HORROR SUBGENRE:MONSTERS; ANIMAL AND NATUREBy Harry Elllis&Ollie Whipp

SOME EXAMPLES OF THIS GENRE• 'Jaws' - 1975• Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Rob Shaw,Roy Scheider

• 'Anaconda' - 1997• Starring Jennifer Lopez, Jon Voight, Ice Cube

• 'Piranha 3D' - 2010• Starring Kelly Brook, Elisabeth Shue, Adam Scott

PLOT• Conventionally, the plot of these films are very similar, with some

differences to make them independent films. • The general story line followed by this genre or horror is this; An animal

(or group of animals) kill a few of people, and seem unstoppable until some kind of weakness is found, and the hero uses this to kill the animals and resolve the problem.

CHARACTER TYPES• These films also have very similar characters, all following a set of

conventions.• Using Anaconda as an example, there is the;

• An attractive main woman (or women in piranha 3DD) (J. Low)• Black guy who always dies (Ice Cube)• A doctor who knows his stuff about the animal (Eric Stoltz)• Bad guy who wants to see the world burn (Jon Voight)

SETTING/LOCATION OF THE FILMS

• These types of films are set in one of two places.• They are either based in isolation, for example out in the ocean (Jaws) or

in a secluded rainforest (Anaconda), allowing the mood to be dark and suspenseful the whole film.

• Or, they are based on a larger scale with many people involved (Piranha) to keep the whole film action packed , with something always happening.

MUSIC AND SOUNDS• The sounds in these films also follow some basic conventions to have the

correct effect on the audience.• There must always be some kind of noise for the animal. Whether it be

the hissing of a snake, the snapping of piranhas or sharks or any other type of animal, they must be included. These sounds also must be enhanced to make them more scary.

• The music will primarily be used to create tension or suspense, and to 'jump-scare' the audience. The classic Jaws theme tune is made completely to create an air of suspense.

CAMERA SHOTS AND ANGLES• The camera angles in these films are very important. They are needed to

show what is actually happening, so without the correct angles or shots, the audience would be confused, and wouldn’t get the full effect of the film.

• Some angles include an animal POV, which shows what the animal is seeing, for example when it is about to attack, there is a cut to a camera watching the actors from the animals point of view.

• There will also always be quick camera changes, to make the audience jumpy and unnerved.

SPECIAL EFFECTS AND EDITING• Special effects are absolutely key to this genre of film, as it is needed to

actually create the animal. Without it, there wouldn’t be a film! • Editing and special effects go hand in hand, as they are both needed to

make some key scenes in these films. Whenever an animal attacks, special effects create the animal, and editing is used to make the attack look believable. They need to be used together to keep a smooth flowing film.

• Editing is also needed for colour contrasts and to add the soundtrack. Without all these small tweaks, the films would not have te same effect on the audience.