1. The first genre I choose to compare was horror. I am looking at two classic horror movies,
john carpenter’s 1978 Halloween and Wes craven’s seminal horror filmscream (1996).
Horror has a style unlike any other genre that makes the audiences recognize what is going
to happen before it does through uses of tropes.
Theorist Steve Neale suggests that most movies are made up of repetition with slight
differences in each movie, the audiences become familiar with certain horror movie tropes
which are expected by audiences. Audience feel comfort with the repetition because it is
reassurance.
Horror
Movie 1- Halloween 1978
The start of the film Halloween presents many typical conventions of the of the horror
genre that the audience would expect to see and are now stereotypical. In the first
sequence of the film the soundtrack shows typical conventions of the horror genre as it
gives extra suspense to the scene and is a signifier that something bad is about to happen.
The start of the film is set at night, so therefore the lighting is dull and dark creating extra
dear for the audience and moreover fitting in with the horror genre. The opening sequence
also has many clever camera techniques there are many close up, for example when
Michael takes the knife out of the draw and when he is stabbing his sister. This puts the
audience in the killer’s shoes and they see what he sees. These scenes in particular are
effective because it gives the audience a better view of wats going on the close up in the
knife as its bee taken out of the draw creates suspense and makes the audience fear as it
foreshadows something bad is about to happen. The close up also allows the audience to
see how sharp the knife is adding to the brutality of the kill. The ending of the scene shocks
audience because we find out that the killer at the start is a child (see ref 1). The image
shows him as a child holding the knife with no expression on his face, this scene has low key
lighting with the light in the background to show off Michael in the clown costume.
Ref.1
The setting of the film is mainly based in the quiet town of Haddonfield (see ref. 2) which
people would expect to be safe. The murders in the filmtake place in a normal town, in the
character’s own homes. This adds to the fear for the audience as it gives the film a sense of
2. realism. The Myers house fits in with the horror genre when doctor Lummis goes inside to
look around, the windows are boarded up and the paint is peeling off the wall. Making the
house seem creepy and evoking the creepy haunted house trope commonly used in horror
movies. The fact the film is set on Halloween automatically establishes the theme of horror.
The simple props used in the setting such as pumpkins and the Halloween decorations adds
to the realismof the film. Although most of the scenes take part in the town of Haddonfield,
one scene takes place in a psychiatrist hospital. Mental hospitals are looked upon as scary
because they are often isolated and away from towns and cities.
Ref. 2
The movies ending does not follow the typical conventions of horror movies. By the end of
the movie you expect the final girl to defeat the killer and peace is restored but the movie
makes it seem like Laurie Strode is safe because Loomis shot Michael and he fell from a
second story balcony (see ref.3), but the body of the killer disappears and leaves the
audience wondering where he is and makes them wonder if Laurie will be safe.
Ref.3
Propp thinks there a number of elements then can be reused in different ways to make up a
story. Halloween uses some of these story plot points. The antagonist harms Laurie Strode
3. when her and Michael are fighting because Michael persuade her after killing all of her
friends. the protagonist is finally rescued by doctor Loomis but there is an open ending
because the killer is still at large because his body has disappeared.
Movie 2- scream 1996
In 1996 Wes craven made a horror filmunlike any other. The characters in scream became
self-aware and knew the so called rules of the horror genre.
A classic horror trope is evoked at the start of the movie when we are introduced to Casey
Becker. The trope used is a girl in the middle of nowhere home alone at night. the iconic
opening scene provides excellent example of lighting, in the house there is only natural
lighting with light coming from lamps which create pockets of lights and shadows. The
darkened spaces are frightening for both Casey and the viewer because they provide places
for the killer to hide. The ending of the opening scene of scream does not follow the
conventional conventions because they kill off the biggest name in the filmand the
character that was on every poster this shocked audiences and this scene became iconic and
known through the horror genre. The camera movement in this scene follows her around as
she walks through her house locking the doors, while she is walking around the only sounds
that are used are diegetic sounds with an eerie tone starting to build up to her attack. The
non-diegetic sounds grow loader when we see ghostface attack Casey and when she realizes
she’s in danger (see ref.4)
(Ref.4)
Again the horror movie is set in a small town the same as Halloween to give the audience a
sense of realism and the sense of fear because the killer is an ordinary person in a mask so
everyone is a suspect and the mystery of who dun it is commonly used in slasher films. The
location of the house that ha a party going on shows that attacks can happen anywhere
even if your surrounded by people all it takes is one second alone to be attacked.
The end of the movie displays both typical and non-typical horror conventions. The non-
typical convention was the fake out with Billy’s death to reveal two killers which defies the
rules of horror because usually there is only one murderer. The typical convention in scream
is the final girl killers the murderers and the peace is resorted see (ref.5)
7. Amells face in this scene is over exposed on one side while the other side of him is quiet
dark to show he has two sides of him he can be evil but there is some good in him.
(Ref.10)
Propp thinks there a number of elements then can be reused in different ways to make up a
story. The Duff uses some of these story plot points. The antagonist Bianca gets branded as
The duff of the group and that's what she is recognized for at the start. Then she seeks
information about what it means. the protagonist then gets a new appearance in the form
of a makeover. the protagonist and antagonist then fight and then there arre conflicts that
are resolved by the end of the film.