The document discusses several common conventions in slasher films. It describes the trope of the "final girl", who is typically the last survivor and is portrayed as pure in contrast to her promiscuous friends who are killed. It also discusses the antagonist monster/killer who is often concealed and portrayed as inhumanly strong. Other common tropes mentioned are the group of attractive friends who are punished for their vices, isolated locations like woods and abandoned buildings that feel close to home, and a benefactor character who guides the final girl. The document also discusses how German Expressionism and Film Noir influenced horror filmmaking through their use of lighting, shadows, and sense of paranoia.

1. Slasher film
Conventions

2. Final Girl
• A common convention in slasher film, the girl represents
the dominant male ideology on what a female should be in
society. The final girl is the only survivor in most slasher
films, most of the friends are killed. The final girl is pure
whilst her group of friends are promiscuous, drug taking
troubled teens.
• She is not made out to be as feminine as the other girls,
and she is a virgin, she is pure which is why she doesn’t
die.

4. The Monster/Killer
This is the antagonist of the film. His identity is often concealed and is
shown to be not human but more of a beast or a monster. They are
often mute, powerful as they are able to withstand stabbings and high
falls. The monster is very strong and tall to making it seem almost
impossible to kill. They tend to have handheld weapons such as axes,
knifes hammers etc.

6. Group of friends
• Another trope in slasher films. Everyone in the group
besides the final girl will die, those in the group are not as
“pure” as the final girl. They tend to be young and
attractive, they can be seen as being punished for their
vices such as drugs and promiscuity. They are usually
killed during or after sexual activity.

8. Locations
• Common locations include the woods, a school,
abandoned hospital, graveyards, alleyways etc. These
locations are usually isolated, in urban areas, making the
film setting feel more close to home. This makes the
audience feel uneasy as the fear hits more close to home.

10. Benefactor
• Usually an older character who guides the final girl by
giving advice to kill the monster. They are usually in a
position of power such as police, doctor, professor etc. they
usually show up when the monster has killed most of the
group, saving the final girl.

12. German Expressionism
• Was a major cultural movement that began in Germany
around the first world war. The movement represents
Germany at the time, very dark. It consisted of using
lights, abstract shapes and shadows in a bizarre way,
creating another reality which looked nothing like real life. It
was used to represent the minds of the characters and
what it happening to them. The movement was short lived,
but its influence still lives. Many films manipulate shadows
and light in order for mise en scene to explain the narrative
in a creative way.
• The lighting/ shadows used in these German
expressionism films have inspired the horror genre. The
shadows and lighting help to create tensions in these types
of films and they amplify the killers presence.

14. Film noir
• Film noir is a style of film made during the 1950s; film noir
was dark crime based thriller type film which revolved
around a detective solving a mysterious crime. At first it the
detective is solving a crime that seems small then it grows
into something big. Film noir films are based on paranoia
and they were popular in the time when paranoia was
prevalent in American society.