Horror analysis

1. Task 4
The genre of Horror has been around since stories began. The genre is also one that has
been in play since the establishment of films. The use of horror and fear is to enable the
storyteller to control their audiences. Ever since the first films were produced horror has
been present and yet over time, they have evolved.
In the 1920s and 30s, black and white films were prominent. Not only were they colourless,
they had no sound to accompany the visuals, and so they were known as silent horrors.
However they did have musical scores playing at the theatre whilst the movie was on as
visual and audio recording had not been invented yet. The film ‘Nosferatu’ (1922) is an
adaptation from the book ‘Dracula’ (1897) which was a short horror film that only lasted 94
minutes. The film could not be called ‘Dracula’ due to copyright issues.
Between the 1940s and the 60s, horror at the time was seen to be commendable, yet
looking back, reviews have criticised horror films for being too farcical. Films produced in
this time were seen to be more sci-fi based, rather than horror based and the incorporation
of creature features, caused the labelling of horror to be called the “Dark Days of Horror”.
The 1970s took a new and improved approach to horror, introducing slashers. Still used
today, slashers are human characters who are portrayed as the antagonist, rather than a
creature. The horror films produced in the 1980s combined the idea of slashers, with
supernatural elements and created the concepts that we know today as the poltergeist.
Every couple of years, new ideas would be introduced into the horror industry, and the 90s
brought us teenage protagonists. These horrors produced movies that consisted of teenage
protagonists in order to expand and reach out to wider audiences.
As the 2000s came along, horror again took a turn. Supernatural elements were used to
create a storyline for a production, yet in a different way from that of the 1980s. The
supernatural elements would be darker, with emphasis on vengeful spirits. Angry spirits
were given a back story as to why they were the way they were and why they were focusing
themselves of a specific group of people or place. There was also the introduction of
zombies and zombie-based movies, whilst continuing the idea of if not teenager, young
adult protagonists.
The 2000s have changed within its years. It has, does and will bring the remaking of old films
and the revisiting of historic stories. It has also focused on independent horror, new up and
coming producers who are making their own material and getting big breaks. We are also
receiving back stories as to why events are occurring and in turn, storylines have increased
depth.
The use of special effects has risen dramatically, which has meant that there is a significant
amount of verisimilitude; this would lead the audience to believe that such entities could
exist, as they seem more realistic than the creatures or spirits from those of horror films of
40 years ago. This sense of realismhas also been caused by the inclusion of blood, guts and
gore. In previous years, the public simply would not have accepted this, but recently we
have almost become desensitised to it, enabling audiences to embrace it.

2. Finally, 2010 to present films have kept the use of people based narratives and so there is
little to no inclusion of monsters or any type of creature feature. Instead, protagonists are, if
not human, in a humanoid form.
Active Spectatorship:
Horror films have been seen to cover a range of a media aspects including its spectatorship,
audience reception, and intertextuality. There are two forms of spectatorship. Passive,
which is where audiences simply watch a production and are not impacted by or react to it -
they watch the film without thinking or challenging.
In contrast, an active audience is one where spectators are emotionally affected by and
connected to the production. I believe that the majority of horror films create active
spectatorship. When audiences watch horror productions, be they historic or modern,
audiences tend to go through either a dramatic or series of emotions. These include,
screaming out of fear, crying, or even laughing. The horror genre intends to play mind
games on its viewers by intending to make the events that occur seemreal. For example, in
‘Paranormal Activity' (2007) when we see the two characters sleeping at night, waiting for
the abnormal activities to occur, the audience are fear-ridden and expected to know what
events will happen.
The film‘Poltergeist’ (1982) was one of the first to use and, therefore, popularise the use of
electronic equipment as part of their investigation into ‘Carol Anne’s’ whereabouts. Since
the release of the film, audience members have bought such equipment to conduct their
own investigations for fun. This is also an example of active spectatorship. This lead to
future films featuring the supernatural to incorporate the use of such scientific equipment
into their storylines.
Horror films can have two types of impacts on its audiences. These are emotional and / or
psychological. Emotional refers to the short-term emotional effect that leaves audiences
shocked, in tears or cowering beneath their bedsheets during consumption. This could even
include some laughter. The use of emotion in horror films creates a fight or flight effect on
the audience. Will they stay and continue to watch and advocate for the right people? Or, is
the film too horrifying that they cannot bear it any longer and must switch the screen off?
This range of thoughts and emotions are present when viewers watch such a genre.
In contrast, psychological impacts have long term effects on a viewer. A prime example of a
horror filmhaving a long term effect on a viewer could be the experience of night terrors or
dreams. Horror films become psychologically effective when they play with the audience's
minds, in turn influencing their thoughts (and dreams) for long periods of time. In some
cases, it is possible that these ‘mind games’, due to the films, haunt some audiences for
years or even life, causing them to change their daily routine, or incorporate new things into
it.
Examples include, checking under your bed and / or in wardrobes and in extreme cases, not
wanting to be alone. ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ (1984) had a huge psychological impact on

3. its audience, causing sleepless nights out of fear that ‘Freddie Kruger’ would kill them in
their dreams. Out of all filmand television-based genres, this is definitely the one that has
the largest emotional and psychological impact on its audience.
Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory (1974) is one that can be applied to any
media production, yet, I believe it is specifically applicable to the horror genre. This theory
suggests that media is used to satisfy the needs of the audience. According to Blumler and
Katz, there are four main needs to satisfy and each media text could cover at least one. The
four categories are diversion, personal relationships, personal identity and surveillance. As a
whole, horror covers all four aspects of the theory, yet some films concentrate on some of
these aspects more than others. The first and, arguably, most widely accepted aspect,
diversion, means that a production is a form of entertainment to distract people from the
reality of society, a form of escapisminto the surreal, or another world reflecting one’s own.
This is key reason as to why audience members decide to watch horror. ‘Insidious’ (2010) is
an example of a film that people may watch as a form of distraction. The second aspect
horror covers is the public's need for surveillance. Audiences want to feel safe or see what
not to do to jeopardize their safety. ‘The Purge’ (2013) is a prime example of a filmthat
promotes the safety aspect of the filmas it gives audiences a look into how others try and
ensure personal safety. Although this filmcovers the safety aspect of the theory, in my
opinion I don't believe that the reason people watch horror films is because of surveillance,
but, sometimes it does get incorporated.
The third aspect that is almost a theme and portrayed in horror is the use of personal
relationships, and in recent years, it has almost become a horror rule. Personal relationships
are used in the film‘Cabin in the Woods’ (2011) as we see the use of them both within
characters and the storyline. For example ‘Jules Louden’ (Anna Hutchinson) and Curt
Vaughan (Chris Hemsworth) are in a relationship together.
Finally there is ritually the use of personal identity in horror films. In films such as
‘Halloween’ (1978) or ‘Scream’ (1996) the main characters are young and relatable. For films
to be effective in capturing one’s attention, audiences should be able to identify with the
characters and almost see themselves reflected within one of the on-screen characters.
Especially in horror, if audience members are able to connect with and identify with a / or a
few of the characters, it can enhance the realismof the storyline and make it that much
more thrilling and believable. A common theme in horror is the use of a group of people, be
they friends or family. Each member has a characteristic and personal trait that audiences
can relate to. For example, you always have the characters that are popular, smart, sporty
or nerdy. This is another example of personal identity.
Audience Reception:
Audience reception is all about how audience receive the film. Review and reception is
usually summed up in a critic report, although one audience member’s view may slightly or
even dramatically differ to the next. At the start of the horror movement, in the 1920’s
horror was renowned for being fantastic when films like Frankenstein (1931) and Dracula
(1931) were produced, and they took the world by storm.

4. Since, remakes of these films have been released and still receive a significant amount of
appraisal. The remakes and adaptations of these films include, Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
and The curse of Frankenstein (1957). These films received excellent reviews and the films
were well received by audiences. As we moved into the ‘Dark Days of Horror’ during the
1940s through to 1960s, at the time, horror was seen as mediocre, yet as horror continued
to grow, expand and evolve, it came to the attention of critics that horror went through a
rough patch at that time and almost died out. Miraculously horror picked itself back up and
from the 1970’s to modern day, classics have been released, some of which include ‘Psycho’
(1960), ‘Poltergeist’ (1982), ‘Night of the Living Dead’ (1968), ‘The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre’ (1974), and ‘The Exorcist’ (1973). Since then most critic reviews have been
positive. The 2000s saw a rise in the number of independent movies made, most of which
failed due to producer’s lack of experience and insufficient budgets.
Part of audience reception is dependent not only on the narrative of a film or how well it is
executed but the emotional effect and connection that the audience has with it. For
example, that strange almost chilling effect that one may get when watching a horror film
indicates that it is one that is good. The films The Conjuring 2 (2016) and The Woman in
Black (2012) were rated the scariest horror films to date. This is simply due to the beings
used. ‘Valak’ who is the nun like demon in ‘The Conjuring 2’ and ‘The Woman in Black’ were
said to leave a lasting impression on their audiences through the use of special effects and
makeup. A common link between the two antagonists is the incorporation of the fact that
neither of the antagonists move. Both characters fail to speak or play a part in acting, yet
their presence in still petrifying, which is why they left such an impression on the audiences
of the films.
Audience reception does not limit itself to simply cause an emotional reaction from its
viewers. Horror is not only used so scare, shock or intimidate the audience, but to educate
them as well. Although the educational side of horror is not regarded as one that is
important or focused on or possibly considered necessary by some, it does play a key role in
audience reception. For example, in ‘The Exorcist: The Beginning’ (2004) - the fourth out of
the five films that began to be produced in 1973, opens with a bloodied and terrified priest
slowly making his way across an ancient battlefield full of the bodies of thousands of dead
soldiers. The filmthen cuts to Cairo, Egypt in 1949. The scenes shot in Cairo are
educationally beneficial for the audience to learn about Egypt during the post war ages.
The use of imagination is another key part of horror that impacts audience reception.
‘Psycho’ (1960) is famous for using such a feature. The shower scene incorporated in the
film consists of one the main characters - Marion Crane, to be showering one evening when
a shadow of a woman, who we later come to realise is a man dressed as his mother murders
her in cold blood. The scene finishes with a close up of blooded water running down the
plug of the shower as well as an extreme close up of the character’s eye, cold and lifeless. At
no point do we see any physical stabbings or the gushing of blood. This is because at the
time of production, audiences would not have accepted it, in addition to the fact that
regulation and broadcasting laws were stricter at the time and would not have allowed this
to be shown on screen. This left audiences to have to simply imagine the thought of

5. Marion’s death, which in some respects can be regarded as being more horrifying than
watching her be murdered. A shower or bathroom is seen to be a place of privacy and so it
is unconventional that a murder will take place there which makes the story increasingly
interesting.
Audience’s reactions to the messages of the films can differ in many ways. Depending on
the storyline and its chosen topic of worry. If the chosen topic is one that an audience
member is particularly concerned about and the portrayal of it in the filmconstantly
portrays it in a fatalistic manor, they make react in a severely negative way towards both
the film and the implications the chosen topic could have on society. On the contrary, the
opposite effect could occur. If the chosen topic is portrayed in an almost ‘jokey’ fashion,
then the audience may feel better about the societal or political worry; having a ripple
effect, meaning that not only do they enjoy the horror movie, but end it feeling more
confident about that which was holding them back.
‘B’ movies, are also known as independents. Independent movies are those which are
created by a group of individuals or him/her on their own, without the help of the industry.
The creators of the productions are usually fans who have been influenced by their
favourite films. Independents in recent years have been on the rise and there is currently a
market for new horror producers. As briefly mentioned, ‘B’ listed movies tend to have low
budgets and the possibility of little experience in the professional film and media industry.
The inexperience of some ‘B’ listed movie producers has meant that most of them fail, yet
the ones that do not are the ones that tend to do very well and become widely known.
Examples include, Halloween (1978) and ‘The Babadook’ (2014); which was an Australian
produced film. ‘B’ movies had a huge influence on the expansion of ‘A’ listed films. (‘A’ listed
films being those that are produced by a large and well known production company.) An
example of how independents influenced non independent horrors is in the filmHalloween
(1978). ‘Michael Myers’ had escaped a mental institution and was out to kill. To not be
identified ‘Myers’ wore a white mask. The use of the mask created a boom in the rest of the
industry and so the era of unidentifiable antagonist was created. ‘Hammer Film Productions’
was in fact an independent filmcompany until 2009, when it was bought out. This is the
reason why ‘Hammer’ used to have to work with such little budgets - because they weren’t
funded as a large ‘A’ listed Production Company. In terms of budgets, ‘Paranormal Activity’
(2007) received a small one for their first production, but as it became increasingly well-
known and popular, the budgets for the films that followed increased, to ones that were
significantly higher.
Readings:
Stuart Hall's “Encoding and Decoding” (1973) theory can be applied to horror films. This
theory regards embedding or multiple messages into a media text. The main message
embedded into horror films regards of the roles and natures of men and women. In most
media productions, women are seen to be the primary carers for the family - the ones who
are nurturing and motherly. In horror films, quite the opposite is portrayed. Women are
shown to be manipulative, disingenuous and hindering. The horror genre is not

6. conventional and so ‘typical’ gender roles are flipped on their heads. Similarly, men can be
portrayed in the same way and are seen it to be aggressive. Hyper masculinity is enforced in
most horror films. This is the term used to describe a man who is not able to deal with his
emotions and so finds other ways to make himself seem ‘manly’. This could be through a
characters physique or the enforcement of his authority.
There are three ways that audiences can take a message from a media text; these three
types include preferred, negotiated, and oppositional. ‘Preferred’ regards an audience who
not only understand the message embedded into a media production but also firmly agrees
with it. ‘Negotiated’ refers to an audience who are on the fence about a message embedded
into a media text. Finally, ‘oppositional’ audiences are those who completely disagree with a
message embedded into a text.
Each individual can be any of the three types of audience member. A person's choice of how
they choose to receive the message is dependent upon their culture, class, life experiences,
upbringing and many other factors. Before watching horror films, most audiences refuse to
watch them due to fear and predisposed ideas about what they entail. After watching them,
audience members may come to realise that they enjoy them. At the same time, others may
be completely ‘opposed’ to them or simply in the middle of the two possibilities.
An example of a message embedded into a text is ‘The Poltergeist’ (1982). The films
message regards the ‘American Dream’, and at the point of the productions release, these
were the current affairs in society. As mentioned in previous tasks, films are influenced by
external events in society. Not only was the ‘American Dream’ embedded into the
production, but also the fact that not everything is perfect and things do go wrong. In
addition to this, these impracticalities can happen to anyone. The idea that the “Freelings”
house was built on the graves of Native Americans, is used as a message, that they should
not have been wiped out and removed from their homeland. The destruction of the house
and the disruptive events that occurred almost act as a representation of what happened to
the Native Americans.
During the 1980s - when ‘creature features’ were used, little or no messages were
embedded into a text, as the media was simply there as a form of entertainment. The 1990s
saw the introduction of slashers, and similar to the 1980s messages were not incorporated.
In the early 2000s, horror films started to include more back stories. Details were used help
the audience understand why events were occurring and this is when Stuart Hall's
“Encoding and Decoding Theory” was able to come into play.
The ‘Male Gaze’ theory was described by Laura Mulvey (1975). The theory that explains how
women are exploited through the use of their bodies (and other features) for the visual
pleasure of men and this can definitely be applied to the genre of horror. The ‘Male Gaze’
theory is used to entice the audience and provoke viewers. Considering the members’
horror consumption tends to be teen to adult males, the theory is generally applicable.
Although the theory is applied to most horror films, the use of provocative females is not
always for pleasure. Instead, women are used to show how they can be and are dominated
by males as well as females. For example, this is usually committed by the popular girls in

7. the group, as shown in ‘Cabin in the Woods’ (2011). Jules Louden can be seen to pick on and
almost bully Dana Polk. It is shown in the majority of horror films how women are
vulnerable and weak and can be easily manipulated.
In contrast ‘Scream’ (1996) goes against the ‘weak female’ trend as the film is headed by a
strong, female lead - Sidney Prescott. Even though she portrays these characteristics, she is
still marginalised by a few of her peers as she is not seen as being overly feminine or
submissive enough towards her boyfriend.
The idea and theory of ‘moral panics’ was created by Stanley Cohen in 1972. The theory
stated that a production focused on the negative aspects of a subject or story and
exaggerated upon it to create, what audiences thought felt like a worldwide issue. Horror
has the ability to control the public through fear and create separations in society. Viewers
begin to question both themselves and their sanity. The fear audiences feel is created by the
verisimilitude in the production. Through the use of CGI and special effects, fans question if
supernatural could be real and after seeing the horrifying things that creatures and humans
too are capable of, this is a petrifying thought.
Intertextuality:
Intertextuality regards the referencing other pieces of media (be that a text or a production)
in another production. Intertextuality began when there was a significant rise in the
production of non-American horror. For example Japanese and other Oriental horror, which
produced films such as Ring (1998), Eye (2002) and The Grudge (2002), some of which were
so influential, that they were remade by American production companies. Rec (2007) was a
Spanish filmthat revolved around a news reporter doing a report on the local police station.
On call, they went to an apartment building where an old woman had not been seen for
days and neighbours began to worry, so the firefighters were called to open the door. As the
storyline continues, we find that the block had been planted to be infected with rabies. We
watch the events occur through the raw footage filmed by the cameraman of the news
reporter. This filmwas so influential, that American producers created a remake of it and
called it ‘Quarantine’ which was released in 2008.
There are many occasions where films are referenced in others, and this feature is
specifically applicable to horror. ‘Scream’ (1996) uses a significant amount of intertextuality.
Not only does it constantly mention and refer to other horror productions, towards the end
of the film, after Billy’s party has been shut down, he and his friends decide to watch a
horror filmand the filmchosen is ‘Halloween’ (1978).
‘The Conjuring 2’ (2016) is another example of a production that uses intertextuality. The
film cross references other films in the franchise, although they are internal references, it is
still considered intertextuality.
‘The Shining’ (1980) is an example of a horror film that uses intertextuality, yet the
reference comes from outside the horror genre. Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) due to his
mental breakdown, is axing down the door between him and his wife Wendy (Shelley
Duvall). As he pokes his head through the gap that he created with the axe, he quotes

8. “Here’s Johnny”. This is a reference to Johnny Carson's from his ‘Tonight With’ show.
Nicholson’s character quotes this famous line for two reasons. The first being that the game
show was a test of trust and in the films instance, a husband and wife should be able to
trust each other and so morals and conventional aspects of a relationship are turned on
their head. The quote is therefore used as a form on juxtaposition. The second reason that
the quote is used is to enhance the realism of the storyline. Using a line from a current game
show, makes the audience feel as though the storyline is current and modern, which adds to
the production.
Intertextuality on some occasions has changed the meaning of horror films. Although it
doesn't happen often, in Frankenstein (1931) ‘Frankenstein’ was in fact the creator of the
monster, not the monster itself. As intertextuality increased and the filmwas referenced,
the meaning of the filmchanged and enabled the incorrect enforcement that ‘Frankenstein’
was the monster, when this was not the case. This wrong enforcement influenced
productions to use intertextuality in their work and continue this portrayal. Pieces of media
that did this include ‘Scooby Doo’. This lead to ‘Frankenstein’ being the monster’ being
ingrained in children from a young age.
Role of Social Networking:
Like any mediaproductions,socialnetworkingcanhave a significantimpactonthe audience thatit
targets.In termsof horror, social networkingcanalsohave animpact onthe popularityand
receptionof the film.Social networkingschemesincludetrailers,togenerate anaudience andfan
base,as well asgetthe audience excitedaboutthe upcomingfilm.Tointrigueanaudience into
wantingtowatch such a film,itmustinclude alarge elementof suspicion,nocluesorideascanbe
givenawayand itneedtohave an emotional effectonthe audience.Toentice the audience atrailer
needstobe thrillingandexcitingandarecentyetperfectexamplethatcomestomindis‘Get Out’
(2017). The trailerhasa large sense of mysteryincorporatedintoit,andleavesthe audience feeling
as thoughtheymustgo and see the film.The traileristhe startingpointof any successful production
and itcan have a huge influencesonthe waypeople feel aboutafilm, the audiencereceptionand
howlarge theiraudiencesare.
Pre/ Post ViewingExperiences:
The audience’sopinionsonafilmbefore itsrelease can differtothatafteritsrelease.Audiences
gathertheirjudgementsthroughtrailers,advertsandcriticreviews,andtheirpersonalviewtendsto
splitbetweenone thatispositive ornegative.The marketing,trailersandcriticopinionshelptoform
one'sideasaboutan upcomingfilm.A filmthatisconsideredgoodinthe eyesof genre,pre viewing,
needstoscare the audience andinclude elementsof mystery.Onesthatare consideredbad,dothe
opposite.Forexample,theygivetoomuchaway,do notscare or grip the audience anddonot make
themfeel asthoughitis a worthwhile watch.
Postviewingexperiencesdependonandare influencedbyaudience’spersonal thoughtsand
feelingsaboutaproduction.Audiencesmayhave highexpectationsforaproductionafterits
previewingfeaturesyettheirpostviewingopinionmaydiffer.Trailersinclude the mostexcitingand
mysteriouspartsof a productionandcondense itintoa shortvideotoconvince an audience to
watch it.Yet,howeverincredibleatrailermay be,if the productiondoesnotmeetstandards,hasa
boringstoryline anddoesnotcapture the audience,postviewingopinionswill contrastthose of pre
viewingones.A personalexample of thisis‘Cabininthe Woods’(2011).The trailerwasgrippingand

9. exciting,andcriticreviewswere positive,yetwhenwatchingthe filmIfeltthatitlackedthe horror
essence.
In conclusion,thisconcludesthataudienceseitherlove orhate the genre.Those whoare unsure
aboutthe style canbe easilyconvertedto becomingahorrorlover.Horror can have differenteffects
on differentpeople andthese effectscanbe dependentononesexpectations.The world-renowned
genre isthe largestindustrythathas the abilitytoconverthatersto loversandforthat such reason,
meansthat itis one of the best.