Conventions of the Horror Genre
“Definition of convention
noun
Genre
Not content with being just a “horror” film, these films are split again into sub-genres. As previously explained the list of sub-genres for a horror film is pretty long and ranges from paranormal to slasher and from monster to psychological. To read more about horror sub-genres click on the button below
noun
- a way in which something is usually done
- to attract the best patrons the movie houses had to ape the conventions and the standards of theatres“
Genre
Not content with being just a “horror” film, these films are split again into sub-genres. As previously explained the list of sub-genres for a horror film is pretty long and ranges from paranormal to slasher and from monster to psychological. To read more about horror sub-genres click on the button below
These sub-genres could also be merged with another genre or sub-genre to create a hybrid genre. For example Shaun of the Dead has been described as a Rom-Zom-Com because it contains a romance and zombies but is ultimately a comedy.
Audience
Most horror films aim their films towards 16-24 year old males who enjoy mainstream movies. This is backed up by the general 15 or 18 age certificate given to each horror film. Horror films are deemed as unsuitable for people below this age due to the graphic content and adult themes often shown in horror films. However it is thought once you turn 15 or 18 in some cases you are psychologically old enough to deal with horror film content. It has been said that women are into paranormal whereas men are into 'torture porn' or more commonly known as a slasher. Look at our Audience Research page to find out what we learnt from our demographic.
Audience
Most horror films aim their films towards 16-24 year old males who enjoy mainstream movies. This is backed up by the general 15 or 18 age certificate given to each horror film. Horror films are deemed as unsuitable for people below this age due to the graphic content and adult themes often shown in horror films. However it is thought once you turn 15 or 18 in some cases you are psychologically old enough to deal with horror film content. It has been said that women are into paranormal whereas men are into 'torture porn' or more commonly known as a slasher. Look at our Audience Research page to find out what we learnt from our demographic.
Narrative
There are many narrative conventions to follow in a horror film, the first one being the extensive use of narrative enigmas. These unexplained events and occurrences work best in paranormal and psychological horrors as they leave the audience feeling puzzled and confused but make them want to seek out the answer to the unexplained. These sorts of narratives involve the audience and encourage them to be an active audience. Clear binary oppositions are also used to seal the narrative. The most common one in a horror film would be good vs evil. Finally the use of a three act narrative structure in horror films is usually prominent, which makes the narrative structure appear fairly predictable. The three act structure is very similar to Todorov’s equilibrium theory. The first stage in the three act structure is setup, here the main characters are introduced and the dramatic premise and dramatic situation are introduced. The second part is confrontation, this is where the main drama happens and the obstacles to the main characters are introduced. The third and final stage is resolution, here the story wraps up, evil is fought off and the equilibrium is restored.
Representation
Most horror films appear to have a very dominant hegemonic representation of gender, and in this case it is the representation of females. Almost all of the females in horror films are represented as helpless and victims that need to be saved by a male hero. The youth is represented heavily in a lot of horror films. This is because the film makers are trying to appeal to this age audience and this age group can also be seen as less experienced and more vulnerable to the type of events that happen in horror films.
Camera
One increasingly common type of camera work is one where it appears to be filmed through a hand-held camera. This works really well in horror films because it appeals to the audience and makes the events happening within the film more realistic, which makes the film scarier if you think it could happen to you. Other common camera shots are often done with a low angle; this is to show the strength of the villain and the vulnerability of the victims. One of the most common camera shots used in horror is the point of view shot, again this is to highlight the threat of the villain and often the weakness of the victim. Close-up shots of horror victims are also popular as they clearly show emotion and fear on the face of the character.
Editing
Editing within horror is often slow paced until the real drama happens. This creates a sense of suspense and tension between the film and the audience. A lot of CGI and special effects are also used in horror to make the situation seem more dramatic and scary. CGI is used the most in horror films belonging to the monster sub-genre as modern day scary monsters are hard to emulate with costume and make-up.
Sound
Sound is equally important in horror films as the rest of the micro elements, and often lack of sound creates a more haunting effect. The non-diegetic soundtrack often used within horror is eerie and creates tension within the audience. Diegetic sound used is often distorted to make the audience scared. When a horror situation is being played out in front of them and they an here the dialogue clearly they become worried for the character.
Mise-en-Scene
A lot of low key lighting is used in horror because it creates mystery within the film as you cannot see everything as clearly as you would like. Lots of dark colours are also used for the villains and things connected to the villains as this connotes that they’re evil, similarly lighter colour are used for the victims and thing associated with them to portray the victim’s innocence. Typical settings for a horror film include dark and isolated places where no one is around to help. Popular location choices have previously been graveyards, woods and houses in the middle of nowhere.
There are many narrative conventions to follow in a horror film, the first one being the extensive use of narrative enigmas. These unexplained events and occurrences work best in paranormal and psychological horrors as they leave the audience feeling puzzled and confused but make them want to seek out the answer to the unexplained. These sorts of narratives involve the audience and encourage them to be an active audience. Clear binary oppositions are also used to seal the narrative. The most common one in a horror film would be good vs evil. Finally the use of a three act narrative structure in horror films is usually prominent, which makes the narrative structure appear fairly predictable. The three act structure is very similar to Todorov’s equilibrium theory. The first stage in the three act structure is setup, here the main characters are introduced and the dramatic premise and dramatic situation are introduced. The second part is confrontation, this is where the main drama happens and the obstacles to the main characters are introduced. The third and final stage is resolution, here the story wraps up, evil is fought off and the equilibrium is restored.
Representation
Most horror films appear to have a very dominant hegemonic representation of gender, and in this case it is the representation of females. Almost all of the females in horror films are represented as helpless and victims that need to be saved by a male hero. The youth is represented heavily in a lot of horror films. This is because the film makers are trying to appeal to this age audience and this age group can also be seen as less experienced and more vulnerable to the type of events that happen in horror films.
Camera
One increasingly common type of camera work is one where it appears to be filmed through a hand-held camera. This works really well in horror films because it appeals to the audience and makes the events happening within the film more realistic, which makes the film scarier if you think it could happen to you. Other common camera shots are often done with a low angle; this is to show the strength of the villain and the vulnerability of the victims. One of the most common camera shots used in horror is the point of view shot, again this is to highlight the threat of the villain and often the weakness of the victim. Close-up shots of horror victims are also popular as they clearly show emotion and fear on the face of the character.
Editing
Editing within horror is often slow paced until the real drama happens. This creates a sense of suspense and tension between the film and the audience. A lot of CGI and special effects are also used in horror to make the situation seem more dramatic and scary. CGI is used the most in horror films belonging to the monster sub-genre as modern day scary monsters are hard to emulate with costume and make-up.
Sound
Sound is equally important in horror films as the rest of the micro elements, and often lack of sound creates a more haunting effect. The non-diegetic soundtrack often used within horror is eerie and creates tension within the audience. Diegetic sound used is often distorted to make the audience scared. When a horror situation is being played out in front of them and they an here the dialogue clearly they become worried for the character.
Mise-en-Scene
A lot of low key lighting is used in horror because it creates mystery within the film as you cannot see everything as clearly as you would like. Lots of dark colours are also used for the villains and things connected to the villains as this connotes that they’re evil, similarly lighter colour are used for the victims and thing associated with them to portray the victim’s innocence. Typical settings for a horror film include dark and isolated places where no one is around to help. Popular location choices have previously been graveyards, woods and houses in the middle of nowhere.
Some directors use the innocence of children to be the villain of the movie. Using a small child who does scary and supernatural activities makes the storyline more freaky and disturbing for the viewers. Audience members are totally surprised when the child who may look like the victim turns out to be the villain. As we associate children with happiness, playful and innocent the thought of a child doing adult like behaviour becomes creepy. For example 'The Exorcist' is a film about a young girl who is possessed by the devil. William Friedikin the director used Religion in an unseen way; this film was eventually banned as people thought it was too explicit and outrageous. There have been many remakes of the Exorcist and it has still had the same reaction.
Using mammals and not humans is also a well known storyline and a monster horror. The Jaws franchise was huge from 1975 and has also be remade several times. The fear is not of something that walks on earth but lives under water. Steven Spielberg an amazing director used a lot of natural lighting in this film to create more suspense. He used queue music when Jaws was approaching and Foley sound effects when he attacked. Even back then when CGI did not exist, directors found other clever ways to create fear in movies.
The camera angles connote the fear in the movie by doing many natural lighting shots. The director will use many close angles, low and high angle shots and point of view shots. This makes you feel part of the movie and the suspense is anxiously waiting. This is normally used to keep the audience members engaged with the storyline. Hand held shots are difficult for the audience to figure out what is going on. A prime example of that would be Cloverfield or Paranormal Activity. Both of these films are point of view shots and these situations that occur in the film are unexpected and shocking.
Music and sound effects play a big part in making a movie a success. Lots of incidental music is added and Foley sound effects can be used to make the intenseness more striking for the target audience. When a particular sound of music which is usually been made for that specific movie or show it is known as theme music. This makes the audience recognised what product they are watching.
The audience is made to view scenes of gaze for the heterosexual male. Sex and male gaze is portrayed commonly in horrors. Nudity has been accepted on screens to pleasure the male gender. It is not in usually to see woman naked in a movie of this type. Usually when a young woman appears naked in a scene it is time for her to be terribly killed by the pray/ murder. The murder will probably stab or suffocate her.
The survivor of a horror is normally the young girl who is dedicated to her school work and job. She doesn’t have a boyfriend; she finds sex an awkward subject and is usually quite nerdy and self conscious about herself. She is known as the ‘Final Girl’. Her intelligence and common knowledge helps her survive her near death experience. The audience is mainly rooting for this girl and hope she makes it alive even thought the ratio of her still be alive when the credits appear are high.
The audience is made to view scenes of gaze for the heterosexual male. Sex and male gaze is portrayed commonly in horrors. Nudity has been accepted on screens to pleasure the male gender. It is not in usually to see woman naked in a movie of this type. Usually when a young woman appears naked in a scene it is time for her to be terribly killed by the pray/ murder. The murder will probably stab or suffocate her.
The survivor of a horror is normally the young girl who is dedicated to her school work and job. She doesn’t have a boyfriend; she finds sex an awkward subject and is usually quite nerdy and self conscious about herself. She is known as the ‘Final Girl’. Her intelligence and common knowledge helps her survive her near death experience. The audience is mainly rooting for this girl and hope she makes it alive even thought the ratio of her still be alive when the credits appear are high.
The audience is made to view scenes of gaze for the heterosexual male. Sex and male gaze is portrayed commonly in horrors. Nudity has been accepted on screens to pleasure the male gender. It is not in usually to see woman naked in a movie of this type. Usually when a young woman appears naked in a scene it is time for her to be terribly killed by the pray/ murder. The murder will probably stab or suffocate her.
The survivor of a horror is normally the young girl who is dedicated to her school work and job. She doesn’t have a boyfriend; she finds sex an awkward subject and is usually quite nerdy and self conscious about herself. She is known as the ‘Final Girl’. Her intelligence and common knowledge helps her survive her near death experience. The audience is mainly rooting for this girl and hope she makes it alive even thought the ratio of her still be alive when the credits appear are high.
The audience is made to view scenes of gaze for the heterosexual male. Sex and male gaze is portrayed commonly in horrors. Nudity has been accepted on screens to pleasure the male gender. It is not in usually to see woman naked in a movie of this type. Usually when a young woman appears naked in a scene it is time for her to be terribly killed by the pray/ murder. The murder will probably stab or suffocate her.
The survivor of a horror is normally the young girl who is dedicated to her school work and job. She doesn’t have a boyfriend; she finds sex an awkward subject and is usually quite nerdy and self conscious about herself. She is known as the ‘Final Girl’. Her intelligence and common knowledge helps her survive her near death experience. The audience is mainly rooting for this girl and hope she makes it alive even thought the ratio of her still be alive when the credits appear are high.
the information above is reference from wikipedia
Sidney Prescott (picture on the left) is the final girl in most of the Screams. In 'Scream 1' (1996) we first meet Sidney with a boyfriend who tries to seduce her, however she is highly reluctant to have sex. She is seen as the innocent virgin who has dark hair which is a convention of the final girl. However Jules in 'Cabin in the Woods' (2012) (blonde in the picture on the right) we know automatically know that she is going to die. We know this by her body language, her costume and her hair colour. The director did this on purpose as he wanted to stick to the typical horror conventions. The fact her costume is relatively revealing consisting of her shorts, that shows of her brown legs, and her tight top that portrays her body suggests that this character is a promiscuous and seducing character. As the spectators we already want her to die, in which she does. In the clip below we see how she dies. During this clip she is with her boyfriend Curt, we automatically as the audience know what is going on in this scene.
Mise En Scene is an important aspect in Media where following can create the right genre for your film. Mise en Scene is French for 'What's in the scene?' and simply you figure out what genre the film is by using mise en scene (aka what is in the scene). For example, if there was a film full of dark lighting, screaming sound effects and malicious props such as knifes, and chainsaws you'd automatically assume its a horror. In our specific sub genre of horror (vampires) we have used mise en scene for example a substantial amount of blood, fangs, dark colours and lighting to highlight our genre.
DomoNation.com: Horror Conventions by nicolexox
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By Nicole Russell
- Plot if done right will allow the audience to connect with the characters therefore allowing the audience to place themselves in the characters shoes
- Making it modern is very important in horror films around today. Incorporating the use of social media could have more of an effect on the demographic audience.
Stereotypically in horror films the same type of characters appear in nearly every modern horror film, such as:
- The blonde – Often represented as being stupid and slutty, and often dies first
- The Athlete – Often the macho character that every looks at for guidance
- The Virgin – This character is normally the only character that survives as she represent “purity” which is something not associated with evil.
By Chloe Young
'CABIN IN THE WOODS' (2012).
Conventions of slasher.
The loose girls in horror are usually the ones that die first.
That is then followed by the fool, the jock and the scholar.
The "Virgin" or more innocent character is the one who usually survives and is known as the final girl. The casting crew broke the convention of the final girl by casting a red head instead of a brunette, they also gave her a typically female name instead of a fairly masculine and even made her character more feminine than other movies.
By Kirsty
Conventions of slasher.
The loose girls in horror are usually the ones that die first.
That is then followed by the fool, the jock and the scholar.
The "Virgin" or more innocent character is the one who usually survives and is known as the final girl. The casting crew broke the convention of the final girl by casting a red head instead of a brunette, they also gave her a typically female name instead of a fairly masculine and even made her character more feminine than other movies.
By Kirsty
'SCREAM' (1996).
In Scream Drew Barrymore's character is the first to die. This is because during a phone call with the killer she is asked if she has a boyfriend to which she replies no, we then she her boyfriend tied up out side her house. She dies because she firsts with the killer even though she has a boyfriend. |
Kirsty Griffin