STEREOTYPICAL CONVENTIONS OF A

HORROR FILM

Shaunagh Peplow

SOUND

Violent sound effects

Eerie Music

Sound Motif E.g. Jaws

Combination of loud and quiet

Sudden explosion of sound

NARRATIVE

Equilibrium – balance / peace at start

Disturbed peace – death/ monster in the middle

Established at the end – resume of normality

Chronological order but may include flashbacks

Sometimes includes a love story.

Mystery horror or puzzle

LIGHTING

Low lighting for the villain

High key lighting for the female lead

Generally a dark atmosphere

Tinted lighting

Night vision for found footage, especially for

outside filming

EDITING

Mostly slow then to build up during the film

Quick editing while the villain is on screen

Jump cuts – during the chase scenes

Zooming shots

Extreme close ups – show emotion on the face

Establishing shot – show the isolation elements

CHARACTERS

‘Damsel in distress’ – normally a blonde female

Heroic failure – normally a overconfident / ignorant

teenage, the ‘jock’

Monster/ villain/ killer

The sensible one of the group who didn’t want to

take part

Heroic figure – saviour

CAMERA ANGLES

Low angle – emphasise monster’s terror

High angle – victims lack of power

Pan and track during the chase scenes

Point of view – empathy with the victim

Medium shots – distance of monster.

MISE-EN-SCENE (MAKE UP)

Blood

Special Effects

Stereotype the genre e.g. blonde female in a face

full of make up and fake tan ect.

MISE -EN-SCENE ( ICONOGRAPHY)

Realism

Unnatural – e.g. The Ring

Ironic Villain (A little girl)

MISE-EN-SCENE (PROPS)

Killing instruments – e.g. Knife

Blood – extreme gore

Locked doors

Torchlight

Hand held cameras ( found footage)

MISE-EN-SCENE (LOCATION)

Dark

Isolated

Woods

Graveyards

Abandoned schools / buildings

Isolated houses

MISE-EN-SCENE (COSTUME)

Masks

Aspects of genre

Villain – Dark clothes – face covered?

Victims – clothing could make them look

vulnerable, e.g. no coat in the woods? Etc.