Horror Research

How theyve changed over time STYLE

http://www.ocala.com/article/20081031/ARTICLES/810311002?p=2&tc=pg&tc=ar
started in spoken storeis evolved into literature and film, lots of new techniques
were used gran guignol in paris. The first films were based off old literature
during the sixties cold war aliens stuff slashers in the 80s 2000s psycho thrillers
fear of the unknown 2010s ghosts ghouls
George Meilies work in the 1890, a spook tale and the manor of the devil.
When talking pictures became popular horrors rose to stardom:
In the 1930s horrors where based on literature such as Dracula
Monster movies and sci fi horrors became popular in the 1950s and 60s and
played on the anxiety caused by the cold war and the fear of the unknown
nuclear powers, however by the humans triumphing over alien invaders often
helped relieve that anxiety
In the 1970s realism was introduced, films which could occur in real life
involving serial killers and psychopaths without any motive where produced to
make people feel connected and scared as the acts in the film could potentially
happen in real life.
Special effects became popular in the 80s with slasher films such as the
werewolf of London and a nightmare on Elm Street, these films were often high
on gore.
Psychological films plagued the mid in the 90s as people became terrified of
what could happen to their own brain such as silence of the lambs, it was also in
the 90s that the Blair witch project was re Sleazed its cheap found footage
format becoming an icon and changing the genre forever.
The 2000s brought elements of all the previous genres with it, with films like
saw having religious connotations and a slasher aspect to it, unescapable death
became a popular theme in the final destination franchise.
Representation
Women are killed quickly or are rescued men are the killers and the heroes
women can only be strong if they adopt masculine roles. Females have been
constantly stereotyped in this genre always being killed first in the most
ludicrous ways and providing comic relief and a subject for male gaze. Men on
the other hand are seen as the blue blooded heroes triumphing over evil. There
is a strong representation of youth in the movies with the bad guys sometimes
being old, this is so the film makers can attract their young target audience as
scare the more deeply as they will relate to the on screen characters.
https://screampsychohorror.wordpress.com/representation-of-women-in-horrorfilms/
there is a strong following of horror with teenagers and young adults watching
them for a thrill or to be rebellious as they are disobeying the common 18 BBFC

Certificate. They provide an adrenaline rush and offer entertainment at parties

and other social events
Codes and conventions

https://louisabroadheadmediablog.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/codes-andconventions-of-horror-films/

Secluded location, characters forgetting about threats, fake scares, vehicles not
starting warnings going unheeded, these films are always a 15 or 18 and this
adult age rating promises an adult reward of gore and spooks
The soundtrack is usually very slow and eerie, usually made this way through the
use of classical instruments or a synthesiser. Many horror films will have the
music playing at a very low volume to start with, and this then increases in
volume up to the point where the action happens. There is also the use of
sudden, sharp music at points in the film where suspense is being built up. This
puts the audience on edge, and when the action appears it make them more
jumpy.
Throughout the horror film, long shots are used often. These create a strong
sense of place, and builds up the creepy, isolated atmosphere that most horror
films wish to create. Close-ups are not used as often, as they usually convey
emotions of characters, with the principal emotion in horror being terror, these
are not usually necessary. The close-ups in horror films will usually be on objects
rather then on people, to show their significance.
The setting is usually very dark. This is used because it creates a strong feeling
of terror; the audience can sympathise with how little the characters can see and
feel the tension this causes.
The weather in horror films is usually stormy when the main action of the film
takes place. This is called pathetic fallacy because it reflects the feelings of the
characters.
The most vulnerable characters in horror films are usually females. This is
because they are stereotyped as the weaker sex, and make for the easiest
victims. Males are usually portrayed as the stronger and more rational character,
who has to protect the female.
The killer usually has a trademark that makes them unique; this could be the
way in which they kill someone, or the way they leave a crime scene. It can even
be the type of person that they prey on. They are also shown to be alsmot
inhuman. They show very little feeling when they kill/hurt their victims, and if
someone attempts to hurt them, they appear unaffected. A good example of this
is in the film Halloween. Michael Myers is at one point stabbed, but carries on
like he has not been hurt.
Screaming is used throughout horror films and has become one of the major
conventions of the genre. Weapons are also conventions of horror films; the most

common being a knife. Like blood, this has become such a major convention,
that it could possibly be described as an icon of the horror genre.
Jump cuts are the most common way of changing shots in horror films. This is
because it creates a feeling of tension, and when a number of shots are edited
this way in a short space of time, it creates a sense of confusion for the
audience, positioning them to be scared when it is necessary in the film
Horror Film Distribution
There are a huge amount of horror movies available some with enormous
budgets and others with crowdfunds or small budgets, small indie films are
making success through instant play internet distribution deals such as Netflix
and amazon prime, an example of a small budget film making it big is the
paranormal activity series.
Horror film target audience
Horror Films tend to attract a younger audience from
18-25 year olds as people seek out the unique scare
and thrill that horrors provide, its at this young age
that people are more likely to seek out adrenaline
hence why it might not appeal to older people. 42% of
horror watchers are women with 58% being men.
These films often play on the insecurity and areas of
life that scare us for example alien films in the 60 and
70 playing on the fear of the unknown and anxiety
caused by the cold war.
Horror Narrative Structure
The first act of a horror film focuses on the central
characters we learn about them before the venture into
a strange and threatening setting. At times they may
stumble into a forbidden territory or do something to
upset others which unleashes a wave of dangerous
violence and one of the company is usually killed or injured, the residual damage
from this first wave weakens the cast and pushes them away from each other,
they may try and contact the authority or other people only to be met with
disbelief. More member of the cast begin to die and the film ultimately ends in a
show down between the survivor or survivors sometimes they are all killed
leaving the monster to rage on, or the monster is only partially defeated and will
return in the many sequels seen in modern horror
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/education-resources/studentguide/issuesintroduction/horror
http://www.valmorgan.co.nz/audiences/profiles/horror-movies/
http://www.filmsite.org/horrorfilms.html
http://media.edusites.co.uk/article/horror-genre-codes-conventions
https://saraeveninga2media.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/audience-research.png
http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04092009-

105427/unrestricted/Brewer_thesis.pdf.pdf
http://rkmediab.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/representation-of-men-and-womenin.html
http://thehorror2010.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/how-horror-films-havechangedand.html
https://shannoncotton2.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/research-conventions-ofthehorror-genre/
Horror films tend to attract a slightly younger