Horror Film Conventions

A PowerPoint created by Matthew Hogg (Candidate

No. 5312).
 What is iconography?
Iconography is the physical display of a film.
The props, sets, lighting and equipment
used in the film to tie in with the film. In
terms of the horror genre, we can expect
haunted houses, weapons and blood to
coincide with the scenes of the horror film.
Horror films will also use dark or dim lighting
to signify isolation or mystery.
 Iconography of the Horror
Genre
Colours and visual style: Dark colouring; red
and black used to connote danger and evil.

Lighting: Low-key lighting used to create dark

mysterious shadows that are unfamiliar and
unpredictable.

Props: Prop sets to associate with different

villains, and to show. For example, a mask and
a weapon for a serial killer.
 Character Types
Character types
-The female victim
-Hero
-Villain
-Non-believer
-Loved up couple
-Immoral teenagers that get killed
Character types are the characters that are
a trademark of a genre of film.
 Narrative Structure
The horror genre structure varies depending on the
type of villain that is involved in the film; the villain
itself normally creates a whole different sub-genre of
horror. For example, in a slasher film a mentally
unstable and dangerous man usually hunts for
teenagers to kill, these teenagers are oblivious to
the event until later in the film. However when the
villain is a zombie apocalypse, a group of survivors
are aiming to get away to some place safe from
zombies. With horror, the characters more than
anything (in particular the villain) defines the
narrative structure of the film.
 Settings for Horror Films
The setting, much like the narrative structure,
depends on the villain of the film. For
example, with a slasher film, the setting may
consist of an area of woods or a lone house
where as a zombie film may use a whole city
to base the story in. The villain decides where
the film is set based on the capabilities of
that villain. One lone killer could only have a
short distance focus where as a zombie
apocalypse could cover the whole planet.
 Conclusion
The iconography of the horror genre is
mainly based on the characters
themselves, more specifically the
villain. The structure, setting and
characters all feed off of who the
villain is. Studying the iconography of
the horror genre has helped me get
more insight into how to plan our
psychological thriller and where to set
it with what type of characters.