Audience Profile for The Conjuring (2013)

Studio (production & distribution): New Line Cinema

(presentation), Safran Company (production), and 20th
Century Fox
Director: James Wan
Writers: Chad Hayes and Carey Hayes
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston
Certificate: 15

Target audience detail

Age group: 15- 24 years olds
Gender: Both Male and Female
Demographic: B, D and E
Psychographics: Mainstreamers, Resigned and Strugglers
Uses and Gratifications: Entertainment, Social Interaction and
Escapism
The target audience that I have identified for The Conjuring has been
appealed to in many different ways. The age group of 15-24 year olds
would find this horror film appealing because the film itself contains
scenes that are very frightening that even adults would find disturbing.
Furthermore the way in which the film was marketed to the target
audience would have also appealed to them because of the element of
mystery used within the scenes of the trailer. This was effective because
they audience would have found it intriguing and would have left them
wanting to watch more. The film would further appeal to both genders of
male and female because this film shows a representation of a big family
who are very close and show love for one another, which is stereotypically
appealing towards females as they would typically want to aspire to have
that. Although the film also presents scenes of violence and intensity
which is stereotypically appealing for males as they would typically
associate things like fighting to be manly. This film would be appealing to
demographic D because it typically consists of men and E which consists
of students and low grade workers, and these groups of people would find
this film appealing because of the elements of violence and frightening
scenes within them. Contrastingly I further think that demographic B
which tends to consist of creative types of people would also enjoy this

film because The Conjuring has elements of mystery and a backstory to it,
which they may feel intrigued to figure out before it is revealed to them. I
think that the psychographics of strugglers would like this film because of
the struggles the family faces within the film and also because of the
representation of the old/abandoned looking house which the family move
into. This film is also based in the 1970s and the characters within the film
follow old traditional values, such as when the parents christen the house
the first night they move in. This element of the film would appeal to
Resigned because they tend to be interested in the past and tradition.
This film would also appeal to mainstreamers as this film would be new
and would be what everyone wants to be watching, which also ties into
the uses and gratifications of Social Interaction for this film. Further uses
and gratifications of this film would be Entertainment because of the
frightening scenes within the film for the audience to feel scared, and
Escapism because people may want to watch this film to escape from
their everyday lives and experience something different (e.g. the
experience of being terrified).