Similar Media Works New

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Similar Media Works Profile

Genre: Horror


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Dictionary Definition of the Genre

Horror- describes a genre of motion picture or literature intended to thrillviewers or readers by provoking fear or revulsion through the portrayal ofgrotesque, violent, or supernatural events.

Psychological Horror - is a subgenre of horror fiction that relies oncharacter fears, guilt, beliefs, and emotional instability to build tension andfurther the plot.

Psychological horror is different from the type of horror found in slasherfilms," which derive their effects from gore and violence, and from the sub-genre of horror-of-personality, In which the object of horror does not looklike a monstrous other, but rather a normal human being, whose horrificidentity is often not revealed until the end of the work.

Definitions from:

http://bestuff.com/stuff/psychological-horror


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Hybrid Genres

Hybrid genres are often made up of themain horror genre and one of the smaller

distinctive ones to make a separate, newgenre.

An example of a hybrid genre in horrorwould be a supernatural horror or a thriller.


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Psychological Thrillers

Psychological thrillers are a subgenre ofthe main horror genre. It relies on eeriemusic, emotional instability and tends to

be extremely realistic to evoke fear morein the audience than simple horror films. Itfocuses less on the physical harm andaims more directly at abuse of the mind, toaffect the audience more intensely. Itexposes peoples repressed fears to creatediscomfort within the audience.


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Major genre

Horror is a genre made simply to scarepeople, covering the basics of using blood

and gore. It is designed to scare theaudience, and that is its sole effect. Horroras a major genre is the most commonlyknown, even though there are several

different types of the main horror genre.


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Examples of Horror films

The Exorcist(2000)

FinalDestination (2000)

The Blair WitchProject (1999)

Halloween

(1978)

The Grudge(2004)


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There are different types of horror films,these are...


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A period movie is a movie that is set in the past. An example of a period horror is Shutter Island (2010). Shutter

Island is ultimately a psychological thriller designed for the audienceto question their own sanity but it carries heavy horror elements. It is#21 in the period movies grossing $128.0 at the box office.

His costume is verydedicated to the era it isset in, creatingverisimilitude.

It makes useof thecharacter toadd fear. Shelooks fragileand frighteningwhich evokes

fear in theaudience.

Very typical of the psychological andhorror genre, it makes use ofexploiting peoples worst fears suchas the loss of a loved one.

Horror - period


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The Saw films are typical of the slasher horror films. Theyprovoke fear in the audience by showing a series of goryevents and use blood and guts to scare the audience. Thehorror is physical so creates panic within the audience. It oftenmakes use of verisimilitude to make the audience feel involved,therefore creating the fear that the torture, or death, could

happen to them.Here we see people being tortured and this is oftenthe focus of this genre. It creates a sense of fearwithin the audience as it is gruesome and repelling.

Horror Slasher/Torture

Horror films strive toevoke disgust within theaudience. They oftendeal with the audiencesworst nightmare andmost of it issupernatural behaviour.


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Horror - supernatural

The Sixth Sense (1999) is #89 in thecharts of supernatural horror grossing$293.0 at the box office.

Supernatural horror films focus of eventsthat are supernatural, such as ghosts.

The Sixth Sense 1999.

The Wolfman 2010


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Examples of PsychologicalHorrors


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The Ring (2002)

With a child being a victim, it playson the deepest fear of all parents the loss of their child. This makesthe audience get involved withinthe plot, therefore creating moreemotional fear.

No physical harm happens to thecharacters, although they areharmed mentally. This is often

what creates most fear as themusic creates the tension thatmakes the audience feel likesomeone will get hurt.


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The Blair Witch Project (1999)

This was filmed in real-time using amateur footage to create thefeeling of a documentary. Information such as They were neverfound are dropped in so adding fear to the audience as they areunaware what to expect as they are also told it is a true story. Thistherefore backs up the information the psychological horrors reveal

the minds deepest repressed fears.

Here we can see the darkness and thewoodland, both of which evokes fearfor the audience as they cant see past

the female or even anticipate what isgoing on.


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Amateur filming used in films

There has been an increase in horror films being filmed in the style of a documentary, where the protagonist looks as though

they are filming the film with a video recorder. This amateur filming style presents a first person perspective of the horror and

makes the incidents personal. This personal approach makes the film seem more realistic and frightens the audience more asthey feel it could happen to them.

Amateur filming is a style which some audiences do not enjoy as it can often make them feel sick due to the constant

movement of the unsteady camera. However, this style builds tension in many ways. For example:

The audience can only see what the person holding the camera is seeing therefore they would be waiting for something toattack from behind the camera or from a point of view that is not visible on camera.

The audience will be able to relate to the character as they would feel they are experiencing the events with them. Thiscomplies with McQuails Uses and Gratifications theory as the personal filming would capture the need for personal identity

where the audience member can compare their life with the protagonist, making them feel more tense and vulnerable as the

bad incidents are happening to the protagonist which may live a life very similar to the audience members.

The first well known film to use amateur filming in a horror film was The Blair Witch Project (1999) the film is based on three

students going to film a documentary in the woods based on a local legend the Blair Witch, the three go missing but there

video footage is found.

The film used the conventional horror setting in the woods, this denotes a large natural space however draws connotations to

no escape and isolation. These two elements are featured in the film as the amateur film shows the students running through

trees in the dark therefore the audience can not see what is ahead and are left tense and frightened.

This type of horror is very horror effective as it has advantages over normal horror films which I outline before. Also this

amateur filming style is easy as steady shots do not need to be captured making the filming process quicker and easier also it ischeap. The Blair Witch Projects budget was estimated at $60 000 which is a lot cheaper in comparison to The Haunting (1999)

which was released on the same year and budget was estimated at $80 000 000.

Other horror films that used the amateur filming style are Cloverfield (2008) and Paranormal Activity (2007). Both of these

were extremely popular and the amateur filming style is now a renown style which directors consider when filming.


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Amateur filming continued

Analysis of 30 seconds of Paranormal Activity trailerThe trailer begins with audience members waiting outside and entering the cinema, the title on the side explains what they are

going to see. This is not a conventional horror trailer as the members are not actors, they are in their normal clothes so the

different colours have no specific connotations, they sit down in the cinema like any audience member would. This simple, real

beginning highlights the verisimilitude where the audience watching the trailer can relate with the audience in the trailer however,

when both audiences find out the film is based on a middle class American family they can also relate to them making the film

more threatening.

The trailer then continues where the man explains that Katie believes there

is something in the house, the mid shot of Katie looking into the camera and

saying you believe me right? automatically involves the audience as they

would feel she is talking to them, as the camera is from a personal

perspective. This would make the audience sympathise with her and feel

attached so when she gets scared in the film the audience will empathise

with her. This therefore fills the audience need of Personal Relationships in

McQuails Uses and Gratifications theory. As the audience would build a

relationship with her due to the camera shots used.

The trailer also outlines the settings in the film for example the bedroom,

the bedroom has connotations to a personal, private and familiar space in

the household. This setting is conventional in horror films as it shows an

invasion of personal space which frightens the audience as they would be

able to relate to this room and its connotations and would fear they wouldbe haunted like Katie as the film has a strong essence of verisimilitude.

In addition the constant reoccurring audience reaction shots show

the pure terror the film puts its members through, for horror film

fans this would encourage them to go to see the film as it shows

members jumping and hiding their faces which implies the pure

fear which creates adrenaline which is what a horror fan seeks for.


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Generic Signifiers

There are some things that are seen in horrors over and over again; sometimes itspart of a set or the setting, props which are used regularly or costumes andcolours .

Set;Common settings;

Church- Reason being churches are for worship however to make it shockingwhen there is murder in a church or by a church it is more disturbing and horrific.

Graveyard- Simply because it is the home of dead bodies, therefore it is scary anda common place for evil spirits, black surroundings and sad memories which all

reflect on death. Bedrooms- Its meant to be a place of relaxation and safety however horror filmsusually focus on the fact people are unprepared and close in on bedrooms wherethe antagonist catches the protagonist. Also its a small space with no escapewhich would build tension.

Props

Common props are usually weapons as murder is the main theme in horror films.

Common weapons;

Big knives/ kitchen knives- Using kitchen knives makes it realistic and also they lookharmful and dangerous.

Polaroid pictures- Some films include Polaroid pictures of people they are hunting

down or use for evidence.


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Conventional props used in horror films

KnivesKnives are a conventional prop used in horror films, there are manydifferent types of knives however, horror films seem to stick to thesame knife which is the kitchen knife.

Genuinely it is the protagonist that has the knife for protection soan obvious weapon that is easy to get hold of is the kitchen knife.As most households have a kitchen knife it sticks to theverisimilitude which runs throughout most horror films, thereforeaudience members see that the weapon is something that theycould use in case the incidents in the film happen to them.

This is the girl in Scream playing with a kitchen knife,the knife connotes murder and death whichforeshadows the events that will happen in the film.Audiences will relate to this type of knife as it is froma block which are featured in many households, thisscares the audience as the film and setting arerealistic making them fear the events featured.

This is the female from the Strangers holding a large kitchen knife, this isalso realistic as she is in her home and the only weapon she has found is akitchen knife. Although the prop may look sharp and threatening to anaudience member usually the antagonist is not intimidated by the knife.This then makes the audience tense as they would panic as the scenewould highlight verisimilitude as it is a house which the audience can relatewith and there is no other weapon to use for defence.

This is from the horror

Psycho, in this instance

it is the antagonist

using the knife to kill.

The knife is similar to

that of a kitchen knife,

therefore compiling to

verisimilitude as a

kitchen knife is

something an audience

member can relate to.


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Conventional costume

Masks

A conventional piece of costume used

in horror films is the mask. Lots of

people have a phobia of masks

making them automatically scared of

the close-up shots of masks in horror

films. Also masks originate from

clowns who originally were seen as

funny characters however, horror

films twisted this child-like image to ahorrific antagonist. The mask is

designed to scare the audience with

its scary design, physically. But also it

scares the audience as it shields the

antagonist making them fear who

could be the character causing the

evil. The mask is a good part of

costume which activates an active

audience as they would try and figureout who is behind the mask. However,

some directors just use the mask to

scare the audience through

appearance and comply with the

Hypodermic Needle theory where the

audience are passive and elements

such as scary costume and loud high

pitched music are relied on to make

the audience jump.

The Strangers

Scream

Saw

The Orphanage


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Costume continued

The conventional costume used in horror films is realistic clothing, the clothing isusually fashionable in the year the film was set and usually clothing everyone canrelate to.

It varies due to the time of day, the gender, the colour and the connotations.A character is usually in realistic clothing however, the colour of certain items maybe symbolic of that character or foreshadowing an event. Using fashionable, up todate clothing for costume creates verisimilitude where the audience can relate tocharacters as they may wear the same clothing, in horror films when there isverisimilitude audiences get more tense and frightened as they feel the events in thefilm could happen to them because they have identified with the character. Thisidentification process happens because they can relate themselves with thecharacter which McQuail sees as one of the audiences main needs in his Uses and

Gratifications theory.

Scream 2Her costume denotes pink connoting she is

flirtatious, innocent and sexy.

Halloween 2Her costume denotes white connoting innocenceand purity.


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Costume continued

Another conventional costume featured in horror films is night wear or pyjamas.Pyjamas are worn when a person settles down, they are a very personal and privateitem of clothing and are only worn to sleep in. Therefore this privacy is invaded

immediately when they are wearing their pyjamas when the antagonist attacks.Audiences relate pyjamas with a calm, quiet atmosphere therefore when antagonistattacks, both the audience and protagonist are in shock. Pyjamas are also an itemof clothing that an audience can relate to whether it is childrens pyjamas which theycan relate to from their childhood, or a dressing gown they might wear on a dailybasis. This therefore echoes verisimilitude which puts the audience on edge.

The Boogeyman

The Shining


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BedroomsIts meant to be a place of relaxation and safety however horror filmsusually focus on the fact people are unprepared where the antagonistcatches the protagonist. Also its a small space with no escape whichwould build tension.

Conventional horror film settings

Churches

Reason being churches are for worship however to make it

shocking when there is murder in a church or by a church it is

more disturbing and horrific

This is a screenshot from the film Stigmata 1999, the shot is an

establishing shot of the inside of a church. The setting of a

church is conventional due to its connotations of religion and

correctness, however, horror films have disturbing murderous

storylines so they are contrasting which creates an audience

disturbance as it is not the norm. This setting itself could be

seen to encode a meaning that even God can not fight evil.

Large old houses

A house has connotations of protection and privacy so

directors use large homely houses for the main setting in

their film to cause panic and fear in the audience. This is

because of verisimilitude, because the audience can relate

with houses and realistic homely interiors. Directors also take

into consideration the colour of the house or example the

house denotes white in Scream which connotes innocence

and vulnerability.Scream

The Haunting

Boogeyman


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Setting

Usually set in a big old house, like in the BOOGEYMAN whichgives off a haunted house vibe. As well as a big old house,

murders in horror films are usually set at night making theaudience feel tense whilst watching the film. This is due to theway that as its dark in the film, it makes the audience anxiousand aware to the fact that something may jump out.

Setting also varies with character. For example it would bedifferent based on their personality, age, sex and life story. For

example a male adults bedroom would be very different tofemale childs bedroom as the colours would be different, thelighting would be different and props would be varied.


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Applying media theories to

Horror films


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The Male Gaze Theory

The Male Gaze Theory, by Laura Mulvey, is essentially when theaudience sees a female through a heterosexual mans point of view. Forexample, the women are seen as objects of desire and lust and arealways attractive and beautiful. The angles we see are often of theirbody and the camera will linger on these for some time.

This is a screenshot from Friday 13th (2009). Herewe see a low angled shot of the female. This shotis aimed up her body to make her look impressiveand thin, with more consideration on her legs,which are the focus point for most males onfemales. She is wearing shorts and a vest whichshow off her figure and make her look attractive.

This is a mid-shot of another female in the same filmwater skiing. She is only wearing swimming bottomsrevealing her back and slim figure, hinting she is onlywearing these. This is a prime example of the Male GazeTheory because she is portrayed as daring as she iswaterskiing, which some males find attractive, and then

sexually as she is wearing nothing.


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Hypodermic Needle Theory

The hypodermic needle theory was describedat aiming at a passive audience, those whoabsorb the information given to them. Theyare injecting them with a message that isdesigned to give a desired response. Thistheory is quite commonly used when showingviolence. Violence is the injected messageand fear, panic and fright is the desired

response. The audience are passive to whatis going on, and not questioning what theyare watching.


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We can see from the previous chart thatSigns (2002) has the highest total

grossing rate, with the opening weekendbeing $60,117,080.

It is very typical of thehorror genre. The filmmakes use of wideopen spaces, leavingthe audience towonder what willhappen next.


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Storyline and CharactersThey are usually based on one character who is troubled by a spirit,unnatural creature or psycho. They are called the protagonist. The spirit,killer or unnatural creature are called the antagonist.There are usually minor killings throughout the film to lead up to the main

killing which happens at the end or the antagonist gets found out.Sometimes in a horror film, the main killing happens at the very beginningof the film then the rest of the film is focused on the protagonist huntingthe antagonist down.

A recurring theme in horror is childhood and how problems haveprogressed. For example in the BOOGEYMAN at the beginning the main

character is a little boy, being haunted by an unnatural creature. Later onthe film skips the rest of the boys childhood and focuses on him as a man,trying to figure out whether the unnatural creature is a figment of hisimagination or something he must stop.


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Target Audience

Horror films are usually certificate 15 or certificate 18. This narrows the target audience down topeople aged 15 and above. The reason for the high certificate is because horrors are usuallyvery violent and gruesome, which would be unacceptable for children to watch. Especially ashorror films in the 21st century focus on blood, violence and gruesome special effects. Howeverpsychological horrors focus on the storyline a lot more making it more complex and making theaudience have to think about what they are watching. As psychological horrors need theaudiences attention for the whole film because the audience need to pick up on hints and cluesto be able to understand the film and its conclusion. Therefore the audience is more likely to beolder people, 18 and above as they would concentrate on the plot much more than teenagerswho are more interested in blood and gore. Also female teenagers are not usually interested infilms with lots of depth and a complicated plot most female teenagers would rather watch achick flick or a romantic comedy. In addition most females are quite squeamish and wouldntbe interested in the violent gory part of a horror either, so horrors are more for men thanwomen. Horrors of the 21st century would not attract older people (60 onwards) as they would

not be used to the modern day horror; being lots of blood, zombies (Final Destination anddeath they would rather watch a film from the 1960s being mainly about ghosts, fear of theunknown and social psyche.

Final Destination(2000)

Brides ofDracula(1960)


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Audience ExpectationsAudience expectations for films based on the genre of

horrorusually include expectations of blood, killings,special effects, a twist in the storyline etc.

Blood is a main expectation from the genre as it links inwith killings and death. This may be horrifying for some

people and thrilling at the same time, and has beenlinked to horror films for decades. Special effects and

twists in storylines are used with films that include bloodand killings as a main theme throughout the film.

Another expectation could include unnatural creatures,such as ghosts, zombies, vampires etc. Since the veryfirst horror film in the 1930s, many horror films have

been based around unnatural creatures like Frankensteinand Dracula. Mad scientists have been linked to horror

films from films like Frankenstein and Dracula, and theynow can be expected in horror films, even if the film has

nothing to do with that particular subject.

Some people in an audience see horror films as anexpression of our subconscious wish to smash our fearsand/or the norms that oppress us. The audience expect

the underside of normality to be exposed and forirrational chaos beneath respectability and convention to

explode and to threaten to engulf society.

Whilst watching horror the audience expect to half long forthe forces of chaos to win but fear at the same time what

that chaos will reveal about ourselves. Mainly theteenage audience expect and want to be frightened and

amused by nightmares.

Frankenstein

1931

Dracula 1931


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Audience expectations of the genre horrorcontinued

We asked different people to say a sentence that they think sums up horror films:

Jenny, 17 years old Bits that make you jump because they are surprisingly shocking.

Hollie, 17 years old Suspense and something that makes me jump after building up.

Catherine, 17 years old gripping on the edge of my seat action and suspense.

James, 17 years old shocking and suspenseful.

Julia, 42 years old lots of blood and scary masks, with loud outbursts of music

Janet, 42 years old Have to watch them behind a pillow.

Steve, 35 years old thrilling and exciting.

These quotes are from a wide range of ages and genders so it captures a large scale of expectations.

They are all very similar views, in the way that horrors typically scare people by building suspense and

loud outbursts of music make them jump. Also the physical appearance scares the audience so they

have to hide behind a pillow.


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Technical codes

Horror films mainly follow around one character or a group of characters. A

stereotypical storyline for a Horror following a single protagonist, for example,would be that characters goal to track down a murderer or a criminal, throughhorrific events leading to a shocking finale. Whereas, for a storyline basedaround a group of characters, the film would follow a plotline that wouldconcentrate on the groups survival or there downfall.

Horror films make a lot of use of tracking the main character. This is to make theaudience focus on this character more, and mid-shots and close ups are also

used for this effect. The main technical codes that are used in horror film are the camera angles .

Camera angles make up an entire film; they portray every aspect of a characterand the relationships involved. Also the emotion in the scene. For example, if youwanted to show someone higher metaphorically to show authority, you would usea low angled shot from that person so they look physically higher. To show alower authority, you would use a high angled shot looking down on them. Thereare also; close ups, long shots and mid-shot.

Horror films tend to use a lot of wide shots of places to create the illusion you arelooking for the protagonist or he is in the room also.

There are often a lot of silences to create the feeling of suspense and tension. Sowhen an unexpected noise happens, which is again common in horrors, itcreates more of a fear amongst the audience.


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Analysing the use of Technical codes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ravt_8esUO4

The very beginning of thisclip from the film TheExorcism OfEmily Rosemakes use of a lot oftechnical codes. Trackingand Dutch, low, high

angles are used. Also thecamera uses close upshots on the victims faceto show her emotion. Thetracking in this is used tomake the audience feellike they are following thevictim around, as if theyare the ones harassingher, which is a commonfactor in psychologicalthrillers.

Dutch

Low

High


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Technical codes- Camera anglesHigh Angle shots

Boogeyman

This is an example of a high angle shots which are conventional shots used in horror films. The shots are taken from above so that the

character which is usually the protagonist looks physically smaller. This connotes that they are intimidated and vulnerable.

The Haunting in Connecticut

The Ring

Resident Evil


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The Grudge

The Exorcist

Drag me to hell

The Orphanage

This shot is the opposite to a high angle shot where the shot is taken from below. This makes the

character usually the antagonist look physically taller connoting they have more power and canintimidate the audience.

Technical codes- Camera angles

Low angle shots


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Technical codes- Camera angles

Mid shots

The Hills Have Eyes

Saw

The Exorcist

My Bloody Valentine

A mid shot is where the characters are seen from waist up, mid shots are often used to capture facialexpressions which are a vital element in horror films, as this is tells the audience that the character is scared

warning the audience.


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Mise-En-Scene

The main elements of Mise-En-Scene are; Sound, costume, lighting and camera angles.

Sound Sound in horror films is mainly silence, which is used to create suspense and tension.

A lot of extra diegetic sound is added into films such as these, as to create a realistic soundduring the filming and to make it prominent still would be difficult.

Costume Costume in films is normally used to represent something. So in a horror film, ifsomeone continually wore the colour red for example, you would link the connotations of red sodeath and violence to what is going on in the scene at the time. Also, what the actors arewearing in the scene. People who wear ragged clothes you would see were poor or of a lowersocial class but in a horror film the costumes tend to show the damage and the violence that thevictim has gone through. So a cut in the sleeve of a top could show they have obviously tried tobe caught, but could also symbolise the damage to themselves from what is going on in he filmor scene.

Lighting Lighting in a horror film is often dark and dim or very bright lights. By having darknessa lot in horror films it creates the illusion youre not quite seeing everything there is to see,therefore creating fear amongst the audience. Also the lighting used tries to make the scene

look as realistic as possible. Camera angles Camera angles in horror films are often high and low angled shots and close-

ups. This is to give a detailed view of the main character, also blocking out of the shot anythinggoing on around them, such as the protagonist. Tracking and panning are used fairly often andit creates the illusion you are part of the victim, which is often to main intent of a horror youfear for the victim because of the protagonist.


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Example of a Mise-En-Scene The Shining.The Shining was filmed in 1980 and was directed by Stanley Kubrick. The parts of Mis-En-Scene Ill be analysing will be the; sound, costume, lighting and camera angles.

At the opening of this scene you immediately get a mid-shot of Jack by the bathroomdoor. He is wearing a red jacket and cheque shirt. The colour red connotes danger anddeath, red symbolising blood. He is singing the dialogue of the wolf when he isattacking the pigs houses in turn. The story of this is associated with childrens storiesso to contrast the innocence of children and the stories told to them against the horrorof Jack about to cut the door down to kill his wife who is inside the door. There is alsoextra diegetic sound over the shot; it is of a high pitched sound but is coming in slowlyso the audience doesnt notice it until it gets louder over Jack. The use of this sound

builds tension within the audience and hints that something bad is going to happen asthe tempo of the music is slowly building up, like the mental illness of Jack. The lightingaround Jack is coming from a single lamp to the left of him. The lamp is on the bedsidetable shining up into his face connoting danger.

On the other side of the door, is Jacks wife in the film. She is wearing a dressing down,showing she has obviously just got out of bed. By her wearing a dressing gown, theaudience can immediately tell that is night time and she has clearly got out of bed in arush. The use of a dressing gown connotes the vulnerability of her, as we associate

night time with eeriness, danger and it is when we feel most vulnerable. The cameratracks her to the sink, where she has placed a kitchen knife in the sink beforehand.Throughout this time the tempo of the music has started to get quicker and the pitch ofthe music is getting higher. The lighting in the bathroom is clinical, white and sharp. Itilluminates her facial expression evidently, the main light is coming from above her froma ceiling light so therefore is not natural light.


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When the shot goes back to Jack, the camera then is behind him as he raises the axe to crashinto the door. You can see the mess the bed has been left in which signifies to the audience therehas been a rush. The pitch of the music then gets higher still until Jack plunges the axe into thedoor, where it pauses and we hear the thud of the axe against the door and then the scream ofWendy. The scream denotes that Wendy is terrified and we dont even need to see her face tounderstand that. A scream is associated with fear so it adds again to the heightening fear of Jack.The camera tracks the axe as it goes backwards and forwards into the door. This happens twiceand on the third, the camera angle shifts to show the axe coming in the through the door. Thismakes the audience feel like theyre involved in the scene and are actually a part of the movingaxe. The sound of the axe coming in through the door is diegetic but there is still the extra diegeticsound over the top. This has now suddenly turned to a high pitched, fast tempo sound to a lowthrumming sound. We carry on watching the axe hack through the door sideways. The cameranow progresses around so the audience are watching the axe come through the door face on andcan see the hole that has ready been made. We can also see Jacks facial expression, this addsto the dread we as an audience feel for Wendy as the look on his face is sheer malice. The music

then goes back to its high pitch again from the beginning of the clip, it indicates that somethingbad is going to happen again as when the music was last used Jack started hacking the door.The camera then moves back to the other side of the door again where there is a wide shot ofJack and the bedroom. Again, we see the bed and the bedside light that is just casting a light upthe wall causing the rest of the room to look dim. We then watch him successfully cut the doorand walk over to the hole created. The music then gets considerably noticeable and high pitchedas the camera angle does a close up of Jacks face looking into the door. The expression on hisface is chilling and is even more manifest as he put his face into the directly bright light of thebathroom. We then close up on Jack reaching in to turn the key in the lock. Then we see Wendycut Jacks hand in a close-up shot and then again on Jacks face as he shouts in horror because

of his hand. It leaves us wanting to know if Jack successfully got through the door or not, and ifWendy will escape and survive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TVooUHN7j4


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At the opening of this scene you immediately get amid-shot of Jack by the bathroom door. He iswearing a red jacket and cheque shirt. The colourred connotes danger and death, red symbolisingblood.

She is picking up a knife which is ageneric signifier and common in horror

films.

She is wearinga dressing

gown whichconnotes her

vulnerability.

The lighting in the bathroom is clinical, white and sharp. Itilluminates her facial expression evidently, the main lightis coming from above her from a ceiling light so thereforeis not natural light


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Horror storylines

When researching horror films it is important to look at popular horrorfilm storylines. Not all storylines are straight forward and comply withthe Hypodermic Needle theory, others are complex and require anactive audience to question what they see and work out the next step.

We have looked into some horror films and explained their storyline toshow the depth of our research and to recognize any commoncharacters.


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Tim (Barry Watson) is a normal, twenty-something year old guy. Butan intense, paralyzing fear that has been terrifying him sincechildhood is tearing him apart. To the point where he feels his lifeis in danger.

The incident that left Tim fearing everyday happened when Tim was a

child, every night his dad read him a bedtime story. Many of thesestories were horror based, even though his mum disapproved ofthem, but Tim and his father made sure his bedroom was safewhen the lights finally went out. Until that one fateful night. Thatscarred Tim for life he watched , paralyzed with fear, his father getviolently sucked into the closet, and was never seen again.

Tim is terrified that the Boogeyman will return and take him as hehas taken so many before. Many years later, after Tim's mother

(Lucy Lawless) dies, he is forced to return to his childhood homeand face the source of all his fears.

BOOGEYMAN Release date: Cinema-Friday, February 4,2005.DVD/ video- Tuesday, May 31,2005.Genre: Horror

Running time: 86min

D

irector: Stephen KayStudio: Columbia Pictures

Producers: Sam Raimi, Robert G. Tapert.

Screenplay: Eric Kripke, Juliet Snowdon, Stiles White.

Cast: Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel, Syke McColeBartusiak, Lucy Lawless.


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The Shining

A man, his son and wife become thewinter caretakers of an isolated hotel

where Danny, the son, sees disturbing

visions of the hotels past using atelepathic gift known as "The Shining".The father, Jack Torrance, is underwayin a writing project when he slowly slipsinto insanity as a result of cabin fever

and former guests of the hotels ghost's.After being convinced by a waiter's ghost

to "correct" the family, Jack goescompletely insane. The only thing that

can save Danny and his mother is "TheShining".

Director: Stanley KubrickRelease date: 23 May 1980 (USA)

Genre: Horror/Thriller


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The Ring

The story begins with two teenage girlsdiscussing the events of the previous

weekend, during which one of them, KatieEmbry (played by Amber Tamblyn), went toa cabin in the mountains to spend time withsome friends. While talking, the subject of asupposedly cursed videotape is brought up.

The other girl, Rebecca 'Becca' Kotler(played by Rachael Bella), states that

anyone who watches this video receives aphone call, in which a voice says, "you will

die in seven days." Then, exactly sevendays (to the minute) after viewing the tape,the viewer dies. Katie reveals in horror thatshe had watched that video at the cabin lastweekend with three friends, exactly seven

days earlier. After a series of unexplainableoccurrences, involving a television in the

house turning itself on and eerie sounds,Katie is mysteriously killed while Becca hasthe misfortune of watching, causing her tobe institutionalized in a mental hospital.

Director: Gore VerbinskiRelease date: 21 February 2003 (UK)

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller


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The Blair Witch ProjectThree film students go to Burkittsville, Maryland to make

a documentary on the infamous Blair Witch legend.They go missing, but a year later their footage is

found in a bag inexplicably buried under anabandoned 100-year-old house. The director is

HeatherDonahue, her main cameraman is JoshuaLeonard and Michael Williams is the sound crew.

According to legend the Blair Witch is the ghost ofEllyKedward of the late 1700s. Several children accuse

Kedward of luring them into her home to draw bloodfrom them. Kedward is found guilty of witchcraft,banished from the village during a particularly harsh

winter and presumed dead. By midwinter all ofKedward's accusers along with half of the town's

children vanish. Fearing a curse, the townspeopleflee Blair and vow never to utterElly Kedward'sname again. In 1825, eleven witnesses testify to

seeing a pale woman's hand reach up and pull ten-year-old Eileen Treacle into Tappy East Creek. Her

body is never recovered, and for thirteen days afterthe drowning the creek is clogged with oily bundlesof sticks. In 1886, eight-year-old Robin Weaver is

reported missing and search parties are dispatched.Although Weaver returns, one of the search parties

does not. Their bodies are found weeks later atCoffin Rock tied together at the arms and legs and

completely disembowelled.


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The Omen

Was released on 6th June 2006 666(A Remake of the1976 original.)

Directed by John Moore.

A child that will steer humankind down the road to hellfirehas been born, and as his evil flourishes in a world full of

hate, the ominous Biblical prophecies slowly begin fallinginto place in director John Moore's remake of Richard

Donner's 1976 horror classic. Robert (Liev Schreiber) andKatherine Thorn (Julia Stiles) were as loving parents as anyyoung boy could ask for, but as fate would have it, their new

son Damien is far from the typical child. Now, as themysterious boy's growth begins to share frightening parallels

with the Biblical passages detailing the rise of the Antichrist,and the lives of all who seek to reveal his true nature are cutgruesomely short, Robert and Katherine are forced to facethe horrifying prospect that their child has been sent from

Satan to hasten the fall of modern civilization, and that thereis little they can do to curb his prophesied path of ultimate

destruction.


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Bibliography

www.boxofficemojo.co

http://www.wikipedia.org/

http://www.imdb.com/ www.youtube.co.uk

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