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Genre: Horror
Sub Genre: Psychological Thriller

By Georgie Gwalter
And
Jade Saunders
How this information will help us:
This information will help us identify what makes a horror film and to
consider its generic conventions. It will also help us to establish how our film
uses the generic conventions and how we plan to break the typical
conventions and signifiers to add a twist to our horror film. We have studied
5 different horror films and some have a sub-genre of psychological thriller.
These are : Saw (2004), The Eye (2008), The Strangers (2008),
Quarantine (2008) and The Sixth Sense (1999).
Looking at these films has helped us look at what makes them horror films
and how we can use similar techniques in our own horror film. For example:
Make up: we have experimented with different fake blood recipes to make
sure we have the perfect consistency for our film to make it look more
professional. We have also bought liquid latex which is used by film make
up artists to create torn skin, scars, wounds and wrinkles. We plan on using
the latex to create the acid burns on our actors face.

While researching horror films that relate to ours, we found that Saw II
(2005) is the most successful horror/torture film according to
www.boxofficemojo.com
 What are they?
Horror films are designed to unsettle the viewers
by causing fear and panic. They dwell on our fears
to create terror and they focus on the darker side of
life, the unknown, aliens/science fiction and death.
There are many sub-genres of horror: slasher, teen
terror, serial killers, satanic etc.
Dictionary definition: Horror films are films of
the horror genre that are designed to elicit
fright, fear, terror, or horror from viewers.

We have decided to use a subgenre of

psychological thriller for our film: A psychological
thriller focuses more on the characters as
opposed to the plot. The audience is required to
think more about the mental state of the characters
to understand the situation they are in. There are
often lots of twists in psychological thrillers to keep
the audience constantly thinking and concentrating
on the characters. We are using this as a sub
genre for our film.
Dictionary definition: a suspenseful movie or
book emphasizing the psychology of its characters
rather than the plot; this sub-genre of thriller movie
or book
Example: In a psychological thriller, the characters
are exposed to danger on a mental level rather
than a physical one.
 What can we expect from a Horror?
Most conventional horror films will have someone dying
throughout the film, this could be in the form of a gory
murder, being possessed or suicide. In most horror films,
the protagonist/victim is normally an innocent character
that we feel sympathy for. The antagonist/killer always has
a motive. The audience for horror films will generally
expect the film to scare them, and most horrors play on the
audience’s fears. Horrors come in many forms, the film
could be about a group of teenagers who are killed by
someone they used to bully (A nightmare on Elm Street,
1984) or it could be a supernatural film that involves a
ghost or demon possessing a person (For example, The
Exorcist, 1973). All these different plots are designed to
scare the viewers.
 What can we expect from a
Psychological Thriller?
Psychological thrillers focus on the
characters more than the plot and the
audience get an insight into the characters
state of mind. As an audience member to
this type of film, we can generally expect to
think about the character and pay attention
to small details that link in with the overall
plot. The idea of these films is to focus on
the characters mental state so we can
expect to focus on the persons mental
weaknesses as opposed to the physical
ones. For example, in (The sixth sense,
1999) the focus is on Cole’s mental state
and the fact that he can see dead people
and this takes the focus of the fact that his
psychiatrist is actually dead and this is used
as a big twist at the end of the film.
 Who is the target audience?
Horror films nowadays are generally aimed at teenagers and young adults (Male and female 13 – 25) and people who
like horror, generally because young people like the fear from horror films and find it funny. A larger percentage of
men watch them more than women possibly because they find the gore funny and it is a good choice of film for a date.

We conducted a survey to find out why people like horror films and what age group watch horror films regularly. We
found that 60% of the participants were aged 16- 18 and more were male than female. One of our questions was,
What age group do you think horror films are aimed at? We found that the majority of people thought horror films were
aimed at 13-15 year olds and 16-18 year olds. We also found that 90% of people preferred to watch horror films with
others.

We are aiming our film at those who are 18+ because we feel that due to the graphic nature of our film, minors would
become disturbed and psychologically harmed. We also think that because our film has a sub genre of psychological
thriller, people 18+ would understand it more.
Horror Storylines part 1:
Depending on the type of horror
film, the storylines vary:
A supernatural horror would
involve ghosts or demons,
primarily in a house and many
involve children : e.g. The
Exorcist, (1973) where the
daughter is possessed by the devil
and begins to act in a sexual and
horrific manner that a child would
not behave normally. Or The
Omen, (1976) where the child is
supposedly the spawn of Satan
and has a 666 birthmark on his
scalp.
A teen horror would generally
involve a group of teenagers
who are killed by someone
they may have bullied in the
past: e.g. Scream, (1996) or
Prom Night, (2008). The
characters are generally
teenagers and the common
victims are girls, most are set
in a school or at a party or a
camping trip gone wrong.
Horror storylines part 2:
A sci-fi horror would involve a
monster or alien: e.g.
Frankenstein, (1931) or
Alien, (1979). Most characters
in these films are monsters
and aliens and the crazy
scientist who created them.
Most are set in laboratories or
outer space on a foreign planet
or an alien attack on Earth.
A gory horror would involve
lots of blood and guts: e.g.
Saw, (2004) or Texas
Chainsaw Massacre,
(1974). The characters in this
are the serial killers who
have a motive and the
victims who are generally
innocent victims but in the
Saw films the characters
have all got a secretive past.
All of the horror films are
designed to cause fear.
Psychological Thriller Storylines
Psychological thrillers focus on
the mental weaknesses of the
character and how this affects
their life. This gives the
audience and insight into their
mental state and input on the
plot. For Example: In Donnie
Darko, (2001). The main
character has an imaginary
friend, Frank, that influences
him to commit crimes like
vandalise the school.
In The Sixth Sense, (1999),
the young character Cole can
see dead people walking
around, the dead people talk
to him, especially his
grandma who tells him to get
her old butterfly broach.
Cole’s mum doesn’t believe
Cole when he tells her, and
instead punishes him for
touching her mothers
possessions without
permission. By focusing on
Cole’s mental state, the
audience focus on Cole
whereas there is a significant
twist about his psychiatrist
that goes unnoticed until the
end.
 Similarities in Horror Films
The camera angles are all very similar throughout
horror films, close ups are most commonly used to
portray how the character is feeling and so the
audience can see the terror of the character.
Reveals are often used to create suspense and the
antagonist is often revealed to the audience but not
to the victim in order to create fear and suspense.
Most horror films use music to create suspense and
the music usually consists of low sounds or a
mocking song like the Jeepers Creepers, (2001)
song. The lighting in horrors is dark, this is to create
fear and suspense throughout the film.
We plan to use a variety of different camera angles
for our film to capture the characters feelings, we
also plan to use a heart beat noise that gets rapidly
faster to create suspense for the audience.
 Similarities in Psychological
Thrillers
Psychological thrillers focus on the
mental state of characters as opposed
the plot so therefore most psychological
thrillers will use a character with an
underlying mental condition or with a
developing mental condition. There are
lots of distorted camera angles which
give the characters point of view to the
audience so that the audience can
empathise with the character. The
setting all depends on the character, if
the character is a child the setting is
usually a school.
Generic Signifiers in Horror
Most horror fans would
associate weapons and
masks and killers into a
horror film, or a crucifix and
a bible or ghost in a
supernatural horror. Scary
music would signify horror
and dark creepy woods or
an abandoned warehouse
would be the ideal setting.
Blood and gore are generic
signifiers in modern horror,
with films like Saw (2004)
taking gore to the next level
with torture scenes.
 Generic Signifiers in a
Psychological Thriller
Where psychological thrillers focus on
the characters mental state, a
psychiatrist would generally be helping
the character. Medication could also be a
signifier in a psychological thriller and the
patient could deliberately not take them.
Saw (2004)

Director: James Wan

Release Date: 1st October, 2004
Starring: Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith
Country: USA
Certificate: 18
The Jigsaw Killer never actually kills his victims,
instead he leaves them to either kill themselves
or each other by putting them in traps and
giving them the rules to play the ‘Game’. His
victims wake up in these traps and are given a
countdown to escape, although they will have
to go through excruciating pain in order to
succeed.
Saw is a typical horror film because it provides
the audience with all the generic symbols, for
example: The antagonist and the protagonist
who cannot be caught, the gruesome murders
and the chilling music that gives you goose
bumps. Like our film, it has a sub genre of a
psychological thriller and provides the audience
with endlessly confusing storylines and is
packed with twists to constantly leave you
thinking and surprised.
 The Eye (2008)
Directors: David Moreau and Xavier Palud
Release Date: 24th April, 2008
Starring: Jessica Alba
Country: USA
Certificate: 15
Sydney Wells has been blind
since she was 5 after an
accident with her sister, after
she has a cornea transplant
she starts to see dead people We have decided to use this
and then with the help of her film because we like the use of
friend she begins to uncover coloured contact lenses when
the mystery to her visions. she is blind, we aim to use the
same white contact lens effect
This is a typical horror film to show how our character is left
because the protagonist blinded by the acid attack.
being an innocent victim with
her disability making her more
vulnerable.
 The Strangers
Director: Bryan Bertino
(2008)
Release Date: 29th August,
2008
Starring: Liv Tyler and Scott
Speedman
Country: USA
Certificate: 15

After a young couple return to

an isolated summer home
after a wedding reception,
there is a knock on the door in
the middle of the night. The
house is then invaded by
three strangers in masks and
the couple have to fight for
survival.
This horror film uses many
generic conventions of a
typical horror film: Innocent
victims being ganged up on
by killers in a cat and mouse
game, hidden identity of the
killers and chilling music to
get the audiences hearts
racing.
Throughout the whole film,
the identity of the antagonist’s
is hidden, and we plan to hide
the identity of our antagonist
in our film.
Quarantine (2008) Director: John Erick Dowdle
Release Date: 21st November, 2008
Starring: Jennifer Carpenter
Country: USA
Certificate: 18

Remake of the Spanish film [Rec] (2007) A news reporter and her camera man
spend the night with the LA fire department when a 911 call takes them to an
apartment with police already on the scene. A woman who has been infected with
something unknown is seen and screams can be heard from inside, a few of the
residents are infected and the building is Quarantined by the CDC, phones and
internet are cut off and no news from inside is being relayed. Everything is caught
on the camera mans camera.
This horror film uses all the generic conventions of a typical zombie film, blood
and guts and drooling zombies as well as screaming victims.
We like the make up in this film and we have got fake blood and liquid latex to
create similar wounds to our actor.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Director: M.Night
Shyamalan
Release Date: 5th
November, 1999
Starring: Haley Joel Osment
and Bruce Willis
Country: USA
Certificate: 15
A psychiatrist who fails one of his patients, who then
shoots him, has a new case. A young boy named Cole,
who is bullied and troubled. Cole has his secret, which
is the cause of all the trouble…he can see dead
people.
This film is a psychological thriller which plays on
peoples fears so it is borderline horror. It concentrates
on the mental health of Cole and this makes the
audience concentrate on Cole more than the
psychiatrist who we later find out is actually dead.
We like the make up in this film, where the boy has
been shot in the head. We plan to use lots of blood in
our film to create wounds.