To understand and

analyse
conventions of
horror films

Conventions
Consider common features of horror films
within the following categories:
Setting, camera, editing, character, narrative
structure, technical codes and themes.

You have 5 minutes

Now consider, for each convention, why they

are used.

Conventions - setting
Isolated

settings:
Graveyards, churches, dilapidated
buildings, open countryside, fields,
woods.
Places

with a dark, unknown history:

Asylums, old large country houses

Conventions - camera
Extreme
High

close ups

and low angle shots

Handheld
Point

camera

of view shots from the perspective

of the attacker

Conventions - Editing
Jump

shots

Fade

in/out

Parallel/crosscutting
Insert

shots

Cutaway

shot

editing

Conventions - Sound
Diegetic

sound footsteps, heavy

breathing, screams
Non-Diegetic sound eerie music,
children singing
Contrapuntal sound horror scene with
a nursery rhyme
Parallel sound tense scene
accompanied by tense music

Conventions - iconography
Dark
Low

colours black and red

key lighting

Props

weapons, masks, religious

symbols

Conventions - characters
The main protagonist often the
victim/hero of the film
The victim is often a vulnerable symbol
woman/child
The villain often a ghost, a mutated freak,
a monster, serial killer.
The stupid teenagers
Police officers which can be good or bad
Creepy children

Conventions Narrative
structure
The hero/victim must embark on a
mission to uncover or get rid of the threat
Begins with a natural state of equilibrium
and then things start to go wrong,
strange things start to happen
Climax people are killed or are
threatened and the villain poses a threat
Some films kill the villain although some
are left open to invite a sequel/franchise

Conventions - Themes
Good

vs evil
Religion
Childhood issues
Revenge
Supernatural
Science gone bad
Madness/insanity
Envy
Lust

Sub-Genres
Now

consider as many sub-genres of

horror as you can.
You have 5 minutes.
Feedback
Now

and discuss

consider the key differences

between them.

Horror sub-genres
Psychological
Paranormal
Monster
Slasher
Comedy/parody

horror
Science fiction horror
Gothic horror
Can you think of any examples of each?

Sub-genres
Psychological The Shining/The Silence of
the Lambs
Paranormal Paranormal Activity/The
Conjuring
Monster Alien/The Blob
Slasher Psycho/Nightmare on Elm Street
Comedy/parody horror Evil dead/Scream
Science fiction horror Cloverfield/The Fly
Gothic horror The Woman in Black/Dracula

Difference between long/short

films
Now

consider the key things you are

going to need to consider when filming
a five minute horror film.

You

have 5 minutes

Feedback

and discuss

Doll Face
You

are now going to watch a short horror

film.

You

need to focus on the key conventions

we have considered today, and make as
many notes as you can whilst watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

xQq5Qa1f80g