Film Conventions Of The Horror Genre

Like Paranormal Activity, Insidious is also an independent film however the budget for this film was a lot higher at $1,500,000. The look the production company gave to this film is also a lot more professional as there are no home cameras and shaky camera angles. However this film does still use unknown actors, since doing my research I have noticed that the majority of horror films use unknown actors to make their film feel more realistic. Insidious is also based around the paranormal theme which shows that audiences in this era are frightened by the paranormal ghostly experience this must be working as insidious took in a gross of ‘$53,991,137’ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1591095/). Also Insidious uses children and a family in a ‘normal’ home this immediately effects the audience as they can relate it to their own lives. The horror genre has become more realistic like this as instead of using zombies, vampires and made up creatures the genre has become more based around real life and what could actually happen as it affects the audience in a more psychological way. Also using children in the trailer will immediately effect parents as they start to imagine what they would do if that was their child and how it would affect them which straight away frightens them and evokes unwanted emotions/thoughts ‘I can speak for all parents when I say the loss of a child has to be pretty much the worst thing that could ever happen to them’

Horror films were not rejected from mainstream society the same way that exploitation films were. Horror films usually did not have big Hollywood stars. They were considered feature films that had a stronger focus on settings and characters. The themes that were dealt with in the horror realm tended to be psychological and based on present day fears. The themes included death, fear of science and fear of losing

This open letter is directed at the directors of Horror films. This letter will discus the over used gimmicks and the lack of creativity on their part. It will be written in a conversational way with the use of pathos of how these movies are faulty with a touch of humor, and rhetorical questions to emphasize certain points of my discussion of this topic. I will also use ethos through my time as a film fanatic who is passionate on all that is film especially horror film which is my favorite film genre, and is the largest genre with so many subgenres within it that have the ability to use so much imagination. I have crafted this conversation to be directed towards the directors of horror films with the use of film lingo that is used for this genre, movie examples they should look at, and a deep analysis of what and how this problem cause movie of today to lack in appeal.

Setting conventions play a huge part within the horror genre. Since horror first existed it has been set in ghostly abandoned castles with spooky dark dungeons, gloomy forests and spine-chilling secret passageways. Since these, settings in the horror genre has evolved into a more terrifying definition of scary. In horror movies today we mainly see old, haunted, broken down houses set in isolated forests exactly like the new house the family moves into in ‘The Conjuring’ or like in the horror movie ‘Halloween’, set in a neighbourhood during the night time. Horror has moved into these more sophisticated ideas of creepy and scary as the setting is more relatable to everyday life, and takes a toll on the audience's psychological mind set to start

Having Halloween just around the corner the horror genre has been on demand. What is a horror genre? Horror is defined as being “an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust” and genre is defined as being “a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter” according to Oxford Dictionary. Therefore a horror genre is a horror film in one of the many categories in a genre that makes the audience feel fear, shock or disgust. Many of the films that everyone watches today are now called movies. Since scary movies have been requested, Netflix has even added a “Halloween favorites” on its search bar.

The setting on the dvd cover is a very wide shot type to show the isolated setting this sets the miss en scene for the film and what the audience should expect from it. An isolated setting is a common feature of a horror film as having a setting isolated scares the audience, as it makes events more realistic. If they take place in one location, rather than all over the place. The feeling of being alone in a horrific situation creates tension and has the audience in suspense and after looking away from the cover they can know that the film happened in that one isolated setting that has no threat to them this link to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and how fear is directly related to our needs. Biological and physiological needs and safety needs. By having an isolated setting on the front cover and the Lead (Daniel Radcliff) in it makes the audience have a empathetic understanding of the

People seek ways to entertain themselves. It may be by spending some time outdoors, staying home playing with their siblings or playing games. For many years, one thing that has been an entertainment for people and it is movies. Movies entertain people and it allows them to hang out with friends; it even allows family to bond. Movies are ways that allow someone step outside their homes. Movies have different types of genre. Movies vary from action, comedy, fantasizes, heartwarming, romance etc. All types of movies entertain people, but the one that takes it all is horror movies. Horror movies allow friends to bond, helps face fear and it is best known for its thrill.

Since it’s infancy at the beginning of the eighteenth century, horror has followed certain conventions that results in an awakening of the senses, evoking intense emotions of fear and terror in the audience. Horror feeds off triggering the primal fears embedded within all of humankind, creating a sense of menace that is the very substance of this genre. Furthermore, the central menace of a piece tends to enlighten the human mind to the world of the paranormal and the enigmatic, dark side of the unknown. The movie “Psycho” directed by Alfred Hitchcock is a perfect example. Infamous for its shower scene, but immortal for its contribution to the horror genre, “Psycho” was filmed with great tact, grace and art in regards to horror conventions.

One in four college students in a recent study said they experience lingering effects of a frightful movie or TV experience from childhood. (Bernie DeGroat) Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief the someone or something is dangerous causing pain, or threats. It is not appropriate for middle schoolers to read classic horror stories like “The Tell-Tale Heart”, because they can cause them anxiety and it can make them aggressive after watching scary movies.

Horror can be defined as a genre meant to psychologically trigger individual fear with the presence of certain supernatural or abstract characteristics. The genre is dependent on people’s fascination with unrealism and the sensation that comes from experiencing fear personified into tangible elements on a screen. Horror films have thrilled audiences for decades, revealing stories of the more sinister parts of life. The popular allure that stems from the genre comes from the tension moviegoers experience when aroused by specific stimuli uniquely present in these cinematic features (Walters). Over time, as the genre progressed, the standardized elements found in a typical horror movie began to shift in different directions primarily due to changing societal circumstances and increasing consumer demand for cinematic innovation. The expansive nature of the different codes and conventions within the horror genre, coupled with the evolution of society’s fascination with these characteristics, has led to the mutation of the genre itself in order to allow for unique approaches to a familiar style in response to both economic developments and taste shifts within the consumer industry.

Typically supernatural horrors are set in the home of the protagonist usually their homes as it is closest thing to them. All of the Paranormal activity films are based in the home of the individuals being haunted by the supernatural forces. The invasion of the supernatural forces on the character's home makes the situation even more terrifying as the forces are unwanted and it also makes it harder to escape as it is their home, they cannot exactly uproot their family and move to a different house, especially if it is a new house which is usually the case with Paranormal activity films

Horror films have been around for over 100 years, petrifying people and bringing their worst fears to life but still they can’t get enough of this sick and gory genre that is unbelievably entertaining and captivating to the audience. Horror comes with many sub-genres from your bloody slashers like Friday the 13th to your Supernatural-Horrors like The Exorcist, but in the end they all seem to do their job by scaring you and leaving you with nightmares for weeks on end. Usually Horror’s films have the same character stereotypes such as the nerd, the jock, the slut, the virgin, the junky, the tough hero, the unlikely hero and last but not least the masked murderer, but yet they all play their own part in the making of these horrors movies whether it is the extremely slow walk the killer does but almost always catches the victim, or the unwise decision to split up and investigate where the unusual noise is coming from.

A girl runs frantically through the woods trying to escape an axe wielding villain. The defenseless victim suddenly trips and collapses to the ground. The villain laughs wickedly as he lifts the axe above his head. The girl releases a final scream as the weapon quickly ends her life, causing the audience to go silent as they watch the villain drag away the lifeless body. Death, blood, guts, suspense, screaming, and terror are all just a few things to expect when watching a modern day horror film. What is horror? Horror can be defined as an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust. (Wilson) The description of horror is not very pleasant, but for some reason horror films are extremely popular. Why is this so? People are addicted to the

According to King, civilized people enjoy horror movies because it shows that we are not afraid and it is a way to exercise our dark sides. Watching horror movies allows for use to face some of our greatest fears, and once conquered, we feel better about our abilities to face our fears. Every civilized person has a dark side to them and this can be feed by watching horror movies. The content in horror movies fuels our need to see death and other horrible parts of the human experience. In reality, horror movies keep some of our sanity in check.

The movie affected me personally because of its realism. I have seen that most contemporary horror movies involve zombies, vampires, monsters, or paranormal activities which obviously do not exist. However, the more plausibility possibility of a troubled person doing me harm made the movie terrifying for me. Especially since the realistic filming of the murder taking place in the shower scene has made me forever fear taking a shower. I actually felt like I was watching Marion getting undressed, which made me feel very uncomfortable as I felt I was invading her privacy. Although, I have never been attacked by a psychopath while taking a shower. The good versus evil theme of the movie resonated with me as it reminded me of the constant struggle