HORROR

THE HORROR GENREA horror film is designed to evoke a sense of fear and anxiety for the audience, and a viewer watches a horror film in order to satisfy a need for a sense of adrenaline and horror. Out of all genres of cinematography, horror seems to arouse the most amount of different negative emotions, including:

PANICALARM

SADNESS

REVULSION

REPULSION

TERROR

SUSPENSEWORRY

‘Horror films often deal with the viewer's nightmares, hidden fears, revulsions and terror of the unknown. Plots within the horror genre often involve the intrusion of an evil force, event, or personage, commonly of supernatural origin, into the everyday world. Prevalent elements include:

GHOSTS, ALIENS, VAMPIRES, WEREWOLVES, CURSES, SATANISM, DEMONS, GORE, TORTURE, VICIOUS ANIMALS, MONSTERS, ZOMBIES, CANNIBALS, AND SERIAL KILLERS (WIKIPEDIA 2012).’

HORROR CONVENTIONS

CONVENTIONAL SETTINGS

Spooky forest/woodland

Abandoned/creepy isolated castles

Graveyards

Hospitals

CONVENTIONAL SETTINGS

Isolated Communities e.g. Asylum in Shutter Island

Attics/Basements

Churches Haunted/isolated houses

CONVENTIONAL PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES

CAMERA SHOTS + EDIT

ICONOGRAPHY

-Point of view shots in view of murderer/villain etc.-Fast cuts to add sense of adrenaline

-Close up of murder weapons and emotional facial expressions of victims

-Over shoulder shots of victim as if someone is behind them e.g. murderer

SOUND EFFECTS

-Weapons e.g. knives, guns-Religious symbols

-Blood-Dark lighting/shadows

-Fog/smoke-children

-dolls/puppets

-Screaming-Suspense music (non diegetic)

-Monster noises, evil laughing (diegetic)-Wind, rain, stormy weather, thunder and lightening