The document discusses interviews conducted with 8 people about the paranormal genre. 4 people correctly identified the genre as paranormal, while the others guessed psychological, monster, or another incorrect genre. When asked what comes to mind about paranormal, common responses included ghosts, witches, demons, and mystical creatures. The document then covers themes, settings, sounds, editing, and character types commonly seen in paranormal horror films.

1. Paranormal
Iconography &
Conventions
William Smith,
Tom Aquilina,
Joshua O’Riley
and Oliver Murray

3. Interview 1
• Name: George Egleton
• Genre: Paranormal
• Correct or Incorrect : Correct
• What else comes into mind when you
think of the paranormal sub genre?: “I
think of ghosts and spirits that haunt a
house or a person.”

4. Interview 2
• Name: Tim Smith
• Genre: Paranormal
• Correct or Incorrect: Correct
• What else comes into mind when you
think of the sub genre paranormal?: “I
think of witches and ghosts.”

5. Interview 3:
• Name: Matt Sheehan
• Genre: Paranormal
• Correct or Incorrect: Incorrect, he
guessed Psychological instead of
paranormal.
• What else comes into your mind when
you think of the sub genre paranormal?:
“I think of devils and witches.”

6. Interview 4:
• Name: Helen Murray
• Genre: Paranormal
• Correct or Incorrect?: Correct
• What else comes into your head when
you think of the sub genre paranormal?:
“I think of paranormal activity.”

7. Interview 5:
• Name: Josh Morris
• Genre: Paranormal
• Correct or Incorrect: Incorrect, he
guessed monster instead of paranormal.
• What else comes into your head when
you think of the paranormal sub genre?:
“ I think of ghosts and someone being
possessed.”

8. Interview 6
• Name: Christopher Murray
• Genre: Paranormal
• Correct or Incorrect: Incorrect guessed
Psychological instead of paranormal.
• What else comes into mind when you
think of the sub genre paranormal?: “ I
think of a haunted house that is
possessed by a ghost.

9. Interview 7
• Name: Harry Gunner
• Genre: Paranormal
• Correct or incorrect?: Incorrect, he
guessed monster instead of paranormal.
• What else comes into your head when
you think of the sub genre paranormal?:
“I think of demons and witches.”

10. Interview 8
• Name: Chris O’Reilly
• Genre: Paranormal
• Correct or Incorrect: Correct
• What else comes into your head when
you think of the sub genre paranormal?:
‘I think of mystical creatures and things
that don’t actually exist.”

11. 0
1
2
3
4
5
Psycholigical Paranormal Monster
Questoniare

12. Audience feedback
• we found that the majority of people
know what a paranormal horror is but
can be confused with psychological and
monster

13. • Supernatural Horrors are usually set in the
home of the protagonist, or a place where
the audience would feel at their most safe,
this could be from their house to the
suburban area in which they live in.
• The setting of a house within horrors is common
however it within Supernatural horrors, the home
almost becomes a character itself, it emphasises the
fear of the unwanted and unexplained in which the
character cannot control or escape from making the
audience feel frightened in the one place in which you
should feel at most safe.
• The setting for a horror film is usually
shot in isolated, abandoned locations
for example at a haunted basement,
attic or loft. This is because these
settings create a sense of tension
and an eerie atmosphere to the
audience.
• Examples of locations are:
Graveyard, Churches, Hospitals,
Basements, Attics and Lofts. Horror
films are used to create a negative
emotional reaction from viewers by
playing on the audience’s primal
fears.
Setting

14. Themes
• The themes of a paranormal horror is mainly based around self- consciousness and nightmares because it is making you
question what is real and what isn’t.
• Horror films often feature scenes that startle the viewer. Themes like the supernatural are commonly used in this genre.
Horror films often deal with the viewer's nightmares, hidden fears, and terror of the unknown. Plots within the horror genre
often involve the intrusion of an evil force, event, or person, commonly of supernatural origin, into the everyday world. The
presence of characters like children are used because they come across as innocent to the viewer, when in the fact they hold
a hidden agenda and so surprises the audience when they see the child possessed by an evil spirit. Other characters include
ghosts, aliens, vampires, werewolves, curses, satanism, demons, gore, torture, vicious animals, monsters, zombies,
cannibals, and serial killers. The hero (protagonist) is usually seen as the victim, the villain (antagonist) is usually of
supernatural origin that scares the audience.

15. Iconography and
conventions
Paranormal Horrors

16. Sound
• A good example of use of non diegetic in a paranormal horror is
the woman in black. This is the first scene and the music is used
to represent the introduction of the supernatural character in the
scene. This can be heard in the video above at 0:32 when the
music changes from a light xylophone to a dark bell/chime

17. Camera
• A camera technique used in
paranormal horrors is the hand
cam. The use of this technique
gives the audience a point of
view of the character in the film
and almost allows them to
experience the fear of the
characters to a certain extent.

18. Editing
• continuity editing is used to add to
the versimility.
• montage editing is used a times of
high tension as it creates a chaotic
mood.
• Lots of eye line matches to to
emphasis the object/place they are
looking at.

19. Genre Films Plot and narrative structure
Supernatural
Carrie
At the beginning of the film carry gets
bullied and later discovers she has
Telekinesis
The Ring
A female women discovers a tape that
when you watch it you will get a phone
call telling you will die in 7 days
Sinister
A family move into a new house where
the dad discovers a box of old footage
where he finds a familiar footage in the
background. later begins to haunt them.
Witches
Conjuring
A family move into a new house where
satanic haunting begins and they will be
haunted wherever they go
Harry Potter
Harry, Ron and hermione continue their
quest of finding and destroying the Dark
Lords last three horcruxes.
Into the Woods
A baker and his wife wish to begin a
family but their interaction with the witch
has put a curse on them.
Devils/Demons
Evil Dead
Five friends move to a remote cabin
where they find a book of the dead and
summon up dormant demons.
The Omen
Robert the father of damien realises the
boy is the son of the devil and is the
antichrist.
Drag me to hell
Young women fighting to become
assistant manager shortens her stay with
an elderly lady who losses her house
and places a curse where she will be
dragged to hell in a few days and she
comes across many hurdles on the way

20. Character Types

21. Character Types
• These are different types of characters which make up a film and how the
audience identifies them.
-The protagonist: This is often a female role, they are usually the most morally
standing and smartest of they group, they almost always survive in order to
pave way for a sequel
-The irritating guy: They are often the first to go and due to their behavior and
the audience is usually happy when they are killed off.
-The antagonist: The “bad guy” of the film. It’s not always clear why they are
doing what they are doing but they are rarely killed off all together at the end.
-A black guy: In the majority of horror films there is a black/mix raced man who
is often the one to sacrifice themselves to save the others or to act as the muscle
of the group. For example Roland from ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’

22. Character Representation
and MES
• The mis-en-scene of any horror film also help show that the
film is a horror film by using such props as Knives, axes,
guns and of course blood
• The main characters appear to be ‘normal’ people, who live
their lives accordingly. Conventionally female, they are
harmless, caring and loving beings. Supernatural Horrors
differ to slashers because, the main characters are not being
punished by experiencing the horror and in most cases have
done nothing wrong to deserve the visit from the spirit.