Genre Research Activity
1.
Horror
2.
Genre Conventions – content
Typical
characteristics of a Horror production storyline include a protagonist
embarking on a conquest, whether that is to solve a problem or save
themselves/others. The antagonist/villain tends to terrorize a group of people,
usually teenagers who are not the brightest individuals.
The background
story of the antagonist is usually told throughout the film in a series of
flashbacks or through another character. This story tends to reveal the turning
point of the villain’s mental/psychological state – in which sanity was
lost/had a psychotic break.
These sequences of flashbacks take place in
the past, usually in the antagonist’s childhood in which they were emotionally,
physically, or psychologically abused. The main antagonist of a horror
production is not always a person but can also be:
-
A monster/made up creature
-
Paranormal activity (ghost haunting)
-
Demons
-
Possessed children
-
A child’s toy (ex. Dolls) /object
The ending of a
horror film brings the audience/encompasses the feeling of closure or allows for the continuation of the
story as a franchise (ex. Michael Myers in Halloween)
3.
Genre Conventions – production
Usually takes
place in an isolated location/setting in which helplessness can be easily
instilled into the plot. The location can have a dark past/history behind it to
further establish darkness and potential danger.
The
color scheme of a horror production uses hue elements of red and black to
represent violence, anger, blood, gore, aggression, etc. The lighting of the
mise-en-scene can also add to the tone of a production by using low light to
create mystery and shadows to establish a fearful atmosphere.
4.
Institutional Conventions – how a genre is
marketed
Horror films are
often marketed as franchises in which the story has the potential to continue
after the end of each movie (usually left as a cliff hanger or alludes to a
continuation). Thus, when first promoting a horror film – mystery is key.
Trailers and posters tend to be ambiguous and leave the target audience questioning,
“why” – which, in turn, increases curiosity to know more and eventually watch
the production in hopes of finding out.
Title
names are often in a distorted/written in a “creepy” font, such as this one.
Letters/words can be written in red to
further set violent tone. This is also done to contrast shadows within posters
or posters in black & white.
Once
horror films are established, many productions create a sound motif to warn the
audience to the presences of danger/the antagonist (killer, psychopath, etc.).
Micheal
Myers sound motif
5.
Film Sample #1
“The Silence of the Lambs”
This film embodies the genre of horror as
it follows the story of a young FBI agent in training as she tries to capture a
serial killer known as “Buffalo Bill” (trait of genre – solving a problem/ on a
mission). In the film, the main character, named Clarice Starling asks for help
from the infamous serial killer/renown psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lector. The
end scene of the movie takes place in a secluded house in which Starling
unknowingly ends up in the house of Buffalo Bill, creating dramatic irony. This
use of creating dramatic irony is a typical quality of horror content
conventions. Finally, the movie ends as the protagonist finds/stops Buffalo
Bill bringing closure to her journey.
6.
Film Sample #2
This film embodies the genre of horror, as
it is not only a continuing franchise but it centers around that of a serial
killer named Michael Myers. There are constant flashbacks used through the film
series in which we get to better understand the villain and his ways.
Additionally, the mystery behind the villain/character’s behavior stems from
his childhood, which is a common characteristic of a horror genre.
“Halloween”
7.
List of other horror film productions:
-
The Conjuring
-
The Shinning
-
Saw
-
Psycho
-
Scream
-
Insidious
Target Audience
The target audience of horror genre based films are directed
towards younger audiences (teens to young adults) – age ranging between 15-25
years old. These individuals are typically more attracted to thrill seeking and
gore productions, thus they enjoy watching horror.
Work Cited
Amberloo20 Follow. (2015, September 24). Codes and conventions
in the horror genre. Retrieved from
https://www.slideshare.net/amberloo20/codes-and-conventions-in-the-horror-genre
Conventions of Horror.
(n.d.). Retrieved from
http://iconicpictures.weebly.com/conventions-of-horror.html
