Key horror Conventions

  Conventions

 

 

Settings-

Setting is where the film is going to be set. The settings need to fit in with the films storyline. The settings are very important as they create scary surroundings and sets up the story. Films such as Halloween and paranormal activity have picked surroundings that we see everyday (homes /streets) ,This is frightening to the audience as they live in similar surroundings. Whereas other films such as Evil dead use an abandoned/old wooden holiday cabin in the woods , which many of the audience will not stay in ,but fits the storyline perfectly. Classic horror movie settings were foggy graveyards and haunted houses.

 

Music-

 

Music is a very important convention in horror films as it creates tension and fear . Music can shock and disturb the audience as well as  emphasises the character's feelings of fear . Many films use piano and violins to create high and low tones of music . A well known use of this is the Halloween films which plays the theme song whenever Michael Myers (Murderer) is near or left shocking clues behind. The music used is face paced on the piano , however the film Dead silence also has a theme song played on the piano but is played very slowly creating a more eerie effect.

 

Characters-

 

 

 One of horror films main conventions is their main characters . Many films have one villain and many victims. Such as sinister has Mr Boogie who operates through children and kills their families whereas other horror films such as 28 days later have multiple killers (zombies). Their is usually an equal focus on the baddies as the main goodies, Insidious has a team of heroes to help stop the possessions and kidnapping of the families inner souls, it focuses not only on the family but the bad spirits just as much.

 

In most horror film there are steriotypical characters:

The Damsel-a helplesss girl who is a targeted victim . She will often have a slim body and be dressed in a feminine clothes to show off her legs and emphasis her innocense.

 

The Jock- A big muscley teenager , dressed in a school sports jacket . He will act tough to protect the girl but fails and becomes an even bigger target.

 

The Physcho - (Male)A masked threat to others who mentally harasses them until they are worried and hysterical. He will be cloaked and masked to hide his identity.

 

 

Costumes-


 Costumes can reveal the time and generation in which the film is set , for example Sweeney Todd wear an old waistcoat and suit which suggest it was set in the 1800''s. Costume is mainly used in films to create a sinister looking character/characters . Many horror films are remembered by the villains costume , Films such as nightmare on elm street , Texas chainsaw massacre , Halloween and Friday 13th all have one psycho wearing a mask, This covers their facial features , only revealing their eyes giving their faces a neutral look which viewers find terrifying.


However their are many different parts of a horror costume to consider as their face may not the be their main characteristics. Freddy Krueger not only has a boiled up face but mainly has a glove with knife like point that extend off the end of his fingers which he uses to stab and slice his victims. Films with more than on killer such as zombies will have ripped /rotten and bloody clothes they were wearing the day of the infection. This is used to create  the sense that the people were infected unexpectedly and could happen to anyone creating fear for the viewers. 

 

 

Props-

Many props are used in horror films , in fact they would not function without them . Props are everywhere in filming from the scary ticking grandfather clock to the knife used to kill people. The key thing about props is that they must have a theme which  relates to the film. In dead silence other than the hundreds of self moving ventriloquist dummies , the old theatre is full of cobwebbed covered dated furniture and boxes of old papers and posters giving the impression that it had not been touched for years and was abandoned for a reason. Props that are continuously used in horror films are weapons, These weapons can be immediately linked to the film , such as an old rusty chainsaw can automatically mimic the one used by the killer in Texas chainsaw massacre. Similarly a machete can be linked to Jason Voorhees favourite weapon of choice in Friday 13th.

 

 

Lighting-

Lighting is used throughout horror films to set the mood of the film and create shadows. This can be used indoors and out . Most commonly lighting is changed by using spotlights and lamps . In insidious 2 (recent release) when filming the further Josh who is trapped their has to wonder through darkness, he uses a freaky glowing lamp and that is it , whereas in Frankenstein spotlights are pointed under or over the faces of people to make  shadows appear  are on their faces creating a disturbing appearance.