HORROR FILM CODES AND CONVENTIONS

By Angel Bird

HORROR FILM: DEFINITION

• The purpose of the horror genre is to evoke a

negative emotional reaction from viewers. This is

often accomplished by preying on the audiences’

fears.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF THE HORROR GENRE

• Horror films usually take place in an isolated location such as an

abandoned house or forest.

• There is often a lot of non diegetic score music to build tension.

• The killer is usually a masked male.

• The horror genre typically uses an excessive amount of violence.

• There is usually a group of conventional characters (as theorised by

Vladimir Propp).

VLADIMIR PROP’S CONVENTIONAL CHARACTERS

• The villain — struggles against the hero.

• The dispatcher — character who sends the hero off on their quest.

• The helper — helps the hero in their quest.

• The princess and her father — the hero deserves her throughout the story but is

unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. The

hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, and beating the villain.

• The donor — prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.

• The false hero — takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.

However not all of these characters are present in the horror

genre.

SUB GENRES OF HORROR

• A sub-genre is a more specified category of a main genre.

• For example, sub-genres of horror include:

• Slasher

• Action

• Gothic

• Psychological

• Paranormal

CONVENTIONS OF A SLASHER HORROR

• Slasher - horror films usually revolve around a psychotic killer

stalking and killing many victims in a violent manner.

• Conventions include:

• Blood

• Gore

• Violent weapon (eg: knife, axe)

CONVENTIONS OF AN ACTION HORROR

• Action horror combines the usual evil in a horror film with car

chases and violence expected in the action genre.

• Conventions include:

• Gore

• Gun fights

• Some films of this genre have a theme of zombies

CONVENTIONS OF A GOTHIC HORROR

• Gothic horror films are often a blend between dark horror and

romance.

• An example of this genre would be Dracula, or Frankenstein.

• Conventions include:

• An element of the supernatural

• Dark themes (such as vampires and ghouls)

CONVENTIONS OF A PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR

• Psychological horror films are the subgenre that make the story

seem more real as they involve the extreme behaviour of human.

• An example of this genre would be Psycho.

• Conventions include:

• Psychological tension

• A human villain who has gone insane

CONVENTIONS OF A PARANORMAL HORROR

• Paranormal horror films have become popular fairly recently. This

subgenre focuses of the fear of the unknown.

• An example of this genre would be The Amitiville Horror or

Paranormal Activity.

• Conventions include:

• Ghosts / Ghouls / Witches / Spirits

• A haunted location

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