What are the key conventions of the horror genre?

Horror is a popular genre of film. Within this gene there are many sub-genres. These include “slasher”, where a serial killer slashes his victims. Monster movies and creature flicks where the antagonist is a monster/creature probably fictional. A sub-genre referred to as “torture-porn” is also common. In these films the victims are brutally and graphically torchered attempting to shock the audience with violence and gore. The genre horror brings with it a list of well know conventions. However one single horror film cannot contain all the conventions.

There are many conventional themes in horror. One is that there are usually binary opposites for example good Vs evil. This is usually the protagonist Vs the antagonist. Freud coined a term “the Return of the Repressed”, the idea of a painful memory being blocked out by the mind. Return of the repressed is a popular theme in horror as it makes the audience question what was so bad that it has to be blocked out and creates and enigma code. The film Halloween uses this as the antagonist cannot remember his childhood. The hidden evil inside is a conventional theme as the antagonists are usually evil. Science being out of control is also a theme mainly due to the audiences fear post WW2 following an atom bomb being dropped in Hiroshima, Japan. This caused a distrust in science particularly in the 1940s-50s.

The setting is a very important convention, haunted places, grave yards, cellars, attics and other creepy places to scare the audience are often used. The communities are usually small and isolated to give a disconnected feel. The time of day is usually night time to give a dark atmosphere. At night time things cannot be seen well making it easy for the villain to hide and jump out making the audience jump. Houses in horror films usually contain many floors. These include a dark and creepy cellar, different floors and attics. This allows for a killer to enter a house and have a lot of room to hide in. Having many floors is also important when a killer is chasing a “final girl”. This allows the fight to take place on many different floors keeping and gives the victim enough room to run and hide in.

A house with several levels is typical of horror films - specifically slashers. This is so that the victim can be chased about their house by the killer.

Horror has many character types. The protagonist is the victim/hero of the narrative. The antagonist is the villain/murdered/monster of the narrative. In slasher movies there is usually a final girl. This girl is usually morally righteous and watches her immoral friends be killed off. She makes it to the end of the film and then defeats the antagonist or dies. In the film Psycho the audience are lead to believe that a certain character is to be the final girl only for them to be killed during the movie. The law/police are unable to do their jobs as they cannot compete with the monsters/very dangerous killer.

A killer from the film Friday the 13th.

A ‘final girl’ is usually virginal, and wears white costume. This contrasts with the darkness of the genre, signifying that she is good and the protagonist. The audience are positioned to side with the victims, feeling sorry for them. The audience are also placed into the point-of-view of the murderer sometimes, however this only highlights further how disturbed the character is. The killer in a horror film is usually mysterious. Their identity is usually hidden. Masks and other costumes are usually worn to make them scarier and mysterious. The killer is not overexposed in the start part of the film, to have a greater impact when it is finally shown in its entirety.

Technical code plays a large role in the forming of horror. POV shots are very common from the final girl to identify with the protagonist. They are also common from the antagonist especially when gazing at the victims. This puts the audience in a voyeuristic position as they are seeing into the mind of killers something they would not do. Depth of frame is used well with protagonists in the foreground and the killer lurking behind them. ECUs are common to scare the audience as they do not know where the certain shot is taking place. It can also invade personal space. Camera work is expressive using weird high and low angles. Editing usually includes jump cuts for example form long shots to extra close ups for sudden change making the audience jump. An increase in editing speed may make the audience think that something is about to happen. Lighting is often from low angles to create creepy shadows. This plays about with the type of lighting people are used to as most light usually comes from above (such as the sun). Close-ups also help to show emotion of the character’s if it is of their faces. For example a close-up of someone screaming is used to show how scared the character is and how dangerous the situation is. Sudden extreme-close-ups on the killer/monster are often used to add shock value. These invade personal space. Handheld camera is often used for point-of-view shots. This places the audience into the eyes of the characters, so that they see what they see, and think what they think. Clover notes that this usually changes from the killer’s POV to the final girl as the narrative progresses. This is audience identification. The audience are supposed to identify with the victims and feel sorry for them.

Final girl in foreground with killer further behind to utalise the depth of frame.

Depth of frame is very important in horror. This allows the killer to be hiding in the background, with the victim in the foreground unaware of this presence. It helps to add the mystery to the killer and to display the danger that the victim is in. Focus pulls can be used to suddenly focus on the killer/monster and shock the audience. Editing usually includes jumping from long shots to close-ups. With no medium shots to ease the transition, it is more shocking and unexpected. A close-up of a killer can be very shocking. A sound effect may accompany this edit (such as a “bang” or “boom”) to add further to the shock. The pace of editing is also usually increased even when there is not apparent threat, so that the audience wonder what is going on and to add suspense. Other sound effects are often added such a heavy breathing. This can often be off-screen to make the audience wonder what is out there. Footsteps are also very common and they display the killer creeping about. This adds to the idea that the killer is there watching even when he is not seen.

Visual signifiers are very important for the genre. Iconography is also important. The colours black and red are the most common in horror. Black has connotations of darkness, the unknown, night etc. Red has connotations of blood, evil, anger, danger etc. Lighting is very low key and high contrast to highlight shadows. Lighting from below is different from the usual ambient lighting. Light from below can indicate hell. There are many objects in the mise-en-scene for example props including weapons, ghosts and moving objects. Weapons such as knifes, axes, guns etc. are used by the killer. This gives them something dangerous to use and to injure the character with. Close-ups of only the weapons can also be frightening as the audience fear for how it will be used.

The trailer for The Strangers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1TBlPelvbE) displays many key conventions of the horror genre. It is set in a house in the middle of nowhere. Depth of frame is utilised at 0:47 seconds. At 1:36 a close-up of a knife is used. This leads the audience to speculate how it will be used.

Todorov’s ‘the classic realist Hollywood structure’ includes: (1) an enigma, path to resolution and closure or (2) hero, agent of change, quest, resolution and closure. The horror genre can also be seen to take this form however there are obviously some exceptions. “False-closure” is often provided to make the audience think that things are resolved and then have another shocking moment. The actual closure is often left ambiguous so that the audience are unsure of what has happened and to keep the mystery of the monster, and to allow for a sequel to take place. Propp’s character roles can also be applied. A protagonist is present (such as a ‘final’ girl’ in the slasher sub-genre). An antagonist al also present (such as a monster in a monster movie sub-genre). Horror used the return of the repressed on many occasions. This allows for a character to have repressed memories, such as a childhood trauma, as a key motivation for killer’s actions. It as also thought that watching horror allows for people to live their ‘inner monster’ as they are often in the point of view of the killer.