Horror Research

Charlie Veitch

What are Horrors designed for?

Why do people watch horror films? Horror films have been attracting viewers since the beginning of cinema. According to some psychiatrists, the modern horror film serves many of the same functions for the adolescent that the fairy tale serves for the child, for instance to warn of evil in familiar places. Horror films are designed to elicit strong emotional reactions from viewers, including fear and dread; and this they do. Nearly everyone reports having been disturbed at some time by an image from a film or television program. The appeal of horror depends on characteristics of the viewer, the film, and the viewing circumstances. Horror films are designed in a way which makes them twisted and to give a fright to viewers, viewers like to be scared and seeing films with something they have never seen seems twisted and different to them

Key Codes and Conventions of Horror

Extensive use of Narrative enigmas Exploration of Narrative Themes Slow pace of Editing, builds tension. Long takes Three act narrative structure Predictable narrative content (follows format) Clear binary oppositions e.g. good v evil Use of low key lighting Use of CGI, FX High production values but many low budget horror films Dominant, hegemomic representation of gender: The Female Victim Extensive use of close up Incidental non-diegetic sound Distorted diegetic sound Extensive use of narrative off-screen space Young/teenage characters Use of hand-held camera: audience identification/realism Point of view shots Low angle shots

Trailer Analysis
Micro Features Cinematography (camera shots and angles) Horror Trailer 1 The Unborn high angle shots, close-ups, extreme close-ups Horror Trailer 2 Halloween (new) Long shot, mid shot, extreme close-ups, low angle shot, close-up, low angle shots
His costume and mask are dirty and torn; this shows neglect. Cant see his face shows uneasiness and tension. He is robotic to show he has no emotions.

Horror Trailer 3 Childs Play Establishing shot, sweeping shot. POV shot, close-up, extreme close-up, mid shots, high angle shots Fashionable clothes to show a normal family, respectable looking Chucky is there to ruin this balance. Scared facial expressions, setting is in the families house Christmas song to show happiness at first. Voice over explaining all is not as it seems

Most Effective and Why? The Unborn because the use of the eerie camera angles is very effective Childs Play because the use of a normal looking family and to then have Chucky to ruin this as he is totally the opposite is very effective Halloween because it has a very recognisable soundtrack and builds up a lot of tension The Unborn because the use of special FX gives a very real feel to the paranormal happenings

Mise en scene Costume & make-up Facial exp, behaviour, body lang, positioning of characters, setting, props

white clothes purity. Boy disfigured. Worried confused face to show horror. Eerie then fast paced music

Sound Diegetic/ nondiegetic, soundtrack, dialogue, voice-over

No voice over, eerie piano soundtrack

Dialogue talking about people involved in making the film. Soundtrack at end for nostalgia of older versions of the film. Dialogue of characters explaining the plot.

Editing Cut, jump cut, crosscutting, fade, slow motion or speeded up, crash zoom

Cuts used, jump cut, cutting fade, slow motion, speed up and crash zoom, dialogue

Jump cuts on action parts. Fade at beginning with voice morph and slow-mo. Crash zoom also on action scenes

Cuts, cut jump, scene cutting, fading and crash zoom