Conventions of a horror genre essay

Horror films make a frequent use of themes that are there to attempt to scare, thrill, and also enterain its target audiences. While other films may document the more positive, optimistic elements of life, horror films are very centered on the 'dark' side, full of pessimism, danger, and even uses devices to warn viewers of life's harsh realities. Themes include revenge, haunting, demons, blood and gore, serial killers, religious beliefs. Some of these themes can create film hybrids e.g. goth, slasher, psychological etc.

Left: My Bloody Valentine (slasher), Right: The Ring (psychological)


The opening scene from The Ring.

In terms of narrative structure, horror films will always contain at least one protagonist (a hero or heroine), who will endure a dilemma and conflict with an antagonist (usually with evil intentions, can be a monster, an alien or another non-human creature. Horror films carry expectations that the viewer can identify with the protagonist. Many serial killer-horror narratives are common and the murderer's traumatic childhood or psychotic issues are shown, therefore killing random innocent citizens. Another typical convention of this kind of storyline is that the protagonist will be alongside several teenagers, many of who will die throughout the course of the film, leaving a mere 2 or 3 people left. The fate of the main protagonist is sometimes left unknown.

Characters and their stereotypes:
* The protagonist is usually a female role, with their high intelligence asserting their leadership, and their survival sometimes opening up the possibility of a sequel e.g. Scream's main protagonist, Sidney.

 The character Sidney from the Scream franchise. She fits the conventions of a horror movie's female protagonist, being determined and carrying with her a weapon.



* Another possible stereotype is the Sex appeal, a promiscuous woman, usually the first to be killed and to expose their body e.g. Paige from House Of Wax.


* A more irritating character can sometimes be paired with the "Sex appeal" character in that they are the first to go. The killing off of this character can usually have a positive impact on the audience due to their undesirable behaviour.

* There may also be an unlikely hero who the audience suspects to be the antagonist due to their actions and/or appearance. (Often referred to as an antihero)

* The antagonist, or the "bad guy" is usually revealed in full towards the end of the film, having only appeared as glimpses in the events following up to his full appearance. Most antagonists are killed off at the end of the film, but some are merely wounded to make way for a possible future appearance in a sequel.

Cinematography:

Like other film genres, camera work is important in horror films.They conventionally use many canted angles (and usually several other unconventional shots) to tell the audience that something isn't right. Others shots used include extreme close ups and point of view shots to build tension and fear within the audience, making them feel involved with the events of the film.

Films such as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield use documentary conventional cinematography, to create a realistic feel, and make the audience feel like they can relate to the more unusual events in life.

Because the filming in The Blair Witch Project was done by an inexperienced operator using hand held shots, much of the footage is shaky, especially the final sequence in which the camera operator is running down a set of stairs with the camera. Another (deliberate) element which makes this film seem realistic is that the three main actors use their own names for their roles in the film.



Iconography:
The visuals of horror makes the genre easily identifiable. Example include dark colours associated with gore, danger, and darkness (red, black) often seen in film posters. The colour white can also be used powerfully for supernatural-themed films. Typical settings within a horror film include an abandoned house, a forest, an event occuring at night, and dark alleys.

Props are another main indicator, with costumes and ropes and weaponary such as machetes, knives and chainsaws being used to identify a character. Other common objects include supernatural icons, masks and religious symbols.

Lighting (often low key in horror) creates dark shadows and bizarre, unfamiliar shapes.

Setting:
Typical locations of a horror film are usually isolated ones, like abandoned houses or an eerie forest with a mysterious back story that builds up tension e.g. The Overlook Hotel in The Shining. The main character are usually placed within this setting alone on a night time.