This document discusses different sub-genres of horror films including possession, supernatural, slasher, gothic, and psychological films. It provides examples for each sub-genre and describes common conventions and characteristics. Possession films typically involve a normal family disturbed by a spirit or demon, while supernatural films engage audiences' fears of the unknown. Slasher films feature graphic violence and killers using weapons. Gothic films rely more on atmosphere than realism. Psychological films remove blood and gore in favor of unmasked antagonists and mental manipulation of victims. The document concludes that a combination of possession and supernatural elements would be most terrifying for modern audiences.

2. Main Sub-genres
Possession
Supernatural
Slasher
Gothic
Physiological

3. Examples of films

Possession Films:
The Possession
Mama

Slasher Films:
Saw
Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Supernatural Films:
Insidious
Amityville Horror

Gothic Films:
Women in Black
Sleepy Hollow

Physiological Films:
Hide and Seek
Silence of the Lamb

4. Possession Films

Possession films are sophisticated but very chilling at the same
time. They are more suited to a more mature audience. They
start of with a normal equilibrium that even the audience might
be familiar with in their every day life. When the disturbance is
visible to the audience this when the horror starts to kick in and
the audience starts to come more scared and worried about
what’s about to happen next. For example the horror film ‘ The
Possession’ where the disturbance starts when the little girl
opens a box that has a possessed demon/ sprit inside of it and
she lets it free. From then on in the film the audience can tell a
change. Most possession films have a deep back story to
them, they are mainly situated in a suburban house with a
content family. Most possessing films happen during the late
hours of the day, to make it more realistic and scary for the
audience and the characters. The fact that spirits can target
anyone even the innocent of people for example children. Most
possession based films are aimed around families for example
‘The Conjuring’, show even children who are meant to have a
pure soul get possessed.

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs8jtP2wfo&safe=active

6. Supernatural Films

In supernatural films they are also very sophisticated in the way they
are presented and edited but at the same time they are very chilling to
the audience. You could also say that possession and supernatural
films are very similar in the way they are being portrayed to the
audience. For example ‘Insidious’ the family start out like any ordinary
family and throughout the film the audience slowly realise that they are
not so ‘normal’ as they had seemed. The most interesting thing with
supernatural films are the fact that they engage with the audiences
current fears, this is because the target audience are always going to
be frightened and terrified of spirits and the unknown as their is still no
proof yet that they don't exist. Supernatural films are also more realistic
to the audience and they are more believable unlike other sub-genres
e.g gothic and slasher. In most supernatural films they are set in big
suburban houses which have a lot of spare space and are very roomy.
This is a common setting of this type of film because they are trying to
show realism to the audience and make they scared and petrified of
their own houses and fear the unknown of what could be lurking in their
own homes. Most supernatural films convey conventions such as
possessed/demonic children, a prop or person which sets of the
disturbance in the film. It’s mainly solved by a strong male who tries to
fight with the antagonist to set the main character free.

7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2iGapwcFE&safe=active

8. Slasher Films


Slasher films are very intriguing to the audience now than they have ever been. The
editing effects have become more realistic and more effective for the audience when
watching them. The fact that most of them are now recently based on true events such
as ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacare’. This is very chilling to the audience and might entice
them to go and watch the film. The conventions that crops up most of the time in this
sub-genre are normally lots of blood, group of teenagers or young adults, it is mainly
the last girl who survive in the film. In most of the slasher films the antagonist have a
prop which they use to kill their victims. For instance the antagonist in ‘Texas Chainsaw
Massacre’ is called ‘Leatherface’ his prop in the film is a chainsaw. Slasher films are
normally based in an area which the audience wouldn't think to be safe for example an
abandoned house or a forest. Most of the settings have a link with the killers childhood
or have a connection with them. The location is also not highly populated, which gives
the antagonist no disruption when wanting to kill his victims. The fact that the setting is
mainly in a secluded place gives the victims no hope of escaping their death. The
antagonist in most of theses films are masked or have something wrong with their face.
At the start of slasher film ‘Scream’, Casey is home alone in an isolated mansion in a
wealthy suburbia – meaning there are plenty of rooms and places for a killer to hide
with limited neighbours or towns nearby

10. Gothic Films

Gothic films are much more on the dark side than any
other sub-genre. They are still scar but more unrealistic
as the audeince now a days aren’t as afraid. As they know
what goes on in these types of films can never happen in
real life. But they still give out a real scare factor to the
audience when watching them. For example ‘The women
in black’ Even though it was a Gothic film it still gave the
audience a sense of horror. Especially the scene when
he’s in the house on his own and he starts to hear noises
from inside the house. It fears both the actor and the
audience as it’s the unknown that they are fearing. The
fact that this scene can actually happen to the audience
may give them a connection to the film and the scene
that’s happening. Common conventions featured in this
type of films are dark colours, isolated settings with a
small population of people and no escape route.

12. Psychological Films

Psychological films are more sophisticated and slick
compared to the other sub-genres such as gothic and
slasher. They take away the blood and gore and have
more a chilled effect to them. Unlike a slasher film the
antagonist is normally unmasked and gives out a look of
being a human being and its only their minds that are
messed up and dysfunctional. This is what makes
psychological films much scarier to the audience the fact
that its very realistic, less blood and more mental games
for both the characters and the audience watching the
film. This could make this sub-genre of film more
confusing for the audience to understand. The killings
sometimes take longer to happen that slasher. In
psychological films the killer normally tries to play games
with the victim and makes them suffer.

14. Our Choice

Our choice of sub-genre is a mix of
possession and supernatural as that’s
what the audience now a days are more
terrified of. It is also easier to present
the conventions clearer to the audience
than the other sub-genres. It is also
more scarier and sophisticated for the
audience when watching the film.