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1. Unit10: Fictional FilmCodesand Conventions
Section One: Genre
As one of the most recognizable genres in film, the horror film genre provides an excellent
opportunity to analyse the stylistic codes and conventions that make up this type of film. By looking
at two films IT (2017) and The Strangers (2008), we can clearly see how generic conventions and
characteristics of the horror film are present, and help the audience recognize and interact with what
they see onscreen.
Horror is a genre of speculative fiction which is intended to or has the capacity to frighten, disgust or
startle its viewers by the use of feelings of horror and terror. A horror films is a film that seeks to
elicit fear. They may do this by aiming to evoke viewers’ nightmares, fears or terror of the unknown.
Plots within the horror genre often involve intrusion, evil force, event or personage into the everyday
world of life. Elements include things like ghosts, vampires, werewolves, demons, clowns, gore,
torture, animals, witches, monsters, zombies, psychopaths, natural or man man disasters, serial
killers and evil.
Literary historian, J. A. cuddon has defined the horror story as "a piece of fiction in prose of variable
length... which shocks or even frightens the reader, or perhaps induces a feeling of repulsion or
loathing". It creates an eerie and frightening atmosphere. Horror is frequently supernatural, though it
can be non-supernatural. Horror may also overlap with fantasy and also thriller genres. Often the
central menace of a work of horror fiction can be interpreted as a metaphor or the larger fears of a
society. Horror has existed as a film genre more than a century.
Some sub-genres of horror film include low-budget horror, action horror, comedy horror, body horror,
disaster horror, found footage, holiday horror, horror drama, psychological horror, science fiction
horror, slasher, supernatural horror, gothic horror, natural horror, zombie horror, first-person horror,
and teen horror.
Theorist Steve Neale suggests that genre cinema is made up of repetition and difference. The
audience expects a degree of familiarity to be present within the film, this is usually done by the
repetition of story lines. Neale argues that audiences get a degree of pleasure from recognizing
familiar genre tropes when watching films – they want the reassurance of some of the recognizable
characteristics that make them enjoy the genre in the first place.
Neale’s ideas of repetition can clearly be seen in both IT and The Strangers, both of which show a
number of recognizable and point able genre stylistic codes and conventions through the storyline
and features.
Arguably the most iconic scene from IT, is the drain scene at the beginning of the film. This is
because there are shocks and the ‘freaky’ voices. The main character is a clown, this reveals a
number of codes closely linked to the horror genre. Clowns are linked to horrors because not many
people like clowns are they are linked to the fright and scare what they give to the audience.
The clown killer is obscured by low key lighting which casts shadow on their face, presenting them
as a silhouette. This type of lighting is commonplace within the genre, which tends to use darkness
and shadow to create suspense in the audience (we do not know what may lurk in the darkness) –
here the mystery of the killer is sustained as we do not know what s going to happen. In ref. 1 the
camera uses a high angle shot (which connotes that he is powerless). However, in this case, it is not
represented to show this meaning. They have used this angle because they flick back and forth to IT
and Georgie to illustrate how Georgie’s views are for the conversation in the drain. T he villain is
presented in darkness and reveals to us another convention of the genre- his costume. In this case

2. the murderer is a clown and this is illustrated by the face paint and evil smile which is shown through
the only bit of light in the image, this character role is easily recognizable for the audience, which has
become iconography in this genre as it identifies the genre (and has appeared in other horror films
such as IT (1990) and Clownhouse (1989).
Ref. 1.
The use of the lighting is important in creating audience response – this is because it is limiting
the vision to the audience leaving mystery. This scene is drawn out because it is the central of
the subject. It includes violence as the conversations grows and strives the horror film as it
leaves the audience in shock as the story begins. This is intensified by the use of point of view
shots where we view the killing from both the killers and Georgie’s eyes. These types are shots
are common stylistic conventions of the genre, as the audience are placed in the shoes of the
characters to their simultaneous delight and horror. It relies on low key lighting throughout the
full film to maintain mystery.
Another stylistic code used the make meaning in the horror film is the effective use of sound.
In this scene the non-diegetic screech of a violin is used to accompany the violent stabbing
frenzy of the killer. This is pleonastic sound as it intensifies the action on screen for an
audience. Bernard Hermann’s score for Psycho has become iconic within the genre, and the
use of loud, confrontational bursts of sound to intensify the action onscreen is a hallmark for
the genre.
Bryan Bertino’s the strangers is another film that clearly uses stylistic codes and conventions of
the horror genre in its own way. Both IT and The Strangers rely on low key lighting to maintain
mystery, The Strangers however, rely on the utter suspense and shock with the props and
costumes– this is in order to demonstrate the the representation of the genre itself (see ref 2.).

3. The use of the unclear killer is another clear genre trope of the horror movie, with the use of
the props and mask often used to disgust or frighten the audience (other examples include
scream, whose mask hides his monstrous face).
Ref. 2.
Again we can see how the use of lighting is integral to the representation of the character, and
in turn to the genre itself, with the weapon of choice in this filmbeing an axe with props of a
mask. The inventive use of murder weapon also characterizes the genre, and the elaborate and
imaginative methods of killing the man in front. The style of this shot is an establishing shot and
will help the audience place the characters in the setting. The setting of this shot is in a house
which suggests to the audience that it is an intruder which links to the horror genre.
The Strangers utilizes realismin order to create its shocks (the large house and plenty of
land),whereas IT integrates fantasy and reality, which again can be seen as a characteristic of
the horror genre. This is clearly evident in a dream sequence where a young boy gets kidnapped
by a clown and killed. The use of sound is again integral to audience response – in this case,
shrieks are repeated non diegetically creating an unsettling vibe and tension of the arrival of a
character. They also use the use of music where the characters can hear, this is diegetic and is
done at the scary parts of the film when the intruder tries to enter, they done this by the use of
a record player which is in the house. The use of an abandoned back alley or the outside in the

4. dead of night is again a familiar trope of the genre, with the idea of isolation (nobody to come
to the rescue) for the victim and also playing on audience fears of the dark. The director
enhances the use of the low key lighting creates an ominous silhouette to create mystery and
suspense. (see ref 3.)
Ref. 3.
The couples intruder situation uses techniques integral and familiar to the genre. Much like IT
rapid editing is used to create a sense of panic and action, and special effects that highlight
blood and gore are brought to the forefront to shock and disgust the audience. IT
implemented a similar technique (bitten off arm in less than 30 seconds), and its use of blood
spiraling down the drain was considered extreme at the time. Many audiences find enjoyment
in the horror genre’s pushing of boundaries in regard to both violence and bloodshed, hence
special effects (both practical and now CGI) are often key iconic conventions of the genre.
As can be seen, both IT and The Strangers clearly exhibit a selection of the stylistic codes and
conventions linked with the horror genre. This allows the audience to fully recognise the films
as genre constructs and, according to Steve Neale, derive pleasure from the rercognition of
familiar forms. In both films we see mise en scene as important in creating a sense of isolation
through setting (the empty house with abandoned outsides for miles of The Strangers and the
streets and drains of IT), costume/make up (the clown IT and the Strangers with the masks),
and also props – where iconic weapons of murder are shown in close up. The use of
cinematography techniques also align the films closely to the genre, with both films using low
key lighting to create ominous shadows where the monsters of the narratives lurk. Sound is
also key to our ability to recognize the codes and conventions, and also the films’ ability to

5. create unease within the viewer, with IT’s iconic drag down the drain, and the shrieking noises
and music playing in The Strangers.
Section Two- Narrative Theory
Alongside stylistic codes and conventions, it is also possible to view both IT and The Strangers in
terms of narrative code, convention and structure. Theorist Tsetzvan Todorv suggests that
narratives will have a beginning, a middle and an end through five transformations: equilibrium,
disruption by an event, recognition disruption has taken place, an attempt to repair the
disruption, a return to equilibrium.
It could be argued that most horror stories follow a similar pattern, and there is evidence to
suggest both IT and The Strangers can be seen to adapt to this, in its most basic form. Both
have disruptions to an equilibrium caused by murder (a genre trope), in IT the death of Georgie,
and in The Strangers the attempt of the couples death.
Recognition and an attempt to repair is clearly evident in IT – this is led by Georgie’s brother
Bill, who initially investigates to hunt him down, and subsequently arrives at the the under
ground sewer himself in an attempt to solve the mystery of his brother’s disappearance.
The films do both demonstrate a return to Todorov’s ‘equilibrium’ – in IT, the murderer clown is
revealed (in a narrative twist commonplace in the mystery/thriller genre) to be Georgie himself
with the clown in his body after killing him. (see Ref. 4).
Ref. 4.

6. Georgie has been found, however, gets killed by his brother as the clown pennywise is inside of
his body – we may also refer to this as a ‘closed ending’ where loose ends are tied up and
storylines are presented clearly. This is normally seen as reassuring to an audience as the
‘threat’ has been discovered and solved. Moreover, this could create shock to the audience as
his brother killed him and may not have seen it coming. This is referred as a spin off.
Similarly, Kristen and James from The Strangers survive and walk away safe. Kristen wakes up as
a boy is stood next to her body whilst the strangers have left by unmasking themselves thinking
they were dead after saying “you’re going to die”.
Despite this, IT also can be seen to subverting narrative conventions in its ‘shock’ twist of killing
off the central character of Georgie near to the end as it was all about him. After setting
Georgie as the main character to find him and they don’t find him until the end, soon as they
see him they kill him, the audience understanding of conventional story arcs will believe him to
be the central character of the story. Georgie’s murder subverts narrative expectations, and in
fact sets in motion a second narrative ‘disruption’ which forms the actual central narrative.
This technique is common in narratives – a plot point that is thought to be crucial to the
narrative, but ultimately proves to be almost pointless to the overall story (in this case we never
know what happens to pennywise). This keeps the audience unaware of events – they can’t
predict what will happen. For IT this is an advantage, as it keeps suspense high.
The Strangers also plays around with narrative convention, however unlike IT which has a
definitive ‘closed’ ending. The Strangers, have more of a common storyline where they escape.
Kristen and James are lying on the floor and the younger boy comes over and goes to touch
kristen’s body– Kristen then wakes up screaming which may make the audience think she is
possessed by the actions which has happened in the house- see Ref. 5). This leaves no absolute
resolution for an audience – we are confused as to whether the ending was in fact a scream,
and if the strangers still exists. These ambiguous ‘open endings’ are often employed in the
horror film, as they attempt to keep the audience uneasy and on edge long after the filmhas
finished, as they offer no reassuring resolution.

7. Ref. 5.
Another structural theorist that can be applied to help explore the narratives of the two films is
Vladimir Propp. In his work Morphology of the Folk Tale, Propp suggested that all stories consist
of a limited selection of characters, and also occur within limited spheres of action. He
suggested that the character types are:
1. The villain: Locked in a constant struggle with the hero, often trying to harm princess.
2. The donor: Gives the hero an object or a piece of information that helps them prepare
for what is to come.
3. The helper: Assists the hero with their quest, often referred to as their 'sidekick'.
4. The princess: Needs assistance fromthe hero, usually because they are in some form of
danger, typically the princess is the victim within the narrative.
5. The dispatcher: Is the character who sends that hero on their mission or quest.
6. Hero: Reacts to the donor and saves the princess, often resulting in them falling in love
with the princess.
7. False hero: May appear good but has an ulterior motive, or attempts to take credit for
the hero's actions.
Pennywise could easily be seen initially as the ‘false hero’ before morphing into the ‘villain’ at
the point he murders Georgie. Ultimately Georgie’s brother, Bill becomes the ‘princess’ as he
embarks upon a ‘quest’ to uncover the whereabouts of his brother which places him in danger
through his proximity to the clown Pennywise. The friends of the brother could be seen as

8. fulfilling the role of ‘donor’ – it is their help which helps Bill discover the potential location of
Georgie. Perhaps surprisingly, Bill could also be seen of taking the role of the ‘hero’ as he fulfills
to find his younger brother to save him to try and brig an end of being missing.
The Strangers can be seen to employ some of Propp’s character types, but it also manipulates
them in interesting narrative ways. The couple staying in the house, is clearly the ‘princess’ of
the film, however could be seen as fulfilling the role of ‘hero’ also. She is put at risk of harm
from the strangers throughout the film, however ultimately must step up and save herself and
her husband to defeat the monsters rather than relying on a ‘hero’ figure to do this for them.
They may be seen trying to get help from a ‘hero’, however there is no one around for miles to
do that. The position of the female hero is actually a very common narrative device of the
horror genre in the slasher era, with strong resourceful female leads in films such as Halloween
and Scream. This is different to IT who still requires the strong male hero to save the day.
It can be argued that both The Strangers and IT both use aspects of Todorov’s five narrative
steps in their story arcs to create disruption and work to to effect the audience. Both can be
seen to overturn these to some extent through the shock death of IT’s assumed lead character,
Georgie. Similarly, we can apply Vladimir Propp’s work to the films with both stories involving a
quest, and dealing in clear character archetypes such as the villain, the hero and the princess.
This is also seen as the storyline for all films no matter the genre now as it fits in well with
everything as the use of repetition is very common.