Codes and Conventions of the Horror Genre

1. Horror

2. Horror Origins
The horror genre is intended to scare frighten and
provoke a physiological reaction on its audience
creating, what professor of film studies Julian
Hanich calls, the aesthetic of pleasurable fear which
is why people keep coming back for more. It is
intended to capture our imaginations and feed on
our worst nightmares weather that be something a
fictional as monsters and zombies or something
more realistic like being alone and death. A horror
spurs from a threat against normality and everyday
life; however intense frightening and gory that threat
may turn out to be. The film genre was inspired by
the string of gothic literature popular in the late
seventeen hundreds taking muse from authors such
as Edgar Allan Po and coined by the gothic
architecture that housed the storylines.

3. Themes
and
Subgenres
Action
Slasher
Science fiction
Zombie
Psychological
Comedy Gothic
Paranoia
Isolation
Madness
Phobia
Invasion
Gore
Torture
Splatter
Werewolf
Mythical
Virus
Murder
Alien
Vampire
Paranormal
Supernatural
Technology
“The horror comes from the reality”

4. Locations
Horrors are commonly located in desolate and isolated abandoned areas in order to
isolate the protagonist away from society where they could possibly get help, for example
“The Cabin in the Woods” 2011. However some films challenge this concept, creating
more fear by the idea of still feeling alone and helpless in busy urban locations, for
example “The Purge” 2013 Franchise which is set in the heart of Los Angeles; even in
one of the most bustling city's in the world there still seemed to be no escape reinforcing
how this threat to normality can create fear. Graffiti covered walls or gothic architecture
are commonly used as locations for horrors as the violent or creepy connotations create
an unsettling environment.
“The Purge Anarchy” 2014“The Cabin in the Woods” 2011

5. Cinematography
Extreme close ups are commonly used in horror films to exaggerate a
reaction and create a sense of tension. By isolating only the face or
eyes we can’t see the threat they're seeing but only there reaction to
it, creating tension and making us ask questions about what is really
there. The close up also exaggerates the fear in the protagonist as
the audience might see individual tears, droplets of sweat, the fear in
someone's wide eyes or just the tension in their face. The extreme
close up is also unsettling and uncomfortable for the audience
keeping them engaged and on edge.
Hand held shaky cam is commonly used in horrors to create a more
immersive viewing experience. In fact hand held cam has inspired a
whole subgenre of horror: found footage. Found footage horror
movies such as “The Blair Witch Project” 1999 or “Cloverfield” 2008
try to imitate through hand held cam the characters filming
themselves in the last minutes of there lives or characters filming
there own experiences in horror situations. It compiles together found
amateur footage from a past events and pieces them together to form
an entertaining personal physiological horror. Hand held
cinematography can also reinforce the feeling of disorientation as it
juxtaposes the normal clean cut still shots we are typically used to.
This effect can also be created through the use of canted angles or
blur in editing as is distorts the audiences view as if to imitate the
protagonist point of view.
“The Blair Witch Project” 1999
(Handheld and extreme close
up)
“Cloverfield” 2008 ( found
footagehand held at a canted
angle)

6. Cinematography(continued)
In addition most Horror films take advantage of shallow depth of field, adjusting aperture to blur
out the background of shots to hide and distort oncoming threats from behind until the focus
pulls to reveal creating a jump scare.
In terms of composition the victim can often be seen turned away from the camera to represent
there vulnerability, ignorance and naivety to upcoming threats. Dramatic irony is created
because we as an audience can see a threat approaching but the victim is still unaware
creating tension because we’re just waiting for the scare.
Furthermore, victims can sometimes be composed in confined spaces or framed by architecture
around them to represent how the are trapped physically or mentally and unable to escape.
“Insidious Chapter 3” 2015
(shallow depth of field)
“The Shining” 1980 ( The
victim composed with his back
towards the camera)
“10 Cloverfield Lane” 2016
(claustrophobic framing)

7. Sound
In stereotypical horrors stabs, bursts and the power
of silence can be used together concurrently to create
tension, scares and a eerie atmosphere.
Uncomfortable stabs and white noise help the
audience feel even more immersed; they are used as
an attempt to let them experience the fear confusion
and disorientation at the characters are going
through. At climactic points the incidental music or
non diegetic sounds can be overly loud and difficult to
listen to to add even more unpleasantness. Silence
can signify isolation, fear and the desire to stay
hidden; when this is interrupted the juxtaposition can
create intense shock and jump scares. It can also be
used to represent a sense of helplessness for
example not being able to speak because you’re
overcome with fear or metaphor that you’re
screaming inside but no one can hear you. Iconic
diegetic eerie sounds include chimes, slow ticking
clocks, representing time running out, foot steps,
portraying a potential threat, and even the sounds of
rushing traffic connoting danger and death and
feeling lost.
A clip from “Alien” 1979 focusing on stabs
silence and piercing diegetic sound
A clip from “The Shining” 1980 using tense
piercing sound and white noise paired with the
sound of the bike mimicking an intense pulse

8. Narrative
The final girl is a character device that is common to more modern horrors; in the past
female stereotypes were weak, helpless and always the victim that needed to be saved
however in more recent horrors one female character survives until the end to take on
the threat alone. This device is evident in films such as Halloween and Alien. A cliché of
horror is representing characters using binary opposites making the victim and threat
very different and obvious; the audience would always feel a sense of empathy towards
the one in danger and nothing towards the villain. However it is becoming more common
that characters are more complex sharing tropes from different archetypes and being
more questionable and eerie. For example villains with motives of retribution and revenge
may have some redeeming qualities; no character is fully good or evil. It may be difficult
for us to immediately identify a villain or a threat creating a bigger shock when someone's
ulterior motives are revealed. This in turn makes a more entertaining intricate storyline.
Horrors are more likely to follow the works of Kristen Thompsons’s 4 act narrative
structure over the typical three act structure. Most films have 3 acts consisting of , the
onset: contextualizing and introducing location and characters ; the discovery: a build of
tension and identification of threat and the disruption the climax and culmination of action.
However Kristen Thompsons structure relies more on the transitions between four
smaller size acts; the action, development, climax and epilogue focusing more on turning
points. For example a reversal of intention or new circumstances that demand a change.
This got rid of the long middle section of a script that directors found hard to fill and gave
each smaller segment a purpose.

9. Iconography
Masks
Fire Weapons
Paintings
Supernatural objects
Gothic architecture
Low-key lightingBlood
Religious memorabilia

10. Lighting
The use of light, dark and shadow are very
important for creating suspense and tension in
horror by distorting and obscuring what we see so
the imagination can conjure up our own personal
worst fears in the darkness. Spot lighting and
underexposing are examples of how obscuring can
be created; an audience tries to fill the gap of the
concealed part of the threat and in turn imagines
much worse. Distortion is another effect that can
be created by the use of lighting; up lighting
creates unnatural shadows on the face
foreshadowing that something's not quite right.
Because the light is emitted from below, something
that is impossible in real life, it is as if its coming
from somewhere unsavory, like the depths of hell,
as opposed to light “shining down from the
heavens”. In addition silhouetting and the use of
prominent shadows again play on humans natural
fear of he unknown creating a distorted, eerie and
creepy image.
“Evil dead” 2013 ( Up lighting creates intense
shadows around the eyes fashioning a distorted,
uncomfortable to look at face)
“The Exorcist” 1973 ( spotlighting and silhouetting
are used in turn to distort and hide the character
creating suspense and mystery