Genre Research

Horror :

Horror films are movies that strive to elicit the emotions of fear, horror and terror from viewers. Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness. Many horror movies also include a central villain. Early horror movies are largely based on classic literature of the gothic/horror genre, such as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Phantom of the Opera and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. More recent horror films, in contrast, often draw inspiration from the insecurities of life after World War II, giving rise to the three distinct, but related, sub-genres: the horror-of-personality Psycho film, the horror-of-Armageddon Invasion of the Body Snatchers film, and the horror-of-the-demonic The Exorcist film. The last sub-genre may be seen as a modernized transition from the earliest horror films, expanding on their emphasis on supernatural agents that bring horror to the world.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film )

In horror film plots, evil forces, events, or characters, sometimes of supernatural origin, intrude into the everyday world. Horror film characters include vampires, zombies, monsters, serial killers, and a range of other fear-inspiring characters.
( http://www.artandpopularculture.com/Horror_film )

Existing movies of this genre:

Psycho; Alien; The Shining; The Thing; The Exorcist; Halloween.
( http://www.imdb.com/chart/horror )

Conventions of a horror movie:

Horror is a genre I am familiar with due to watching many movies of this film type. Whilst collecting information on horror conventions I chose to view the movie Dracula which is considered to be classic horror. The supernatural is considered a large part of the horror genre which is generally associated with the character types chosen: Zombies, Werewolves, Vampires, etc. Locations such as a church, forest and mental asylum were shown within this specific film and are also often shown in other horror films.

A variety of camera shots and movements are used throughout. There was a use of zoom to move from extreme close ups to long shots or visa versa. The close ups used are to show facial expressions of characters and specific props or items of importance. Master shots are used to give the setting for each scene and include main characters for that scene. Low angles are used before an attack occurs to establish the vulnerability of the victim. Point of view shots are also commonly used within the horror genre, generally from the perspective of the attacker/murderer.

Editing in this film is used extensively, but this is not necessarily considered true for all films of this type. The transitions used tend to be straight cuts or fading. In ‘Dracula’ it uses a fade up to move between some scenes combined with a sound bridge to give a continuous effect. The lighting in this particular type of film is commonly low key using candles as sole sources of lighting. As I viewed ‘Dracula’ I noticed a use of the light alongside shadows to create tension and fear within the audience. Blood is used as a main characteristic of the mise en scene involved in horror movies

Non-diegetic sound seems to be a large part of horror movies helping to build tension and set ominous tones. Music is used throughout to present the moods and atmospheres. Similarly silence can be used to create tones and tension just as well as music. Horror movies also use extreme panning of the sound in the speakers to give an all around effect. Narration is used within ‘Dracula’ to help set the scenes and establish the characters.