Assign 9 – mainstream and independent horror films and their audiences

Sam Qureshi

Mainstream horror films • Mainstream horror films are designed to make the audience feel

terrified. They also want to get a large audience that would want to watch it, and, to do this, they have to make the film terrifying so that more members of their target audience will want to watch it.

• They mainly focus on the financial success. • They are mainstream because they display cultural or gender-

specific stereotypes and linear narratives.• For example, The Conjuring (2012). It’s got a large target audience

and it was widely distributed across the globe (mainly in the UK and the USA).

• Target audience for mainstream horror films, typically, are students and young adults (15-25 years old).

Independent horror films • Independent horror films are designed to make the viewer think and ask

questions, maybe even criticise what was displayed. • They are, unlike mainstream horror films, focused on the expression of

art and culture, rather than popularity and success. • Independent films are rarely shown in big cinemas or feature famous

actors. • An example of an independent horror film would be The Borderlands

(2013). It doesn’t have any famous actors or film people and it was distributed and produced by Metrodrome Distribution (an indie film company)

• Independent cinema targets older viewers because they typically have more complex and in-depth narratives and focus less on actually showing blood and gore (which is what mainstream horror films often focus on).