Horror is a type of film genre. Horror films have different sub-genres such as slasher, monster, vampire, supernatural and psychological to name a few of many. Horror films main goal is to scare the audience and make them feel frightened.
Blood is a common convention in many horror films for example Chainsaw Massacre had many blood scenes. Blood symbolises death and it is a sign of someone being in a vulnerable state. Blood is a good convention to use in horror films because it frightens the audience.
Weapons such as knifes and daggers are conventions of horror films however other weapons such as guns aren’t shown that much in horror films because they don’t produce the same shock effect as knife do, this is because knifes are more physical weapons where the killer has to come up close and personal to kill their victim. Halloween is an example of a horror film which featured weapons such as knifes.
Deaths are convention in horror films, in the horror film Chucky the character Chucky goes on a killing spree which builds tension and suspense and leaves the audience wondering who will die next.
Another convention of horror films is that women are mostly victims, this is because more men prefer and watch horror films and also because males dominate the horror genre therefore they would prefer to see the opposite sex as victims. In addition there is a stereotype that men are more powerful than women and more mischievous hence why women are seen as more vulnerable than men and are victims in horror films. The killers in horror films are mostly men because males are seen as more superior, stronger and frightening than women, because of this the audience are more likely to be scared. Male killers in horror films are tall and well built so that they appear more frightening to the audience, the horror film Halloween used a tall and well built killer.
Male gaze is used a lot in horror films for example in the film Psycho there was a scene where the character Marion Crane was in the shower and another scene where see was wearing a bra. Male gaze is used in most horror films to appeal and give entertainment to the audience who are predominantly males.
Another horror convention is music, most horror movies use incidental music to build tension and suspense for the audience and to create a horror atmosphere. Silence is another convention horror films use to make people afraid as they don’t know what is going to happen next, this also creates suspense. In addition just before a killing occurs fast paced music plays.
Low key lighting is used a lot in horror films so that the viewer’s won’t be able to clearly see what is happening and because of this it will make the movie much more frightening. Low key lighting is used in horrors so that the killer can’t be seen which is another convention as most killers in horror movies aren’t seen clearly.
Another convention of horror movies is that they are set at night, horror movies such as Fright night, Insidious, Nightmare on elm street are set at night. Horror movies set at night are more realistic because a killing is more likely to occur at night than it is in the day time where there are people around. In addition horror films are set in locations such as haunted houses, isolated setting and graveyard which creates a frightening setting.
Chase scenes are another convention found in horror films. In horror films there is always a scene of a victim running away from a killer. The victim who is running is usually a women and the killer who is chasing the woman is usually a man.
Another convention in horror movies is the feature of ghosts, monsters, zombies etc. Many horror movies feature these creatures because it gives the audience a fright.
In most horror films there is a silly police officer who doesn’t follow instructions, doesn’t do his job properly, doesn’t protect the victims and allows the killer to kill his victims.
Another horror film convention is camera shots. Camera shots such as reaction shots are used a lot in horror films to show the victims reactions especially when they are face to face with the killer, reaction shots are also used to get the victims facial expressions. A reaction shot was used in the horror film Psycho when the character Marion screamed in the bathroom when she saw her killer. Zoom shot are also used in horror films to capture specific details for example a zoom shot could be used to see blood dripping off the killers knife.
There is always a last lady in horror films. The last lady is the only lady who is able to survive or the last lady to be killed by the killer. The last lady tends to be very smart and get good grades at school, doesn’t smoke or drink alcohol and is respected in her community.
Another convention of horror films is that black people are the first to die, the characters who have sex are most likely going to die, the characters who say they will be back tend to die and the characters who wonder off by themselves die however the killer rarely dies.
Another convention in horror movies is the use of dark colours. Colours such as red and black are used a lot in horror films. Most killers in horror films are dressed in black which connotes elegance, mystery and death.
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