Conventions of Horror

Post by Mollie Knapp: 


Horror films will always have conventions of horror these are:

Setting

Small communities, isolated places, urban environments, dark alley ways, run down ghost towns anything that connotes isolation or being alone.

Locations such as lakes, dark woods, forests, abounded houses, creepy houses/hotels, attics, meat factories, caves, tunnels, graveyard, castles, haunted houses, mental homes, church, sheds, underground, basements.

Places that have 'dark' and haunted history such as abandoned houses, hotels, hospitals and asylums are also associated with horror films.

Camerawork: 

Camera angles can be very expressive and connote different things such as high and low angle shots. Low angle shots can show vulnerability as the surroundings/person looks bigger which can also show fear. High angle shots can show a person looking huge compared to what they are looking down at showing that whatever the camera is framed on look like they are in trouble and in danger. POV shots are effective as it allows the audience to see from the persons eyes and allows you to experience what is happening with them wether this is them being in danger or them chasing someone. This shot really impacts the audience as they feel connected to the person enhancing fear and it makes them care more for the person. Depth of field can be used to blur certain parts of the frame making the audience have to look closer which draws them in it also obscures what they can see for example they would not see the bad person approaching the victim. Extreme close ups are used a lot in horror films as they allow the audience to see the expression clearly on the victims face enhancing the terror they also use them to show important objects such as weapons like in 'The Strangers'. Handheld shots are used as they can be very shaky at times which makes it hard for the audience to make sense of making the audience intrigued by what is going on drawing them in making sure they don't loose focus. It also creates a rushed atmosphere which helps build suspense such as when the victim could be running from someone. However the editing of a movie is very important especially the pace of a shot if the camera angles change quickly it builds suspense and you know something is coming or there is a high risk of a problem but if a shot has not changed for a long time suspense is built and you are aware there could be a 'jump' shown in many horror films (Woman in Black uses the slow technique) the speed a a shot can be very unsettling and uncomfortable for an audience as it raises emotions.

Character types: 

• The villain who is often a monster, killer who will often use a mask to disguise their faces or deformity this is to show no emotion making them seem more heartless than they already are this makes the audience had no connection with the villain and cuts them off completely. Wearing a mask also plays with the fear of the unknown and creates enigma. This character will never die until the end sometimes this character does not die at all, the character will never react the same as a human would e.g. be harmed they would act unharmed making them seem inhuman and monster-like. A villain such as a zombie/monster or a demon plays on the fear of the unknown again as there is no proof that they do exist making the audience think what if this happened, how would i react? This plays on the audience primal fears as these characters are normally not ever seen e.g. 'Paranormal Activity'. This character has this biggest impact on the audience as they are the person who creates the fear and what all the codes and conventions lead up to.   
• The protagonist who is normally the hero or victim stereotypically this character is normally male as women characters are show to be the ones in need of protection normally blonde as they are also stereotypically 'stupid'.
• Spooky children or spirits who are normally referred to a past of a victim or the killer to give background knowledge
• The 'non-believer' who is normally trying to convince the other characters that nothing bad is going on or not to believe it and they are over reacting. However this character is normally the first to be killed as they are typically over confident (Wrong Turn 2).
• A hysterical character who is usually a female this character helps build suspense and horror from their screams. This character would be killed during the film either from being stubborn and not moving or being saved till last either way they would be killed. This character will also witness a death of a friend/ member of the group and her hysterical tendencies will reflect off onto other characters. 
• There are sometimes a loved-up couple in movies who normally are killed when showing interest to each other. They are normally never around for the first murder so they do not know that the villain is around therefor they die. This character impacts the audience and causes the audience frustration as the villain is normally close to them but they are to preoccupied with each other that they do not realise which makes the audience shout at the screen in anger and fright for them when they are about to be killed. The character creates suspense as the audience really gain interest because the killer is so close to them which irritates them putting them on the edge of their seats. (This is shown again in 'Wrong Turn 2').     

Themes:

• Religion 
• Suicide
• Evil vs Good
• Childhood issues
• Depression
• Supernatural 
• Revenge
• Madness
• Nightmears
• Envy
• Insanity 
• Zombie apocalypses
• The future
• Lust
• Beyond death
• Self-conciousness 

Narratives: 

A classic horror film narrative is where a protagonist has a conflict or a dilemma that the main characters have to endure. Horror films try to connect with the audience with hope that the view will identify with the hero they also try to play on the stereotypical fears of people as it will create more impact for the audience. Some narratives, such as physiological based films are based upon a bad upbringing where the character would have experienced traumatic events which has affected them in the future making them lash out and kill people at random, especially children. 

Iconography:

Visual stylings make it easy for a viewer to identify that the movie is a horror for example:

• Dark colours such as red and black are used as these colours connote danger and death, the colours are associated with blood, entrails and dark shadows. The villain will usually wear black as it creates mystery also the colour black is associated with the darkness which is associated with the unknown as we cannot see what is in the darkness this creates dramatic tension and plays on the fear of the unknown which is very important as it creates suspense and makes sure the audience do not get bored. 
• Low-key lighting is iconic in horror films as it creates shadows which plays on the fear of someone following you and lingering watching and stalking you. The shadows can make unfamiliar shapes but also can be a link the the villain and maybe the only link you will ever get if the villain wears a mask to disguise their face.
• Iconic props are usually; masks, knifes, chainsaws, guns, ropes etc.
• The setting will usually be a dark and dismal place like a abandoned area.