Horror
Horror is a genre intended to unsettle and generally scare the audience. Horror films are usually based around some kind of evil figure, whether it is paranormal or criminal. These films also usually include shock or twist endings. The target audience are people ages 15-25 since they enjoy thrills the most. They are aimed more at men because of their preference for action and violence.
Genre Conventions - Content
The conent of a horror film usually involve death whether it is with the presence of a murder, ghosts, supernatural events. The main character has the job of defeating this evil figure. Horror produces fear by including jump scares, gory images, unsettling fears, darkness, suspense, silence, screams. These are all utilized to have the successful reaction of terror. Horror also has the subgenres including comedy horror, body horror, holiday horror, psychological horror, science fiction horror, supernatural horror, gothic horror, natural horror, and more.
Genre Conventions - Production
Techniques within the production process in terms of horror include dark and isolated settings which is a result of the fear of being alone, a common fear in horror. Common settings are also hospitals, asylums, and hotels, for example, The Shining. The props used in production include objects that cause death or violence, like chainsaws, a knife, or a gun. Colors like black and red have a huge impact on how the audience feels, these colors representing fear and blood. Horror films also utilize the use of low-key lighting to show the fear of the "unknown" and to give off shadows. The costumes of characters are usually dark or even raggedy. Religious items can be seen often in horror films based on the paranormal for priests or religious figures to perform an exercism or some kind of healing. Gore like blood and wounds can be specifically popular with the use of makeup. Lastly, mysteriousness is added with the use of fog and the outside setting of trees and the forest.
Institutional Conventions - Marketing
Horror films are promoted by using short clips as well as slow clips awaiting a jump scare. Because Halloween is a scary time especially for young people, this is generally when horror hilms are released. This time of the year gets people in the mood to feel scared and want adrenaline. To ensure the success of horror movies, trailers for them are placed in common areas like social media or before other movies in the theater.
Film Samples
The Sixth Sense directed by M. Night Shyamalan
This movie explores the paranormal side of horror. Shyamalan does this successfully by utilzing shocking images of death and unsettling scenes pertaining to death. This film has the audience feeling suspense starting at the very beginning. The Sixth Sense can also be classified as pyschological horror since it does get inside the head of the viewer and causes discomfort. This is due to the main character's therapist profession and the variety of patients and just characters in general with fearful histories. It can be most frightening that the characters and setting seems completely normal, despite the discomforting images of darkness.
Paranormal Activity directed by Oren Peli
This film represents supernatural horror. Peli does a good job at producing fear by having dark and slow scenes awaiting for either a jump scare or a discomforting ending. This is the perfect example of horror because it really does cause suspense as the more time passes, more destructive events follow. The use of camera angles and shots almost make people not want to look at the screen, causing fear. At the end there is a shock ending (like in most horror movies) and religious objects appear in order to heal the main character.
The Blair Witch Project directed by Daniel Myrick
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185937/?ref_=ttls_li_tt
The Conjuring directed by James Wan
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1457767/?ref_=ttls_li_tt
The Cabin In The Woods Directed by Drew Goddard
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1259521/?ref_=ttls_li_tt
The Shining directed by Stanley Kubrick
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/?ref_=ttls_li_tt
Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/
