Horror Conventions
The Setting
Isolation DarknessAbandoned trapped Remoteness
Examples; Graveyard, alleyways, old houses, barns, woods, lakes..
Technical Codes
Camera shots/ angles:High angle, low angle, point
of view, close up, extreme close up, over the shoulder.
Shots to show the emotion of the victims as well as show the dominance of the villain or hero.
Editing:Fast editing creating
suspense, Tension is also created by using a pause making the audience know something is about to happen.
Technical Codes
Sounds: Silence is used mostly to
create suspense until a loud or obscure nice breaks the silence.
Technical Codes
Iconography
Visual Image:Black or red colours used to
show darkness or blood. Lighting:Dark or non- naturalistic
light. Low- key lighting. Props: Weapons, cars, costumes.
Film can be left on a cliff hanger however most movies end with the villain being defeated.
Hero protagonist or a “final” girl. Hero has to either kill, rescue or solve problems.
Villain is shown to have either psychological or mental heath.
Narrative Structure
Character types
HeroVillainTeenagers Possessed childPolice officersImmortal characters e.g.
vampires, demons, ghosts, werewolf.
themes
Good vs evilRevenge Childhood issuesInsanityEnvyScience experiments
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