1. Investigate how far the
trailer for Dark Shadows
conforms to genre
conventions
Melissa Shearer
Candidate number: 2157
2. Explore the nature of the Horror genre
and the pleasures it offers the audience.
Why is it so popular?
The nature of the horror genre is generally to evoke feelings of dread, disgust and fear in the
mind of the audience. Some people find great pleasure in horror films, whereas others find it
distasteful or upsetting.
Pleasures that the horror genre offers:
• Diversion – horror texts are often so different to normal life that they provide the audience
with an escape from their day-to-day lives. This can release stress in the audience and make
them feel more relaxed.
• The audience can also acknowledge a side of them that enjoys and appreciates the
creativeness of the killing, as these horror films often stimulating the imagination.
The pleasures that the audience get from watching horror films are often things that some
people do not like to experience, such as fear. This is why the horror genre can also be very
unpopular among people who like to feel safe in their environment, as a key aspect of horror is
manipulating the normal aspects of day to day life, and distorting them. This is effective because
people feel they can relate to the day to day aspect represented, but the horror aspects added to
it gives them a sense of adrenaline.
Horror is also a very popular genre because the tension and fear builds the adrenaline of the
reader, and gives them an enjoyable rush of excitement.
3. Conventions of horror genre
• Darkness
• Old houses
• Shadows
• The moon
• Coffins
• Murder
• Symbols of death – crows etc.
• Crime
• Isolation
• Ravens
• Skulls
• Entrapment
• Fog/mist
• Strange adaptations of day-to-day or
• Blood
‘normal’ situations
• Supernatural
• Flickering lights
• Jump cuts
• Silhouettes
• Candles
• Bodies
• Madness
4. Representation of vampires in
the media
The image of vampires in the media is one that has changed greatly over time, Originally,
vampires (such as Count Dracula, the main character in Dracula) was seen as a monster, as
portrayed by the extended fangs, odd skin colour and expression. They were also seen as being
a large threat to a normal society, particularly to women, as they were portrayed as preying on
innocent young women to drink their blood.
The modern image of vampires is very different. They are often portrayed today as being very
similar to humans visually, and so are often shown as blending in to normal society and living a
controlled life with humans. This is shown in films such as Twilight, where the main vampires do
not reveal themselves to be vampires to any humans. They are portrayed as much less
dangerous in the modern media, and seen as being mainly human, as opposed to a monster.
These changes could be because of the modern audience’s acceptance of things that in the
1950s, would have been seen as unacceptably horrible, however the increase in the popularity
of the horror genre has made people more comfortable with supernatural concepts.
Technological developments have also allowed the image of vampires to become more normal,
as the special effects developments have allowed filmmakers to make vampires seem human,
but provide supernatural aspects that could not be achieved as well with the makeup that was
around in the 1950s, when vampires first started to be a feature of films.
5. Movie trailers
What are film trailers?
Films trailers are an important part of a film’s marketing campaign, designed to inform potential
audiences about a film to encourage them to pay money to see it at a cinema.
Why are they made?
Trailers are made to attract the potential audience of a film and make them want to go and see
the whole of the film in the cinema.
How do they work?
They work by showing the Unique Selling Point that a film has, such as a popular celebrity
actor/actress, an interesting plot or extravagant special effects.
Who are they for?
Film trailers are aimed at the same audience as the film they advertise. This way, the audience
knows that if they like the trailer they will most likely enjoy the rest of the film.
Where do we see them?
Cinemas, on TV, online and promoted by poster and radio campaigns. They are usually released
as the film is being edited, so that people get excited for the release but not too early that they
forget about the film before its release.
7. Large house, old, often associated with the Bright, daytime scene contrasts the typical time of day that you’d
horror/gothic genre due to creaking and darkness expect to see a gothic castle
Shadows – foreboding, make the house seem creepy and as if something is being
hidden – also links to the title of the film
View from slightly below – makes the house and the main
character in front of it seem larger and more important to the Music is old-fashioned and gives the audience an
audience idea of the time period that the film is set in
8. Warm, sunny tones of colour – reds and golds signify wealth and Johnny Depp is a well know actor, very popular and very liked – something that the audience can
Over the shoulder conversation shot
romance recognise and might go and see the film because of him
Also can give an idea of
genre, as Johnny Depp
often appears in films
which are gothic or
comedic
Outside in the
natural light, sunny
and bright
Pathetic Fallacy – the sunny and pleasant weather reflects the happy emotions of the characters
Clothes signify the time period – 1700s
Balcony suggests romance and grandeur
Early introduction suggests that these are the two main
characters
9. Bubbling and brewing suggests some form of curse or evil potion,
Cauldrons associated with the gothic genre – witchcraft Also hides what is actually being brewed from the viewer – makes them
which is normally what witches are shown as making in the
wonder what the purpose of it is
gothic genre
Night is the time when (stereotypically) most dark and foreboding Clothes are those particularly associated with witches due to the
time period when they were most common Stereotypical image of a witch in the gothic/supernatural genre
things happen in the gothic genre, as they can be easily hidden –
– young, beautiful woman
the darkness of the scene suggests that they do not want to be
seen
10. Takes place at night as most things do in the gothic genre,
Coffins are a feature of the gothic genre, signifying death
implies that there is something to hide
Dangerous, needs to be held in with chains – makes the audience Not knowing who or what is inside provides an aura of mystery,
wonder what is inside and want to know Chains contradict the idea of death provided by the coffin – makes the audience of the trailer want to buy a ticket to see the
suggest that there is something alive in there film so that they can know what is inside that requires so much
protection
11. Comedy aspect – playing on the traditional idea in the gothic Intended to make the viewer laugh, making them want to see the
genre that vampires do not have reflections rest of the film
Gives the audience an idea of the type of comedy that they can
Bright, modern plastic toothbrush juxtaposes the old fashioned expect from the film, so that they know whether or not they will
appearance of the person using it enjoy the film
Bright colours of the mirror gives the idea that the film was set
in the 70s
12. Blonde women often associated with beauty and lust in the Slower scene in the middle of a fast-paced trailer and music stops – tells us
Scene is meant to be romantic due to the positioning of the people
romantic genre, but stereotypically can be seen as dangerous about the relationship between the characters, and also makes us laugh enough
on top of each other
because of this to want to go and see the film in the cinema
Tongue is meant to be
used in a romantic way,
but makes the scene
seem more comedic due
to the length and shape
of the tongue being so
unnatural
Elements normally associated with the supernatural genre
providing a comedy vibe to the scene
Lying on the floor suggests desperation Shows a range of genres (romance, comedy, gothic horror) at once
by involving aspects of each, appeals to a larger audience
13. Shot from underneath – makes her seem smaller and weaker Straightjacket suggests that she is dangerous, despite the angle making her
than others, gives the audience a feeling of having power over her look weak – gives the audience a mixed impression of her
Madness and
entrapment are
often part of the
gothic genre
Dark room suggests that she is being hidden from normal people,
Staring right at the camera makes the audience feel
could imply that she is in some way dangerous or different, as this
uncomfortable and guilty
is generally what gothic films are based around
Also makes her seem evil, her eyes stand out as the lightest thing
in the frame
15. Normal, everyday setting – makes the audience feel
a sense of recognition and comfort Angled from below – the three vampires
seem powerful
Acting casually, blending in with the
Vampires are appearing as normal people humans around them – makes them
seem more human, so the audience
feel that they can connect with
them
16. Supernatural elements starting to be introduced – seems normal, but has powers that
cannot be human, but are not unusual or strange enough to make the audience feel
uncomfortable
Forest can be quite a creepy setting in vampire films (especially at night). This scene in the day
is quite normal, but the fact that it is in the forest far away from any people makes the
audience think that something could happen
17. Unusual representation of vampires – usually they do not use physical
strength to fight, as they usually have the upper hand – audience feels as
if the characters are brought down to their level, as if they can relate
Normally vampires are very solitary and do not know of or are associated with any
other vampires – the gathering of two together is unusual but can make the audience
more familiar with the situation
18. Analysis of dark shadows poster
• Set in a castle – convention of the
gothic genre,
• Creepy slogan – word ‘demons’ can
mean a personal thing to the
audience but is also associated with
strange/unusual creatures
• Font is sharp, dark and serif – the
same text as would be used on a
gothic genre poster
• Colours are largely dark, splashes of
bright colours represent the comedy
aspects of the film, as these are the
characters which are intended to
amuse the audience.
• Vampires (as shown in the classic way here) are a convention of the supernatural genre
• Red often signifies danger or lust – gives a clue as to the personality of the character wearing it
• Unconventional roles – female villain, male hero, usually other way round
• Gothic/archaic architecture, feature of the gothic genre
• Shadows/mist make things seem hidden, more difficult to see things and builds suspense
• Main character is played by Johnny Depp – shown at the front because he is a well recognised
actor who many people would pay to see
19. Comparison of the two trailers
The trailer for Dark Shadows conforms more to the classical image of a vampire film; the main character has a very
similar image to that of Dracula, and the actions of the vampire show that they have been living for a long time, for
example the way that they speak and their inability to use modern technology. This gives the audience the pleasure
of intensity; they feel as if they get a lot out of the short amount of time they spend watching. As well as this, it also
offers a diversion from their normal, monotonous lives.
The fast-paced action of the trailer also his is very different to the trailer for Twilight, as the Twilight trailer makes
vampires seem as if they are more similar to humans. They look almost the same, they act the same, and they can
only be told apart by a few minor differences. They have also changed their behaviours to fit with the modern
times. This makes the audience feel as if they can relate to the characters more, and feel as if they understand the
situation even if they don’t.
This could be a reflection of the target audience of each of the films. The humour and the scenes shown in the Dark
Shadows trailer attract an audience around the age of 15-25, as these are the people who like this kind of humour
and are the main viewers of gothic/comedy films. However, the trailer for Twilight appeals to a much younger
audience, as it has no humour or scenes which younger children would not understand, and also gives a sense of
aspiration for some young people.
Due to the conventions it expresses, the trailer for Twilight is much more fitting in the Horror/Romance sub-genre,
as it does not contain very much violence or other conventions of horror, but it does have some supernatural
elements mixed with romance from the main characters.
This is a contrast to the trailer for Dark Shadows, which is much more centralised around the Horror/Comedy sub-
genre. We are told this from the humour used throughout the trailer, and the significance of the main character in
trying (to the amusement of the audience) to fit in to a more modern society.
