The Conjuring

The horror genre is synonymous with images of terror, violence and human carnage; the mere mention of horror movies evokes physical and psychological torture. As remarked by noted author Stephen King “the mythic horror movie…has a dirty job to do. It deliberately appeals to all that is worst in us. It is morbidity unchained, our most base instincts let free, our nastiest fantasies realized.” (King, 786). At manageable intervals, we choose to live these horrific events vicariously through the characters in horror movies and books as a means of safely experiencing the “what if”. The horror genre allows us to explore our fears, be it spiders, vampires, loss of our identity, or death of a loved, under the most fantastic and horrible

Everyone loves to watch a good horror film. Whether the effects in the movie are really gory or extremely unsettling, these nail-biting experiences are what give the audience a thrill as they try to peel their eyes away from the screen. The concept of these movies is to give the viewers a good scare, one that will have them glancing over their shoulders or double checking if their doors are locked at night for the next week. This genre has been around since the late nineteenth century, but horror movies did not gain much popularity until the 1930s. Modern day horror films have evolved from its beginnings, but the elements in a horror movie are consistent regardless of time.

‘The word genre means ‘type’ or ‘category’’ (Teach yourself film studies) it is really important as an audience member to recognise genres as then things become categorised and easier for them to understand which is more comforting. Sometimes however genres are crossed and categories are broken for example sometimes we have ‘action thrillers’ or ‘sci-fi horrors’ this is known as a hybrid genre. This often intrigues the audience and draws them to the film as it changes their outlook as they have no expectations for the film as they have never been exposed to this genre before.

In the modern movie genre, horror movies accounts for very great proportion of the number of followers. Relevantly, the zombie film genre has been developed into a dominant part of mainstream horror, replacing the previous monster such as vampires and werewolves. In Max Brooks’s essay “The Movies That Rose From the Grave”, he offers his opinion that throughout the process of zombie film transformation, it increasingly captivates viewers while gradually generates the modern horror. Brooks’s essay should be an appropriate inclusion of a college textbook which explains the phenomenon of the “undead explosion” in various kinds of media, proving to the audiences with enthusiasm, interest, credibility and specific examples that zombie culture is resurrecting a formerly obsolete genre.

A film genre is a motion picture category based on similarities in either the narrative elements or the emotional response to the film. While films have at least one major genre, there are a number of films that are considered crossbreeds or hybrids with three or four coinciding genre or sub-genre types that they can be identified with them and most can be filed into categories that are easily recognizable to audiences (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 1998, p. 4.1). However, ever so seldom a film comes along that breaks free of its invisible bounds of genre and it leaves the audiences confused about the actual existence of genre. One such film is a film that most are familiar with Steven Spielberg’s classic Saving Private Ryan.

If somebody asked me what my favorite type of movie is I would probably say horror. I would say horror because it provides a thrill in me that no other type of movie sparks within me. When reading Stephen King’s article I realized there is more to a horror movie than just thrill, there is anticipation, and even suspense shown. In “Why We Crave Horror Movies”, Stephen King uses a mysterious tone and pathos to successfully persuade his audience of kids and adults into watching mysterious horror movies that will let you re-establish your feelings.

In the movie of The Conjuring, in certain instances it foreshadows a witch which is considered as a dark presence. This movie poster is effective in introducing or raising awareness of the way is being presented by telling the readers that this film is based on a true story and by showing readers that it will have a mysterious person in search. In the movie, there is a new family of seven, five daughters and their pet dog that moves into an unfrequented farmhouse which took place in the '70s. Strange things have been happening to the house as well with the family, they call investigators to look at the house to find out why weird things have been happening. The reason for the dark presence, appearance in the house is because someone had hung themselves at the house so unfortunately the house is haunted without the new family members being aware of it. The poster for the movie The Conjuring foreshadows a mysterious dark presence not seen by everyone through the specific placement of the shadow, the color scheme, composition and spatial order.

With the large variety of interests that flourish within the society, it is no shock that genres exist, especially in film, as the definition of entertainment differs from person to person. A genre is a category of films that are characterised by similarities in the narrative elements and conventions found within the films. Genres are extremely useful to both film producers and audiences as it helps them narrow down the target audience and search for films that are in their range of interests. No one wants to watch a political drama overrun with teenagers or go into a cinema with the intentions of watching a romantic comedy, only to receive blood and gore instead.

In Stephen King’s somewhat subjective essay in the 1984 Playboy magazine, Why We Crave Horror Movies, King describes his reasoning behind why so many people are fond of watching movies residing in the horror genre. The content of his essay, though inserted in an unconventional area for

A noticeable difference in the way movies have changed over the years is evident when comparing and contrasting two films of different eras which belong to the same genre and contain the same subject matter. Two vampire movies, Dracula and Bram Stoker's Dracula, present an interesting example of this type of study.

Genre is a French word meaning ‘type or ‘kind’ (Genre, 2016). The film industry has been around for at least 100 years. The evolution of entertainment is growing rapidly through the use of media. And as these years go on, films have begun to fit into specific genres, and are important to appeal to the different types of audiences. Films can be described to genre in different types of ways, such as stars, director and narrative to help identify what genre the film is (Neale, 1990, pg. 49). Genre in films has become common because it helps give the audience a different expectation. One specific genre of film is a horror. Horror is a genre that tries to create, panic, dread and fear for the audience.

While the horror genre often follows a very strict set of rules, as well as an organized timeline, some argue that this repetitive schedule diminishes from the alarming nature that is expected from the genre. This topic brings up a critical issue that questions whether novelty is necessary for fright. In New York Times film critic A.O. Scott’s review of The Cabin in the Woods, he stated that “Novelty and genre traditionalism often fight to a draw,” which suggests that while having both traditional and original concepts is key in horror films and literature, neither is more influential than the other (Scott, 2012). With every work of horror, the creators need to find a balance between the customary demands and the inventive narration.

The horror genre has tended to receive little critical success throughout its history. It is one of the genres who relies on its audience to both decide how they’re going to develop future texts and mediums, as well as the subject that they will focus on. The fact that it has been around for a long time makes the new developing genre of comedy/horror understandable, as a way to both reflect on the generic tropes that have become second nature, as well as provide a new viewing experience. The demand for self-reflexivity can be seen in various social media and fan outcries whereby audiences constantly belittle or ridicule their most beloved genre. They focus on the classic elements of the genre, and how widespread they become throughout each movie, therefore commenting on how those films made to be scary have become more comical than anything else. Since the rise in these activities, Hollywood creators have taken the same approach as a way of both paying homage and mocking the genre, in addition to creating relatability to the viewers and their criticisms. Two films that emulate this are the 2009 Hollywood hit Zombieland and the Swedish Cult Film Dead Snow. Through an analysis of these two, and their commentary on horror film themes and characteristics, the idea of fandom interaction and interpretation will be seen as having a strong influence of the genre. Moreover, it will illustrate how the new shift from the pure generic manifestation of the genre has assisted in, not only

According to film theorist Thomas Schatz, “a genre approach (to film) provides the most effective means for understanding, analyzing, and appreciating the Hollywood cinema (Schatz vii).” His approach to film is strongly supported by theorist Edward Branigan’s and the narrative representation of character interaction (Branigan), and André Bazin’s arguments that the objective reality pressed against audience interpretation.

the films genre. The genre is a way for the audience to distinguish types of