Research Into Genre

Horror

Conventions of the genre

Colours:

The colours in Horror films are dark, dull and extremelyeery to create a scary atmosphere. These colours are black, greys and could also be browns. Red is also used a lot throughout the films, normally being used to represent blood and danger.

The 'Saw' movies are films that are extremely gory and scary.The left screen grab is from Saw 6. Here you are able to see a dark room, where there are a lot of blacks and browns shown. Also the colour red is used in some places, to represent gore, horror, pain and death. This is extremely successful as it creates an extremely scary feel to the film and the audience know something bad will happen.

Images:

There are many images that you associate with Horror films which are used throughout them and normally are shown in the opening sequences:

-Blood, knives, corpses, white 
eyes/crazy eyes, possessed characters, cuts, broken bones, disfigured people, ghosts, zombies, masks, writing onwalls.

All of these things make the audience scared as what is going to happen next, building tension up and giving them a slight idea to the storyline. This is because all of these things are associated with danger and death. 

Locations

Horror films use conventional locations to create fear and show the characters to be vulnerable in the places they are shown in. Victims are placed in forests and empty dark fields to suggest that they are the weak and are in danger just like basements do the same. Also large, old, abandoned houses are shown a lot which are used to suggest they are haunted and the film is about ghosts etc.  The locations are also shot at night to enhance this eery feel. 

Props

Props can establish alot within a scene. It can tell us traits of the character and what they may bring to the film, it also may also give us an idea of the plot. It also allows the viewers to determine the genre of film, therefore Horror films include many props that are conventional to the genre:

-Knives, machettes, masks, ancient books, gloves, chains, chain saws.
There are many props that are extremely famous within films that without them we wouldn't be able to recognise them as a certain character. Here are some examples:

  
  Scream Mask-                                           Freddy Krueger's hands
       Scream 1,2,3, 4                                          Nightmare on elm street

Music

Conventional music in horror films is high pitched, repetitive sounds that builds up to be faster creating tension and signifying something bad is going to happen, sometimes however they use low pitched sounds. Also used are sounds associate with children as they are seen to be innocent and can make the feel audience feel intimidated. For example children singing in unison, nursery sounds; rattles, baby monitor etc

A strong example of a film that uses a repetitive sound to signify the appearance of the killer that gets faster and louder leading up to the killing of a victim is 'Jaws'. Therefore everytime the audience hears this sound you know that someone is going to die or get hurt. 

Costumes

The costumes for the victims in horror films are usually quite plain showing them to be the weaker character within the film. Also they may have their clothes ripped, covered in blood. This shows they have been attacked of some sort by the killer/antagonist in the film. The main killer/antagonist in horror films normally have costumes that hide their true identity, for example the Scream mask clearly hides the killers appearance. Other examples of this include Jason -Friday the 13th, Leatherface- Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

                           

   Characters
The characters within Horror films are quite similar throughout many that have been made. The victims are usually seen to be either normal people you see everyday, these can be either male or females but within this there are types that usually are 'picked on'. Young teenage girls can be seen as very weak and therefore most of the time are the main victims or those to die first.  The screenshot on the leftis from the Horror movie 'Sorority Row'. This is about a group of american teenage girls who live in a Sorority where the girls are the first to killed in the film. Another film that shows the girls to be the main victims in the killings is 'I know what you did last summer'. This is where the killer harasses a variety of girls throughout the film. 

The antagonist/killers in horror films are normally seen to be males, it is extremely unusual for the main killer to be a female. They are usually middle aged males, and therefore are seen as stronger and more dominant over the victims.  One example of the antagonist in 'The Stepfather' As he is the oldest male in the family, he automatically is seen to be stronger and more intimadating to the rest.

Conventional actors
There are many actors/actresses that you tend to see in many horror films.

Boris Karloff has appeared in many Horror films throughout his years of being an actor. To name a few he has been cast in Scarface, Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy and Thriller


Janet Leigh is famous for her role in Pyscho but also has appeared in The Fog, Touch of Evil and Ghost Story

A more modern actress that has appeared in recent Horor and Thriller films is Melissa George. Amityville horror is one of her most famous films that she has appeared in but she has also been cast in 30 Days of Night, Triangle and Paradise lost.

Gunnar Hansen is one of the most famous horror actors for his role of Leatherface in the 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.

Conventional Directors

Alfred Hithcock- Pyscho, The Birds, As long as he lives
Brian De Palma - Carrie, The Fury, Raising Cain, Stir of Echoes
John Carpenter - Halloween 1,2,3,4, The Fog, Master of Horrors, Someones watching me.
Dario Argenta - Deep Red, Phenomona, Opera, Trauma, Masters of Horror
Clive Barker - Hellraiser, Salome, The Forbiddon, Underworld, Nightbreed
Tod Browning - Dracula, The Hypnotist, The Unknown, Freaks
David Cronenberg - Shivers, Scanners, Fridays Curse, The Fly, Dead Ringers, Nightbreed

These are just a few famous Horror directors.