This document provides information on conventions within the supernatural film subgenre. It discusses themes, characters, settings, and other common elements. Specifically, it notes that supernatural films center around ghosts, demons, and miracles. They create suspense through invoking fear and vulnerabilities in viewers. Common plots involve supernatural powers manifesting in outcast characters. Settings like isolated houses are used to build atmosphere. Techniques like unsettling music, shadows, and jarring edits enhance the subgenre's tone. Examples like Carrie and Poltergeist are analyzed in detail.

1. CONVENTIONS OFTHE
SUBGENRE:
SUPERNATURAL
By Bailey Harris-Kelly, Conner Harling and Ihab Saeed

2. Three films within the subgenre:

3. What to expect…
■ Supernatural films purposefully centre on themes such as ghosts, demons,
miracles and other religious elements.
■ Expectedly, they’re films that create suspense, intense thrill, anticipation and
excitement on the audience’s part. For example, by invoking fear,
vulnerabilities, death and/or injuries, within these types of films e.g Carrie
(1976), the audience are startled, captivated and entertained-this is why it is
it’s film convention (it is what the audience expect in these types of films).

4. Plot:
■ The common conventions in the plot of a
supernatural movie vary depending on what
supernatural manifestation or event is taking place.
■ For example:
■ Carrie, this is a supernatural, horror. It's
supernatural because it revolves around the idea or
power (often revolved around telekinesis). This is
also beyond scientific understanding. Often in this
type of supernatural film, the main character is an
outcast or less benefited and the power turns out to
benefit them. In Carrie, she was bullied and
humiliated and in the end she had used her power
to kill everyone.
■ Also a common convention during the plot is that of
Convention of a
human being
unwillingly moved
or controlled in
paranormal activity
4
A convention in scanners of this
character about to have his
head explode, at this moment
he is shaking vigorously which is
a convention in the
supernatural sub-genre

5. Theme:
■ Themes are common subjects that reoccur in a film.
Different types of supernatural films often have
different themes but on a broader scale of
supernatural, each group will have similar maybe even
the same themes.
■ Example: Paranormal films will usually have themes of
God's and devil's to explain how a Demon has spawned
and in super power films, themes will be miracle
related and a theme of good and evil also.
■ “Themes of supernatural films include gods or
goddesses, ghosts, apparitions, spirits, miracles, and
other similar ideas or depictions of extraordinary
It is widely argued that in this scene
of Carrie, that she is not in control
but the devil is. The lack of control
in her actions compared to the rest
of the movie suggest this and so
although it is conspiracy links to the
convention in theme of the
supernatural subgenre.
Also in the new remake of Carrie the
mum is very religious and prays for
her daughters “cure”

6. Character types:
■ Characters in supernatural film as mentioned in the plot slide are often,
underprivileged. They will often also be curious, brave but also cautious.
These traits in character type allow for horror films to take full effect. This is
put into motion as a character more willing to walk towards the mysterious
sound, possessed object or creepy house, allows the audience to be scared as
the supernatural being is able to doing something jumpy or thrilling.

7. Setting/location:
■ Location is important in supernatural-paranormal films
to create the right atmosphere-it is used to shape the
subgenre e.g Supernatural-horror.
■ Generic settings in this subgenre and what to expect…
■ A big detached house- suspense
■ A forest- intense thrill
■ A cabin in the woods- anticipation and excitement

8. Music/sounds:
■ The music/sounds you would expect to hear in supernatural-paranormal-films
are ‘non-linear' sounds (sounds which are randomized within pieces of music
or in dialogue)-this is used to enhance the emotional impact of the scenes.
■ Examples of what these ‘non-linear’ sounds include:
■ -A range of distorted notes (from a hi-fi cranked up too high)
■ -Squeals (produced by blowing too hard into a trumpet)
■ -Abrupt shifts up and down in pitch

9. Cinematography: camera
shots/angles
■ Cinematography makes a big part of the overall production,
within supernatural-paranormal- horrors; this is because it helps meet the
narrative enigma of the subgenre.
(READ HANDOUT FOR MORE INFORMATION)

10. MISE-En-Scene: Lighting
■ Examples of the technical codes used for these types of films, are back
lighting, side lighting and profile lighting-this is to create mystery and
suspense.
■ The reason under lighting is used, is because it gives the characters a sense of
desperation on film; back lighting creates silhouettes-shadows (the images of
the dark figures conceals the identity of whomever it is within the scene). The
use of profile lighting gives a sinister edge and so fulfills the plot conventions.
■ Low key lighting/ambiance lighting is used for this sub-genre- this is because
it enhances the dark mood and somber tone for these scenes. The use of
natural ambiance lighting-fire- associates with devils, and so from the
lighting/camera work matches the generic conventions of paranormal-
supernatural films. The emphasis of the minimum amount of light within the
film(s) enhances the audience’s fears of not being able to see-meeting the
film convention as a result.
■ Dark and light lines are used to give the extremes of certain situations within
the subgenre.

11. Special effects:
■ Supernatural movies use lots of different effects like:
■ Make up effects
■ Editing
■ Lighting
• All these features play an important role in the productions of films.
• Most films will have the same camera angles. e.g. to show a tense look they
will do a close up and to do a and to show a fast pace scene they would have
different angles every couple of seconds.
• With make up it’s the same they all have similar bruises and scratches if they
have been injured like on there face above their eye or on their neck.
• Lighting plays a massive roll because they can use it to show a shadow coming p
behind somebody or have a a silhouette of somebody getting hurt without

12. Editing techniques:
■ Examples of what to expect:
■ Crossfade: This transition that fades out one scene, has a moment of black
before the next scene fades in, is a generic convention of supernatural films as
it signifies to the audience that time is running out for the protagonist
(something dangerous is approaching).
■ Cut to: This commonly used transition is implied by a change of scene (it
intensifies a characters change and emotional shifts within the film); by doing
this, the audience can clearly see what is happening to a certain character
over a period of time e.g in the film Carrie (1976) the audience sees a
degeneration in the characters well-being (she gets more and more depressed-
causing her to lose control of her emotions).

13. Narrative structure:
• The narrative structure of a movie in the supernatural genre is usually the same
all the way through:
1. The family move into a new house which is massive and in the middle of
nowhere
2. First couple of nights the house is ok. Its NORMAL
3. They find something creepy in the attic or basement.
4. After they find that supernatural things start to happen
5. The Youngest family member gets possessed first
6. Family try to get rid of the ghost but it doesn't’t work
7. They all either die or they move out.

14. Examples of supernatural films…
■ Carrie 1976- Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is an introvert teen who faces abuse
at school (from classmates) and at home (from her discourteous mother).
During the film, Carrie sees that strange occurrences have taken place when
she gets angry or upset. An example of this, was in the scene in where Carrie
(in her first period at school) was crying out for help-her fellow students
ridiculed her-throwing tampons and sanitary towels at her and as Carrie White
became livid, a lightbulb snapped. So, from that event, White started to
believe that she had supernatural powers. When she was invited to prom by an
empathetic Tommy Ross, she started to let her guard down… but when they
were elected prom king and queen, things took a dark turn.
■ Poltergeist 2015- A suburban home is invaded by angry spirits-these spirits
kidnaps one of the family’s children (Maddy) through a television set.
■ Scanners 1981- A scientist sends a man with extraordinary psychic powers to
hunt others like him (a group of renegade scanners plan to create a race that

15. Carrie 1976: DIRECTED
BY BRIAN DE PALMA
■ De Palma uses…
■ A split screen to extend action sequences
■ Tracking shots to create uneasiness
■ Seventies red filters to symbolise blood.
■ CARRIES GETS ANGRY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOhPdUMzXjY

16. Poltergeist 2015: DIRECTED BY GILL
KENAN
■ Weird things are afoot in the Bowen’s new home…
■ In this movie a young couple decide to buy a house because they just got
married and they needed more space for their three children. They spent the
first night in the house with almost no distractions but a couple of noises
through the night. Later on the dad finds a box of clown dolls which obviously
signifies something bad is going to happen. During the second night there
youngest daughter is found staring at a static television in the middle of the
night, when one of her family members comes downstairs, the youngest
daughter says “they’re here”. This is the first moment of supernatural
possession. During the third night, one of the kids is dragged through the
wardrobe due to the POLTERGIEST.

17. Scanners 1981: DIRECTED BY DAVID
CRONENBERG
■ Scanners is a film about a large military company, set out to create "scanners"
(no not the printer kind). Scanners are robots, similar to humans but with
distinctive features to prove otherwise. They are a military weapon yet one
scanner had escaped and become known as Revok, he is set on starting a war
against ConSec. The company ConSec soon discover this and deploy a scanner
called Vale. This chase between Revok and Vale, intensifies the Humans hatred
for Scanners as in order to escape Revok, uses his military grade weapon of
telekenisis (that every scanner has) to find new exits. This could be anything
from exploding someone's head to reading someone's mind to find a secret
exit. This leaves a constant struggle between good and evil but also morally
right verses wrong. This could be because although Revok is good, he is
morally wrong by putting humans in danger constantly.