The Horror Genre

What is The Horror Genre and What is its Purpose?

The horror genre is used to seek negative emotional reactions from the viewers, this is done by playing on their primal fears.

What is its Purpose?

The horror genres main purpose is to scare the viewers, this can be done through many techniques such as jump scares

Subgenres

Subgenres divide categories and allow more than one category. For example a subgenre of horror is action horror meaning the film will include action as well as horror films such as blade and dawn of the dead

Action Horror

Action horror films will contain conventions of both genres (guns and violence as well as dark colours and jump scares)

Body Horror

This genre will use deconstructed body parts and use them to create monsters or unnatural movements to create fear. Example being Human Centipede

Comedy Horror

Comedy horrors will contain elements of comedy allowing viewers to laugh as well as scream. Example Scary movie

Gothic Horror

These film will contain gothic features to horror, these would have been seen in earlier horror films. Example Dracula

Psychological Horror

This relies on a characters fears, guilt and emotional stability, this is because tension will be built on fears and further the plot. Example The Shining

Sci-Fi Horror

Sci-Fi horrors have no limit on creativity as these films would usually contain unnatural beings from other planets and usually set in space in the future

Slasher Horror

Deals a lot of violence as it revolves around a psychopathic serial killer who tends to kill numerous people, the killer will generally use a specific weapon to kill their victims. Example The Texas chain saw massacre

Zombie Horror

Reveals corpses/ mindless humans that tend to feed of the living, as the film progresses the number zombies tend to increase. Example Dead Snow.

Paranormal activity The film paranormal activity is a very successful film in all areas including camera, horror conventions, props and techniques.

•Firstly throughout the whole film the audience are placed in the cameras point of view.

•This technique used creates excitement and thrill towards the audience.

•The audience wont be able to see what’s always happening in the film, the audience will be on the edge of their seat not wanting to miss anything that happening.