This character is usually the sidekick to the protagonist and is commonly the first to die. An example of this would be „Laurie‟ from „Halloween‟. The Comic Relief: This character provides light relief throughout the film through their humour. An example of this would be „Shorty‟ from „Texas Chainsaw Massacre‟.

1. Horror Genre
Research

2. Horror
The horror genre has the capacity to scare its audience
by inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an
eerie and frightening atmosphere through the use of
particular forms and conventions. Most horror films
consist of the same type of
settings, props, themes, character types etc. This is
because by using these same forms and conventions
you know what reaction to expect from your audience.

3. SettingsThroughout horror films the typical settings which are used are :
• Graveyards
• Lofts/Basements
• Isolated/Abandoned areas/buildings
• Haunted houses
• Or a place with a hidden past which specifically links in with a character
or plot.
Most of which are usually set at night time when a character is alone, this is
done to create suspense and build tension making the viewer fear for the
character as we know they are in danger.
However on some occasions the settings
can differ as they can be done within
different times of the day but still within
an isolated area an example of this would
be The Hills Have Eyes; director Alexandre
Aja has chosen to set this film in the desert
during the day:

4. Examples of Horror films with these
settings would be:
The Strangers:
Set in an isolated vacation
home.
Silent Hill:
Set in a desolate town.
The Others:
Set in a darken old
house.

5. Cinematography
The way in which a camera is angled can have a huge
impact on how the shot is represented. Canted angles
and hand held camera movements are common in
horror movies as this shows the shots are off balance
therefore suggesting chaos and danger. As well as this
horror films also use extreme close ups to show the
facial expressions of characters clearer, making it
easier to understand their fear so that we then
empathise with them.
This is shown throughout the trailer for „House At The
End Of The Street‟…

7. High angle and low angle shots are used within
certain horror films to represent the
weakness/vulnerability of the victims and the
power of the killers.
High angle = Weakness Low angle = Power

8. Mise-en-sceneIn order to create an effect and impact on the audience most horror
films consist of the same colours, props etc to signify the genre.
Colours most often associated with the horror genre are dark such as
black, white, red, grey. These use of colours make it easy to identify a
genre if you see them on a film poster/advertisement for example:
The film poster for „Dark Skies‟ makes us
instantly think it is part of the horror genre
through the use of grey, black and red. As
well as using these colours this poster also
uses shadows and a lot of space to represent
isolation.
These dark colours are also used throughout
film trailers, especially to create inter-
titles, to make the audience frightened and
uncomfortable. This is shown clearly in the
trailer for „The Descent‟

10. Other forms of mise-en-scene which is used throughout horror films are
props. The most common props used in horror films are weapons such as :
• Guns
• Knives
• Axes…
The most popular prop however is blood which is used in any horror film to
disgust the audience and induce fear.
Examples of horror films which use props are:

11. ThemesThe themes of horror are used to scare and thrill an audience. The horror
genre offers a combination of real life and the otherness, this mixture
intensifies the horror as it creates the idea that your nightmares and worst
fears could come true. Typical horror themes include:
• Hauntings/Ghosts
• Revenge
• Religion
• Demons/monsters
• Good vs Evil
The theme of a film usually links in with the narrative structure too. Horror films
usually begin in a state of equilibrium where everything is fine until a complicating
action occurs, causing disruption. The antagonists then either does or does not
overcome this. Most horror films end in a state of disequilibrium. Most of the time
they have a cliff hanger and a never ending plot usually resulting in a sequel.

12. Examples of films with this type of
ending are :
The Hills Have Eyes:
Made into a sequel
Saw:
The plot always cliff
hangs
Friday The 13th:
The antagonist always
survives at the end

13. Character Types
These are the different characters within a film
that the audience identifies with, they can then
decide whether they do or do not like this
character.

14. Character types within a horror
film:
• The Protagonist: this is commonly a
women that overcomes their fear
and is usually the smartest of the
group. They tend to come face to
face with the killer thus resulting in
the theory of „The Final Girl‟,
however they usually do not
survive. An example of this would
be Jenny from „Eden Lake‟.
• The Sex Appeal: this is usually
also a women. This character
type is commonly the first to
die and is always the first to
show her body. An example of
this would be „Chugs‟ in
„Sorority Row‟.

15. The Unlikely Hero: this is the
character which surprises the
audience due to their
behaviour/appearance and ends up
saving the day. An example of this
would be „Doug‟ in „The Hills Have
Eyes‟ due to his “nerdy”
appearance.
The Antagonist: This is the “Bad
Guy” throughout the film which
both characters and the audience
fear, this tends to be any
villain/killer within a film. An
example of this would be „Dr.
Heiter‟ in „The Human Centipede‟.