The document discusses conventions commonly seen in horror films. It lists several iconic horror films and the subgenres they represent, such as slasher, torture porn, and monster films. It then outlines techniques horror films use to unsettle and discomfort viewers, like increasing heart rate and invoking fears. Finally, it details some common fears reinforced in horror, like nightmares, vulnerability, and death. It provides examples of typical horror conventions like isolated settings, masked killers who use weapons like knives, and characters archetypes like teenagers and final girls.

1. List as
many codes
and
conventions
of the
horror
genre seen
in:

2. Compare with other ‘types’
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Halloween – Slasher
Saw – Torture Porn/Gore
Scream - Slasher
Friday the 13th – Psychological/Slasher
Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Gore
The Descent – Monster/Gore
The Exorcist - Religious

3. Horror films are unsettling and designed to
cause discomfort to the viewer. It could do any
these things to you;
• Frighten and make the viewer panic causing
heart rate to rise.
• Cause dread and alarm.
• Invoke hidden or even new fears, sometimes
lasting longer than the film.
• Captivate and entertain us in a fearful and
gruesome manner.
• Conclude often in a way that shocks the
audience.

4. Typical fears reinforced by the
horror genre
Any good horror film should play on at least one of the
following;
• Nightmares - something everyone has experienced once in
their life
• Vulnerability - the inability to withstand the effects of a hostile
environment.
• Alienation - being alone is one of the scariest things for
everyone
• Fear of the unknown - even something simple like a low lit
room
• Death - the inevitable and also unknown, it’s never certain
what will happen when you die.
• Loss of identity - losing everything you once were

5. Machete
Knife
Weapons that
inflict a slow
and painful
death
Axe Chainsaw
Cave
Isolated Town
Countryside
Usually stabbing weapon
never a gun
Woods
weapon
Haunted/Abandoned House
Isolated places
Teenagers
Parents
Props
Location/Setting
The Virgin survives as long
as her virginity
Characters
Horror Conventions
Sound/music
A group of
people, the
audience can
relate to
Evil twin
Psycho
Ghost/Demon
Mental patient
Monster
Outcast
Villain/Killer
Victims
The slut( promiscuous girl)
gets punished for being
sexual active
Children
Killer
Uses a lot of non-diegetic
sound to set a mood
Sub genre
Religious
Sci-fi Teen slasher
Monster
Vampire
Masked murders
Killer/monster never dies
Killer (usually a male
character)

6. Key film language to use in your
essays
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Convention
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Narrative
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Genre
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Mise-en-scene
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Lighting
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Editing
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Performance
Camera – movement
Shot - angle/tilt
Framing
Composition
Sound
Colour
Iconography