This document outlines common codes and conventions found in horror movies. It notes that horror movies often feature isolated settings to create mystery, and use tropes like blood, screams, death, darkness and evil. It also discusses how children are frequently portrayed as victims due to their perceived vulnerability, and how men are often shown as brave discoverers and women as vulnerable victims. Finally, it mentions the common convention of ghosts in horror films being depicted as women in long white dresses with long black hair.

1. Codes and conventions in
horror movies

2. • The codes and conventions of a horror film are almost like the 'rules'
that a horror movie must follow in order to be successful.
Here‟s a list of conventions that people often associate with horror movies:
oBlood
oScreams
oDeath
oKilling
oDarkness
oEvil
oHaunted houses
oGhosts
oVictims
oExorcism
oDevil

3. One of the main conventions in
horror movies are isolated places,
to create a mysterious
atmosphere. Isolated places are
usually known for having some
„dark‟ past incidents or myths.
My movieOther horror movies
• Small communities
• Lakes
• Countryside
• Subways
• Dark streets
• Alleyways
• Abandoned houses

4. Most demonic horror movies have
children as the evil spirit or as the
victim, for example the movie 6th
sense. Possibly because children
are more sensitive/vulnerable
therefore becoming the victims.
My movieOther horror movies
Men- often portrayed as
brave, therefore always
willing to this discover the
mystery (evil). The male
audience usually compare
themselves to them.
Women/children-
vulnerable/sensitive hence
usually becoming the
victims.

5. The majority of horror
movies also have the ghost
(when a girl) dressed in the
stereotypical old/dirty white
long dress and usually with
long black hair. For example
I used the movie „the ring‟ as
a main influence as I liked
the effect the girl‟s
appearance had on me as
the audience.

6. Intertextuality
 This is the practice of deliberately including references
to one text in the narrative of another.
 I done this to engage the interest of the audience by
appealing to their prior knowledge and experience of
horror movies.
 For example, the ghost‟s costumes/appearance in my
trailer is very similar to the ghost in the movie “the
ring”.