spending
time in a mental institution, return to the home of their father
and cruel stepmother. Once there, in addition to dealing with
their stepmother's obsessive and unbalanced ways, an
interfering ghost also affects their recovery.
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

4. Shots and Angles
These shots are used in horror films to create the intended effect such as fear, tension or however
the director wanted the audience to feel:
• Close-up: A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame. This is so the
audience focuses on one certain thing.
• High Angle & Low Angle: This angle makes the subject being looked down upon appear to be
vulnerable and powerless, whereas the subject which is higher up and looking down is seen as
the more powerful subject within the shot. Low angle shots are very powerful in the way they
can emphasize just how scary or intimidating a villain is. This could make you as the audience as
well as the actors/actresses in the film feel weak and insignificant.
• Tracking: These shots connotes movement. This is used very effectively in horror and thriller
films to make out a character is being followed or watched. It also could establish a scene so the
audience can see the full view. Another great use is as the camera is moving the suspense builds
up as you don’t know what could be shown next.
Close-up
High Angle

5. Shots and Angles – Part 2
• Cantered Angle: Cantered angles add a lot of dramatic tension to shots, and could simplify a supernatural being, for
example, pushing or moving the camera. It’s also a great way to get a different shot of an incident across to the
audience. Another great use for a tilt shot is to act as though the camera is a victim on the floor, and you are seeing
what they are seeing.
• Extreme Long shot: This is a great shot to use to establish the scene/ surroundings in horror or thriller films. This
shot could put into perspective how deserted and town is or how haunted a house looks, for example.
• Hand Held Camera: This is use very often in horror/thriller films to add a sense of reality. It makes the audience feel
involved and adds to the horror of the scene as you feel like you are there.
• POV: This shot is taken from the point of view of the character. This is when the audience is able to see the film
through the eyes of one character. This is popular in these types of movies as the audience becomes emotionally
attached and more scared as the gun could be directly point at them for example.
• Over the Shoulder Shot: This is one of the best shots to build tension. This is used a lot in horrors and thrillers to
add suspense, and is used especially around mirrors and reflections so the audience can see what's happening as
soon as the character does. This is used a lot to show a figure stood behind a victim. However, this could alternately
be used in convocation sequences to give off the effect that multiple characters are talking to one another.
Cantered Angle
Extreme Long Shot
Over the Shoulder Shot

6. Typical Characters
• Gothic: Werewolves, Vampires, Madmen, Devils. Film Examples: Dracula (1931) & The Wolf
Man (1941)
• Fear of the Unknown: Characters are generally “possessed” or “reincarnated”, which gives the
audience a sense of personal paranoia. Film Examples: The Exorcist (1973)
• Slasher Films: Characters are madmen trying to kill the protagonist of the film. Film Examples:
New Nightmare (1994)
• Teen-Centred Horror: Teenagers are normally assumed to be very vulnerable due to society
accepting teenagers as immature adolescence. Film Examples: Final Destination Series (2000’s)
• Female Victim: There is almost no horror film without a female victim, as they are portrayed as
being vulnerable and in need of protection. This representation dates back to earlier horror
films that were made in a more sexist era, and the idea continued. Usually young, blonde and
attractive, helping to appeal to a wider male audience. This character is often portrayed to be
stupid and annoying, one of the only characters the audience sometimes will to be killed.
Although she is shown to be dumb, she isn’t typically the first to be killed.
Christopher Lee as Dracula.

7. Typical Characters – Part 2
• Non-Believer: Often male. Portrayed as being cocky and at ease, convincing the other characters that they are over
reacting and that nothing is going on typically overconfident, which usually lead to them being the first to be killed, and
their death will trigger a mass killing of the other characters. To begin with, the audience will listen to this voice of reason
and be reassured and calmed slightly by them. However, when they are shortly after killed, the audience will panic and all
sense of security has gone; nobody is safe.
• Hero: Pretty much always a male character of strong, masculine build. Although he is the ‘hero’, there aren’t many horror
films where the good triumph over evil. In these cases, he tends to be the brave character that goes after the murderer,
often never returning. However, in more recent horror films, female characters appear to be the hero to make the film
more un-predicable.
• The Couple: Usually, male and female characters, usually all over each other when they are killed. They are typically away
from the rest of the group when the first murder occurs, and therefore don’t know that there is a killer out there So
preoccupied with each other that they don’t notice the killer, even when he is close to them. They have an impact on the
audience, as they get frustrated at them, putting the audience on the edge of their seat, building up tension further.
• Evil Character: Can take many forms; serial killer, demonic possession, ghost, monster (vampire, werewolf, zombie etc.) If
they are human, they will often wear a mask, disguising them completely of appearance or emotion, and the audience can
make no connection to them whatsoever. Wearing a mask also plays on the fear of the unknown, which makes the
audience scared.

8. Mise en scene
Mise en scene is French for the arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play.
The different elements of mise en scene
• Settings
• Props
• Staging
• Costume, hair & make up
• Figure expression and movement
Typical Horror Setting Typical Horror Prop Typical Horror Costume

9. Settings within Horror
Settings and locations play and important part in film-making and are not just ‘backgrounds’ for the production.
Settings can also manipulate an audience by building certain expectations, this can also be done alongside music
which gives it the added touch in a professional production. All in all, a great deal of the time is put into finding the
correct setting for what mood and atmosphere you are trying to create.
• Haunted House
• Graveyard
• Castle
• Woods/Forest
• Rural Locations
• Dark Streets
• Warehouses

10. Props within Horror
Props build on the setting to create a believable world. Props can also be used to establish a character as well as being used
as symbols to connote additional meanings over and above their material presence. ‘At their simplest, props work to give an
authentic sense of place, but can also be used in more complex ways to suggest important characteristics of particular
individuals or even key themes for the whole film.’ – Benyahia, Gaffney and White (2006)
• Knifes
• Guns
• Masks
• Baseball Bats

11. Staging
Staging is the process of selecting, designing, adapting to, or modifying the performance space for a film or a
play. Or in simple terms – it is how objects are placed in a room and what that might suggest.
Space can include deep space where
there is a lot of visible space in the
background or shallow space where
the character is flat against
something. (see left)
Blocking is used when talking about
the positioning of a character in a
scene. As you can see on the left, the
characters are blocking out the
background and makes you focus on
the main subject.

12. Costume, Hair and Make up
Costume, hair and make up act as an instant indicator of a characters personality, status and job. It
can tell the audience whether the film is set in the present and what society or culture it will centre
around. Certain costumes can signify certain individuals. Costumes are also used to show difference
or similarity between characters, changes in an individuals character or mood as the film progresses
and whether or not they fit in with the setting.
• Black cloak of a vampire
• Spiderman’s blue and red outfit
• Edward Scissorhands' hair