Similar Media Works Profile

Genre: Horror
 Dictionary Definition of the Genre

• ‘Horror’- describes a genre of motion picture or literature intended to thrill

viewers or readers by provoking fear or revulsion through the portrayal of
grotesque, violent, or supernatural events.
• ‘Psychological Horror’ - is a subgenre of horror fiction that relies on
character fears, guilt, beliefs, and emotional instability to build tension and
further the plot.
Psychological horror is different from the type of horror found in “slasher
films," which derive their effects from gore and violence, and from the sub-
genre of horror-of-personality, In which the object of horror does not look
like a monstrous other, but rather a normal human being, whose horrific
identity is often not revealed until the end of the work.

Definitions from:

http://bestuff.com/stuff/psychological-horror

•
 Hybrid Genres
• Hybrid genres are often made up of the
main horror genre and one of the smaller
distinctive ones to make a separate, new
genre.
• An example of a hybrid genre in horror
would be a supernatural horror or a thriller.
 Psychological Thrillers
• Psychological thrillers are a subgenre of
the main horror genre. It relies on eerie
music, emotional instability and tends to
be extremely realistic to evoke fear more
in the audience than simple horror films. It
focuses less on the physical harm and
aims more directly at abuse of the mind, to
affect the audience more intensely. It
exposes peoples repressed fears to create
discomfort within the audience.
 Example of a Hybrid Genre: Psychological
Thriller
• A prime example of a horror thriller would be Psycho (1960). A thriller uses tension and suspense as its
main elements to engage the audience. The plot often builds up to a climax to give the “on the edge of
your seat” feeling for the audience, making them ultimately involved in what is going on. This relates to
the Hypodermic Needle Theory where the audience is absorbing information given to them.
•The usual setting for a thriller is normally a
suburb or a city. This is verisimilitude so
engages the audience as the environments
•Typical characters of this genre are similar.
would be; criminals, stalkers,
assassins, innocent victims (often on
the run), menaced women,
characters with dark pasts, psychotic The fact the character is in the
individuals, terrorists, cops and shadows denotes they are hidden
escaped cons, private eyes, people but may also connote the protagonist
involved in twisted relationships, knows them. This is also building
world-weary men and women, suspense.
psycho-fiends, and more. The
themes of thrillers frequently include •Thrillers often overlap with mysteries and this is
terrorism, political conspiracy, generally the subject of the plot and the protagonist
pursuit, or romantic triangles leading is trying to work out the antagonist as they may
to murder. already be acquainted.
 Major genre
• ‘Horror’ is a genre made simply to scare
people, covering the basics of using blood
and gore. It is designed to scare the
audience, and that is its sole effect. Horror
as a major genre is the most commonly
known, even though there are several
different types of the main horror genre.
The Blair Witch
The Exorcist
Project (1999)
(2000)

Examples of the Horror

genres

The Grudge Final

(2004) Destinatio
n (2000)

Halloween
(1978)
There are different types of horror films,
these are...
 Horror - period
• A period movie is a movie that is set in the past.
• An example of a period horror is Shutter Island (2010).
Shutter Island is ultimately a psychological thriller
designed for the audience to question their own sanity. It
is #21 in the period movies grossing $128.0 at the box
His costume is very It makes use
office. dedicated to the era it is of the
set in, creating character to
verisimilitude. add fear. She
looks fragile
and frightening
which evokes
fear in the
audience.
Very typical of the psychological and
horror genre, it makes use of
exploiting peoples worst fears –
such as the loss of a loved one.
 Horror – Slasher/Torture
• The ‘Saw’ films are typical of the ‘slasher’ horror films. They
“provoke fear” in the audience by showing a series of gory
events and use “blood and guts” to scare the audience. The
horror is physical so creates panic within the audience. It often
makes use of verisimilitude to make the audience feel involved,
therefore creating the fear that the torture, or death, could
happen to them. Here we see people being tortured and this is often
the focus of this genre. It creates a sense of fear
within the audience as it is gruesome and repelling.

Horror films strive to

evoke disgust within the
audience. They often
deal with the audience’s
worst nightmare and
most of it is
supernatural behaviour.
 Horror - supernatural
• The Sixth Sense (1999) is #89 in the
charts of supernatural horror grossing
$293.0 at the box office.
• Supernatural horror films focus of events
that are supernatural, such as ghosts.
The Sixth Sense 1999.

The Wolfman 2010

Examples of Psychological
Horrors
 The Ring (2002)

No physical harm happens to the

characters, although they are
harmed mentally. This is often
what creates most fear as the
music creates the tension that
makes the audience feel like
someone will get hurt.
With a child being a victim, it plays
on the deepest fear of all parents –
the loss of their child. This makes
the audience get involved within
the plot, therefore creating more
emotional fear.
 The Blair Witch Project (1999)
This was filmed in real-time using amateur footage to create the
feeling of a documentary. Information such as “They were never
found” are dropped in so adding fear to the audience as they are
unaware what to expect as they are also told it is a true story. This
therefore backs up the information the psychological horrors reveal
the minds deepest repressed fears.

Here we can see the darkness and the

woodland, both of which evokes fear
for the audience as they can’t see past
the female or even anticipate what is
going on.
Amateur filming used in films
There has been an increase in horror films being filmed in the style of a documentary, where the protagonist looks as though
they are filming the film with a video recorder. This amateur filming style presents a first person perspective of the horror and
makes the incidents personal. This personal approach makes the film seem more realistic and frightens the audience more as
they feel it could happen to them.
Amateur filming is a style which some audiences do not enjoy as it can often make them feel sick due to the constant
movement of the unsteady camera. However, this style builds tension in many ways. For example:
•The audience can only see what the person holding the camera is seeing therefore they would be waiting for something to
attack from behind the camera or from a point of view that is not visible on camera.
•The audience will be able to relate to the character as they would feel they are experiencing the events with them. This
complies with McQuails Uses and Gratifications theory as the personal filming would capture the need for personal identity
where the audience member can compare their life with the protagonist, making them feel more tense and vulnerable as the
bad incidents are happening to the protagonist which may live a life very similar to the audience members.

The first well known film to use amateur filming in a horror film was The Blair Witch Project (1999) the film is based on three
students going to film a documentary in the woods based on a local legend the Blair Witch, the three go missing but there
video footage is found.
The film used the conventional horror setting in the woods, this denotes a large natural space however draws connotations to
no escape and isolation. These two elements are featured in the film as the amateur film shows the students running through
trees in the dark therefore the audience can not see what is ahead and are left tense and frightened.
This type of horror is very horror effective as it has advantages over normal horror films which I outline before. Also this
amateur filming style is easy as steady shots do not need to be captured making the filming process quicker and easier also it is
cheap. The Blair Witch Project’s budget was estimated at $60 000 which is a lot cheaper in comparison to The Haunting (1999)
which was released on the same year and budget was estimated at  $80 000 000.
Other horror films that used the amateur filming style are Cloverfield (2008) and Paranormal Activity (2007). Both of these
were extremely popular and the amateur filming style is now a renown style which directors consider when filming.
Amateur filming continued

Analysis of 30 seconds of Paranormal Activity trailer

The trailer begins with audience members waiting outside and entering the cinema, the title on the side explains what they are
going to see. This is not a conventional horror trailer as the members are not actors, they are in their normal clothes so the
different colours have no specific connotations, they sit down in the cinema like any audience member would. This simple, real
beginning highlights the verisimilitude where the audience watching the trailer can relate with the audience in the trailer
however, when both audiences find out the film is based on a middle class American family they can also relate to them making
the film more threatening.
The trailer then continues where the man explains that Katie believes there
is something in the house, the mid shot of Katie looking into the camera and
saying ‘you believe me right?’ automatically involves the audience as they
would feel she is talking to them, as the camera is from a personal
perspective. This would make the audience sympathise with her and feel
attached so when she gets scared in the film the audience will empathise
with her. This therefore fills the audience need of Personal Relationships in
McQuail’s Uses and Gratifications theory. As the audience would build a
relationship with her due to the camera shots used.
The trailer also outlines the settings in the film for example the bedroom,
the bedroom has connotations to a personal, private and familiar space in
the household. This setting is conventional in horror films as it shows an
invasion of personal space which frightens the audience as they would be
able to relate to this room and its connotations and would fear they would
be haunted like Katie as the film has a strong essence of verisimilitude.
In addition the constant reoccurring audience reaction shots show
the pure terror the film puts its members through, for horror film
fans this would encourage them to go to see the film as it shows
members jumping and hiding their faces which implies the pure
fear which creates adrenaline which is what a horror fan seeks for.
Generic Signifiers
There are some things that are seen in horrors over and over again; sometimes its
part of a set or the setting, props which are used regularly or costumes and
colours .
Set;
Common settings;
• Church- Reason being churches are for worship however to make it shocking
when there is murder in a church or by a church it is more disturbing and horrific.
• Graveyard- Simply because it is the home of dead bodies, therefore it is scary and
a common place for evil spirits, black surroundings and sad memories which all
reflect on death.
• Bedrooms- Its meant to be a place of relaxation and safety however horror films
usually focus on the fact people are unprepared and close in on bedrooms where
the antagonist catches the protagonist. Also it’s a small space with no escape
which would build tension.

Props
Common props are usually weapons as murder is the main theme in horror films.
Common weapons;
Big knives/ kitchen knives- Using kitchen knives makes it realistic and also they look
harmful and dangerous.
Polaroid pictures- Some films include Polaroid pictures of people they are hunting
down or use for evidence.
Conventional props used in horror films

Knives This is from the horror

Knives are a conventional prop used in horror films, there are Psycho, in this instance
many different types of knives however, horror films seem to stick it is the antagonist
to the same knife which is the kitchen knife. using the knife to kill.
Genuinely it is the protagonist that has the knife for protection so The knife is similar to
an obvious weapon that is easy to get hold of is the kitchen knife. that of a kitchen knife,
As most households have a kitchen knife it sticks to the therefore compiling to
verisimilitude which runs throughout most horror films, therefore
verisimilitude as a
audience members see that the weapon is something that they
could use in case the incidents in the film happen to them. kitchen knife is
something an audience
member can relate to.

This is the female from the Strangers holding a large kitchen knife, this is
also realistic as she is in her home and the only weapon she has found is a
kitchen knife. Although the prop may look sharp and threatening to an
audience member usually the antagonist is not intimidated by the knife.
This then makes the audience tense as they would panic as the scene
would highlight verisimilitude as it is a house which the audience can
relate with and there is no other weapon to use for defence.

This is the girl in Scream playing with a kitchen knife,

the knife connotes murder and death which
foreshadows the events that will happen in the film.
Audiences will relate to this type of knife as it is from
a block which are featured in many households, this
scares the audience as the film and setting are
realistic making them fear the events featured.
 Conventional costume
Scream
Masks

A conventional piece of costume used The Strangers

in horror films is the mask. Lots of
people have a phobia of masks
making them automatically scared of
the close-up shots of masks in horror
films. Also masks originate from
clowns who originally were seen as
funny characters however, horror
films twisted this child-like image to a
horrific antagonist. The mask is
designed to scare the audience with
its scary design, physically. But also it
scares the audience as it shields the
antagonist making them fear who
could be the character causing the The Orphanage
evil. The mask is a good part of
costume which activates an active
audience as they would try and figure
out who is behind the mask.
However, some directors just use the
mask to scare the audience through
appearance and comply with the
Hypodermic Needle theory where the
audience are passive and elements
such as scary costume and loud high
pitched music are relied on to make
the audience jump.
Saw
 Costume continued
The conventional costume used in horror films is realistic clothing, the clothing is
usually fashionable in the year the film was set and usually clothing everyone can
relate to.
It varies due to the time of day, the gender, the colour and the connotations.
A character is usually in realistic clothing however, the colour of certain items may
be symbolic of that character or foreshadowing an event. Using fashionable, up to
date clothing for costume creates verisimilitude where the audience can relate to
characters as they may wear the same clothing, in horror films when there is
verisimilitude audiences get more tense and frightened as they feel the events in
the film could happen to them because they have identified with the character. This
identification process happens because they can relate themselves with the
character which McQuail sees as one of the audiences main needs in his Uses and
Gratifications theory.

Halloween 2
Her costume denotes white connoting innocence
and purity.

Scream 2
Her costume denotes pink connoting she is
flirtatious, innocent and sexy.
 Costume continued

Another conventional costume featured in horror films is night wear or pyjamas.

Pyjamas are worn when a person settles down, they are a very personal and
private item of clothing and are only worn to sleep in. Therefore this privacy is
invaded immediately when they are wearing their pyjamas when the antagonist
attacks. Audiences relate pyjamas with a calm, quiet atmosphere therefore when
antagonist attacks, both the audience and protagonist are in shock. Pyjamas are
also an item of clothing that an audience can relate to whether it is children’s
pyjamas which they can relate to from their childhood, or a dressing gown they
might wear on a daily basis. This therefore echoes verisimilitude which puts the
audience on edge.

The Boogeyman
The Shining
 Conventional horror film settings
Large old houses
A house has connotations of protection and privacy so
directors use large homely houses for the main setting in
their film to cause panic and fear in the audience. This is
because of verisimilitude, because the audience can relate
with houses and realistic homely interiors. Directors also take
into consideration the colour of the house or example the
house denotes white in Scream which connotes innocence
Churches
and vulnerability.
Reason being churches are for worship however to make it
Scream
shocking when there is murder in a church or by a church it is
more disturbing and horrific
This is a screenshot from the film Stigmata 1999, the shot is an
establishing shot of the inside of a church. The setting of a
church is conventional due to its connotations of religion and
correctness, however, horror films have disturbing murderous
storylines so they are contrasting which creates an audience
disturbance as it is not the norm. This setting itself could be
seen to encode a meaning that even God can not fight evil.
The Haunting

Boogeyman

Bedrooms
Its meant to be a place of relaxation and safety however horror films
usually focus on the fact people are unprepared where the antagonist
catches the protagonist. Also it’s a small space with no escape which
would build tension.
Setting
Usually set in a big old house, like in the ‘BOOGEYMAN’ which
gives off a haunted house vibe. As well as a big old house,
murders in horror films are usually set at night making the
audience feel tense whilst watching the film. This is due to the
way that as it’s dark in the film, it makes the audience anxious
and aware to the fact that something may jump out.
Setting also varies with character. For example it would be
different based on their personality, age, sex and life story. For
example a male adult’s bedroom would be very different to
female child’s bedroom as the colours would be different, the
lighting would be different and props would be varied.
Applying media theories to
Horror films
 The Male Gaze Theory
The Male Gaze Theory, by Laura Mulvey, is essentially when the
audience see’s a female through a heterosexual man’s point of view. For
example, the women are seen as objects of desire and lust and are
always attractive and beautiful. The angles we see are often of their
body and the camera will linger on these for some time.
This is a screenshot from Friday 13th (2009). Here
we see a low angled shot of the female. This shot
is aimed up her body to make her look impressive
and thin, with more consideration on her legs,
which are the focus point for most males on
females. She is wearing shorts and a vest which
show off her figure and make her look attractive.

This is a mid-shot of another female in the same film

water skiing. She is only wearing swimming bottoms
revealing her back and slim figure, hinting she is only
wearing these. This is a prime example of the Male Gaze
Theory because she is portrayed as daring as she is
waterskiing, which some males find attractive, and then
sexually as she is wearing nothing.
 Hypodermic Needle Theory
• The hypodermic needle theory was described
at aiming at a passive audience, those who
absorb the information given to them. They
are ‘injecting’ them with a message that is
designed to give a desired response. This
theory is quite commonly used when showing
violence. Violence is the injected message
and fear, panic and fright is the desired
response. The audience are passive to what
is going on, and not questioning what they
are watching.
• We can see from the previous chart that
Signs (2002) has the highest total
grossing rate, with the opening weekend
being $60,117,080.

It is very typical of the

horror genre. The film
makes use of wide
open spaces, leaving
the audience to
wonder what will
happen next.
Storyline and Characters
They are usually based on one character who is troubled by a spirit,
unnatural creature or psycho. They are called the protagonist. The spirit,
killer or unnatural creature are called the antagonist.
There are usually minor killings throughout the film to lead up to the main
killing which happens at the end or the antagonist gets found out.
Sometimes in a horror film, the main killing happens at the very beginning
of the film then the rest of the film is focused on the protagonist hunting
the antagonist down.
A recurring theme in horror is childhood and how problems have
progressed. For example in the ‘BOOGEYMAN’ at the beginning the main
character is a little boy, being haunted by an unnatural creature. Later on
the film skips the rest of the boy’s childhood and focuses on him as a
man, trying to figure out whether the unnatural creature is a figment of his
imagination or something he must stop.
Target Audience
Horror films are usually certificate 15 or certificate 18. This narrows the target audience down to
people aged 15 and above. The reason for the high certificate is because horrors are usually
very violent and gruesome, which would be unacceptable for children to watch. Especially as
horror films in the 21st century focus on blood, violence and gruesome special effects. However
psychological horrors focus on the storyline a lot more making it more complex and making the
audience have to think about what they are watching. As psychological horrors need the
audiences attention for the whole film because the audience need to pick up on hints and clues
to be able to understand the film and its conclusion. Therefore the audience is more likely to be
older people, 18 and above as they would concentrate on the plot much more than teenagers
who are more interested in blood and gore. Also female teenagers are not usually interested in
films with lots of depth and a complicated plot most female teenagers would rather watch a
‘chick flick’ or a ‘romantic comedy’. In addition most females are quite squeamish and wouldn’t
be interested in the violent gory part of a horror either, so horrors are more for men than
women. Horrors of the 21st century would not attract older people (60 onwards) as they would
not be used to the modern day horror; being lots of blood, zombies (‘Final Destination and death
they would rather watch a film from the 1960’s being mainly about ghosts, fear of the unknown
and social psyche.

Brides of Dracula Final Destination

(1960) (2000)
 Audience Expectations
Audience expectations for films based on the genre of horror
usually include expectations of blood, killings, special
effects, a twist in the storyline etc.
Blood is a main expectation from the genre as it links in
with killings and death. This may be horrifying for some
people and thrilling at the same time, and has been linked
to horror films for decades. Special effects and twists in
storylines are used with films that include blood and
killings as a main theme throughout the film.
Another expectation could include unnatural creatures,
such as ghosts, zombies, vampires etc. Since the very
first horror film in the 1930’s, many horror films have
been based around unnatural creatures like Frankenstein
and Dracula. Mad scientists have been linked to horror Frankenstein
films from films like Frankenstein and Dracula, and they
now can be expected in horror films, even if the film has 1931
nothing to do with that particular subject.
Some people in an audience see horror films as an
expression of our subconscious wish to smash our fears
and/or the norms that oppress us. The audience expect
the underside of normality to be exposed and for
irrational chaos beneath respectability and convention to
explode and to threaten to engulf society.
Whilst watching horror the audience expect to half long for
the forces of chaos to win but fear at the same time what
that chaos will reveal about ourselves. Mainly the
teenage audience expect and want to be frightened and
amused by nightmares.
Dracula 1931
 Audience expectations of the genre horror
continued
We asked different people to say a sentence that they think sums up horror films:

Jenny, 17 years old – ‘Bits that make you jump because they are surprisingly shocking.’

Hollie, 17 years old – ‘Suspense and something that makes me jump after building up.

Catherine, 17 years old – ‘gripping on the edge of my seat action and suspense.’

James, 17 years old – ‘shocking and suspenseful.’

Julia, 42 years old – ‘lots of blood and scary masks, with loud outbursts of music’

Janet, 42 years old – ‘Have to watch them behind a pillow.’

Steve, 35 years old – ‘thrilling and exciting.’

These quotes are from a wide range of ages and genders so it captures a large scale of expectations.
They are all very similar views, in the way that horrors typically scare people by building suspense and
loud outbursts of music make them jump. Also the physical appearance scares the audience so they
have to hide behind a pillow.
 Technical codes
• Horror films mainly follow around one character or a group of characters. A
stereotypical storyline for a Horror following a single protagonist, for example,
would be that character’s goal to track down a murderer or a criminal, through
horrific events leading to a shocking finale. Whereas, for a storyline based
around a group of character’s, the film would follow a plotline that would
concentrate on the groups survival or there downfall.
• Horror films make a lot of use of tracking the main character. This is to make the
audience focus on this character more, and mid-shots and close ups are also
used for this effect.
• The main technical codes that are used in horror film are the “camera angles”.
Camera angles make up an entire film; they portray every aspect of a character
and the relationships involved. Also the emotion in the scene. For example, if you
wanted to show someone higher metaphorically to show authority, you would use
a low angled shot from that person so they look physically higher. To show a
lower authority, you would use a high angled shot looking down on them. There
are also; close ups, long shots and mid-shot.
• Horror films tend to use a lot of wide shots of places to create the illusion you are
looking for the protagonist or he is in the room also.
• There are often a lot of silences to create the feeling of suspense and tension. So
when an unexpected noise happens, which is again common in horrors, it creates
more of a fear amongst the audience.
 Analysing the use of Technical codes Low
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=Ravt_8esUO4
• The very beginning of this
clip from the film “The
Exorcism Of Emily Rose”
makes use of a lot of
technical codes. Tracking
and Dutch, low, high Dutch
angles are used. Also the
camera uses close up
shots on the victims face
to show her emotion. The
tracking in this is used to
make the audience feel
like they are following the
victim around, as if they High
are the ones harassing
her, which is a common
factor in psychological
thrillers.
 Technical codes- Camera angles
High Angle shots
This is an example of a high angle shots which are conventional shots used in horror films. The shots are taken from above so that the
character which is usually the protagonist looks physically smaller. This connotes that they are intimidated and vulnerable.

The Haunting in Connecticut

Boogeyman

Resident Evil

The Ring
 Technical codes- Camera angles

Low angle shots

This shot is the opposite to a high angle shot where the shot is taken from below. This makes the
character usually the antagonist look physically taller connoting they have more power and can
intimidate the audience.

The Exorcist
The Grudge

The Orphanage

Drag me to hell
 Technical codes- Camera angles

Mid shots
A mid shot is where the characters are seen from waist up, mid shots are often used to capture facial
expressions which are a vital element in horror films, as this is tells the audience that the character is scared
warning the audience.

The Exorcist
The Hills Have Eyes

My Bloody Valentine

Saw
 Mise-En-Scene
The main elements of Mise-En-Scene are; Sound, costume, lighting and camera angles.
• Sound – Sound in horror films is mainly silence, which is used to create suspense and tension.
A lot of extra diegetic sound is added into films such as these, as to create a realistic sound
during the filming and to make it prominent still would be difficult.
• Costume – Costume in films is normally used to represent something. So in a horror film, if
someone continually wore the colour red for example, you would link the connotations of red so
death and violence to what is going on in the scene at the time. Also, what the actors are
wearing in the scene. People who wear ragged clothes you would see were poor or of a lower
social class but in a horror film the costumes tend to show the damage and the violence that the
victim has gone through. So a cut in the sleeve of a top could show they have obviously tried to
be caught, but could also symbolise the damage to themselves from what is going on in he film
or scene.
• Lighting – Lighting in a horror film is often dark and dim or very bright lights. By having darkness
a lot in horror films it creates the illusion you’re not quite seeing everything there is to see,
therefore creating fear amongst the audience. Also the lighting used tries to make the scene
look as realistic as possible.
• Camera angles – Camera angles in horror films are often high and low angled shots and close-
ups. This is to give a detailed view of the main character, also blocking out of the shot anything
going on around them, such as the protagonist. Tracking and panning are used fairly often and
it creates the illusion you are part of the victim, which is often to main intent of a horror – you
fear for the victim because of the protagonist.
Example of a Mise-En-Scene – The Shining.
The Shining was filmed in 1980 and was directed by Stanley Kubrick. The parts of Mis-
En-Scene I’ll be analysing will be the; sound, costume, lighting and camera angles.
At the opening of this scene you immediately get a mid-shot of Jack by the bathroom
door. He is wearing a red jacket and cheque shirt. The colour red connotes danger and
death, red symbolising blood. He is singing the dialogue of the wolf when he is
attacking the pig’s houses in turn. The story of this is associated with children’s stories
so to contrast the innocence of children and the stories told to them against the horror
of Jack about to cut the door down to kill his wife who is inside the door. There is also
extra diegetic sound over the shot; it is of a high pitched sound but is coming in slowly
so the audience doesn’t notice it until it gets louder over Jack. The use of this sound
builds tension within the audience and hints that something bad is going to happen as
the tempo of the music is slowly building up, like the mental illness of Jack. The lighting
around Jack is coming from a single lamp to the left of him. The lamp is on the bedside
table shining up into his face connoting danger.
On the other side of the door, is Jack’s wife in the film. She is wearing a dressing
down, showing she has obviously just got out of bed. By her wearing a dressing gown,
the audience can immediately tell that is night time and she has clearly got out of bed
in a rush. The use of a dressing gown connotes the vulnerability of her, as we
associate night time with eeriness, danger and it is when we feel most vulnerable. The
camera tracks her to the sink, where she has placed a kitchen knife in the sink
beforehand. Throughout this time the tempo of the music has started to get quicker
and the pitch of the music is getting higher. The lighting in the bathroom is clinical,
white and sharp. It illuminates her facial expression evidently, the main light is coming
from above her from a ceiling light so therefore is not natural light.
 When the shot goes back to Jack, the camera then is behind him as he raises the axe to crash
into the door. You can see the mess the bed has been left in which signifies to the audience
there has been a rush. The pitch of the music then gets higher still until Jack plunges the axe into
the door, where it pauses and we hear the thud of the axe against the door and then the scream
of Wendy. The scream denotes that Wendy is terrified and we don’t even need to see her face to
understand that. A scream is associated with fear so it adds again to the heightening fear of
Jack. The camera tracks the axe as it goes backwards and forwards into the door. This happens
twice and on the third, the camera angle shifts to show the axe coming in the through the door.
This makes the audience feel like they’re involved in the scene and are actually a part of the
moving axe. The sound of the axe coming in through the door is diegetic but there is still the
extra diegetic sound over the top. This has now suddenly turned to a high pitched, fast tempo
sound to a low thrumming sound. We carry on watching the axe hack through the door sideways.
The camera now progresses around so the audience are watching the axe come through the
door face on and can see the hole that has ready been made. We can also see Jack’s facial
expression, this adds to the dread we as an audience feel for Wendy as the look on his face is
sheer malice. The music then goes back to its high pitch again from the beginning of the clip, it
indicates that something bad is going to happen again as when the music was last used Jack
started hacking the door.
The camera then moves back to the other side of the door again where there is a wide shot of
Jack and the bedroom. Again, we see the bed and the bedside light that is just casting a light up
the wall causing the rest of the room to look dim. We then watch him successfully cut the door
and walk over to the hole created. The music then gets considerably noticeable and high pitched
as the camera angle does a close up of Jack’s face looking into the door. The expression on his
face is chilling and is even more manifest as he put his face into the directly bright light of the
bathroom. We then close up on Jack reaching in to turn the key in the lock. Then we see Wendy
cut Jacks hand in a close-up shot and then again on Jack’s face as he shouts in horror because
of his hand. It leaves us wanting to know if Jack successfully got through the door or not, and if
Wendy will escape and survive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TVooUHN7j4
 At the opening of this scene you immediately get a
mid-shot of Jack by the bathroom door. He is
wearing a red jacket and cheque shirt. The colour
red connotes danger and death, red symbolising
blood.

She is picking up a knife which is a

generic signifier and common in horror
films.

She is wearing
a dressing
gown which
connotes her
vulnerability.

The lighting in the bathroom is clinical, white and sharp. It

illuminates her facial expression evidently, the main light
is coming from above her from a ceiling light so therefore
is not natural light
 Horror storylines

When researching horror films it is important to look at popular horror

film storylines. Not all storylines are straight forward and comply with
the Hypodermic Needle theory, others are complex and require an
active audience to question what they see and work out the next step.
We have looked into some horror films and explained their storyline to
show the depth of our research and to recognize any common
characters.
BOOGEYMAN •Release date: Cinema-Friday, February 4,2005.
•DVD/ video- Tuesday, May 31,2005.
•Genre: Horror
•Running time: 86min
•Director: Stephen Kay
•Studio: Columbia Pictures
•Producers: Sam Raimi, Robert G. Tapert.
•Screenplay: Eric Kripke, Juliet Snowdon, Stiles White.
•Cast: Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel, Syke McCole
Bartusiak, Lucy Lawless.

Tim (Barry Watson) is a normal, twenty-something year old guy. But an

intense, paralyzing fear that has been terrifying him since
childhood is tearing him apart. To the point where he feels his life
is in danger.

The incident that left Tim fearing everyday happened when Tim was a
child, every night his dad read him a bedtime story. Many of these
stories were horror based, even though his mum disapproved of
them, but Tim and his father made sure his bedroom was safe
when the lights finally went out. Until that one fateful night. That
scarred Tim for life he watched , paralyzed with fear, his father get
violently sucked into the closet, and was never seen again.
Tim is terrified that the Boogeyman will return and take him as he
has taken so many before. Many years later, after Tim's mother
(Lucy Lawless) dies, he is forced to return to his childhood home
and face the source of all his fears.
 The Shining

• A man, his son and wife become the

winter caretakers of an isolated hotel
where Danny, the son, sees disturbing
visions of the hotels past using a
telepathic gift known as "The Shining".
The father, Jack Torrance, is underway
in a writing project when he slowly slips
into insanity as a result of cabin fever
and former guests of the hotels ghost's.
After being convinced by a waiter's ghost
to "correct" the family, Jack goes
completely insane. The only thing that
can save Danny and his mother is "The
Shining".
• Director: Stanley Kubrick
Release date: 23 May 1980 (USA)
Genre: Horror/Thriller
 The Ring

• The story begins with two teenage girls

discussing the events of the previous
weekend, during which one of them, Katie
Embry (played by Amber Tamblyn), went to
a cabin in the mountains to spend time with
some friends. While talking, the subject of a
supposedly cursed videotape is brought up.
The other girl, Rebecca 'Becca' Kotler
(played by Rachael Bella), states that
anyone who watches this video receives a
phone call, in which a voice says, "you will
die in seven days." Then, exactly seven
days (to the minute) after viewing the tape,
the viewer dies. Katie reveals in horror that
she had watched that video at the cabin last
weekend with three friends, exactly seven
days earlier. After a series of unexplainable
occurrences, involving a television in the
house turning itself on and eerie sounds,
Katie is mysteriously killed while Becca has
the misfortune of watching, causing her to
be institutionalized in a mental hospital.
• Director: Gore Verbinski
Release date: 21 February 2003 (UK)
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller
 The Blair Witch Project
Three film students go to Burkittsville, Maryland to
make a documentary on the infamous Blair Witch
legend. They go missing, but a year later their
footage is found in a bag inexplicably buried under
an abandoned 100-year-old house. The director is
Heather Donahue, her main cameraman is Joshua
Leonard and Michael Williams is the sound crew.

According to legend the Blair Witch is the ghost of Elly

Kedward of the late 1700s. Several children accuse
Kedward of luring them into her home to draw
blood from them. Kedward is found guilty of
witchcraft, banished from the village during a
particularly harsh winter and presumed dead. By
midwinter all of Kedward's accusers along with half
of the town's children vanish. Fearing a curse, the
townspeople flee Blair and vow never to utter Elly
Kedward's name again. In 1825, eleven witnesses
testify to seeing a pale woman's hand reach up and
pull ten-year-old Eileen Treacle into Tappy East
Creek. Her body is never recovered, and for
thirteen days after the drowning the creek is
clogged with oily bundles of sticks. In 1886, eight-
year-old Robin Weaver is reported missing and
search parties are dispatched. Although Weaver
returns, one of the search parties does not. Their
bodies are found weeks later at Coffin Rock tied
together at the arms and legs and completely
disembowelled.
 The Omen
• Was released on 6th June 2006 “666” (A Remake of the
1976 original.)
• Directed by John Moore.
• A child that will steer humankind down the road to hellfire
has been born, and as his evil flourishes in a world full of
hate, the ominous Biblical prophecies slowly begin falling
into place in director John Moore's remake of Richard
Donner's 1976 horror classic. Robert (Liev Schreiber) and
Katherine Thorn (Julia Stiles) were as loving parents as any
young boy could ask for, but as fate would have it, their new
son Damien is far from the typical child. Now, as the
mysterious boy's growth begins to share frightening parallels
with the Biblical passages detailing the rise of the Antichrist,
and the lives of all who seek to reveal his true nature are cut
gruesomely short, Robert and Katherine are forced to face
the horrifying prospect that their child has been sent from
Satan to hasten the fall of modern civilization, and that there
is little they can do to curb his prophesied path of ultimate
destruction.
 Bibliography

• www.boxofficemojo.co
• http://www.wikipedia.org/
• http://www.imdb.com/
• www.youtube.co.uk