Conventions of a Horror

Conventions of a successful Horror film

• Scary 
• Tense Atmosphere
• Mysterious Antagonist 
• Makes audience think
• Withholds information
• Blood/ Gore
• Fast pace
• Short Takes
• Low key lighting
• Props , Weapons , Knives , Hammers 
• Costume , Masks , Dirty clothing

Scary.


What is a horror? Well a horror is a film that's main target is too elicit a negative response from its audience by playing on their primal fears. In other words a horror's job is to scare the audience. A great horror film is usually defined by not only the narrative of the film but also by how well it terrifies the audience. One example of a film that is 'Paranormal Activity'. This film utilises 'jump scare' scenes brilliantly and plays on peoples fear of the supernatural , hence it makes the scenes terrifying to the audience but at the same time makes them want to watch on.


Tense Atmosphere/Suspense

Linking to the idea of horror films being scary , before a jump scene or a memorable scary scene, there is usually a tension in the atmosphere. The tension usually calms down the tone of the film this lures the audience in to a false sense of security and there fore makes the following scare even more dramatic

Mysterious/Menacing  Antagonist


Typically these Horror films have antagonists that play to the audiences fears. Very little is known about them other than they are blood thirsty and will hunt down the protagonist(s) at any cost. Typically extremely hard to kill , gun shots and knife wounds ineffective against them. Usually can only be killed in an extreme, over the top manner. Eg  Decapitation, Explosion.

















Makes the audience think/Withholds information

The horror genre usually withholds information in many scenes of the film in order to heighten the experience of the film and add to dramatic effect.This lack of information makes the audience think and this therefore helps them get more involved in the experience of the film.


Blood/Gore
Classic Horror films can usually be remembered by gruesome and terrifying death scenes. These death scenes usually have an exaggerated amount of blood and gore in order to scare the audience. One example of a director who does this is George Romero,his 'Dead' series is very well known for extremely graphic death scenes. These scenes were typically done with real life elements and methods but as of late most have been done with CGI.













Fast pace/Short takes

Scenes in horror films are usually fast pace. Fast pace actions helps speed the narrative of the film but also increases the tension and atmosphere in the film. This adds to the experience of the film and will help scare the audience even more. Short takes are usually used in order to leave some information ambiguous . These short takes prevent the audience from fully seeing something and this will help make something scarier than it is.

Low key lighting
 Low key lighting helps play on peoples fear of the dark and unknown , and playing on peoples fears is what most horror films are usually known for. Dark setting also helps creates atmosphere and also makes the audience think and expect something scary. The dark setting and low key lighting also helps establish the mood of the film

Props , Weapons , Knives , Hammers , Phones etc

Most horror films implement the use of weapons. A vast amount of classic horror movie villains can be identified by their iconic weapons . Eg Jason Voorhees(Machete) , Leatherface(Chainsaw) , Freddy Krueger(Bladed  glove) Michael Myers(Kitchen Knife). These weapons help create memorable characters and this adds to the narrative , a memorable villain is also a major selling point and can make or break a horror film. Sometimes protagonists in the film also use guns , knives or other forms of protection against the movie villain. In horror films communication is key in survival , phones are often used in these films as a way of informing someone if they're in danger or not . However they can also be used by movie's villain to tease the characters. An example if Ghostface from the Scream series, he usually teases his victims through the use of a phone in order to intimidate them before killing them.

                                                      Costume , Masks , Dirty clothing

The characters costume in the film are also very important. Iconic horror films usually give villains and protagonists memorable clothing in order to distinguish them and to emphasise their importance. Many horror villains have memorable costumes and masks such as Jason Voorhees (Hockey Mask) , Leatherface(Mask made of human skin) Freddy Krueger(Burnt face) Michael Myers(White mask). these masks also help add to the scare factor of the films villain. They help add to the narrative as sometimes their costume has a backstory. The mask is also usually a icnonic emblem for the villains and this helps make film a great horror.