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Research of film posters and DVD covers for suggestions of
characterisation, narrative, genre and audience etc.
Horror
Horror film covers tend to have very dark, cynical colours on their DVD covers to show the extent of the horror genre.
The front cover usually relates to the main story or character of the film. i.e. Hannibal cover is a picture of Hannibal.
The text on the covers of the horror films tend to be simple and sometimes linked into the image on the cover. i.e. Hostel’s front DVD cover…
On horror film covers, there is sometimes spotlights on important objects on the cover.
Narratives of Horror Films
Generally, in horror films there is a chronological narrative that is an ongoing story with no flashbacks.
You very seldom get a non-chronological narrative in horror films. The narratives in horror films tend to be simple and they focus on
the horror in each scene rather than flashbacks in the film. The assumption is that the way a horror film is told is going to be
very similar across all horror films, that’s what makes it recognisable to the audience.
A narrative convention of any genre is its predictable set of plot events.
Typical 3 Act Structure
As sited in Film a Critical Introduction. The first action a horror film focuses on is central characters beginning a
venture into a strange and ultimately threatening setting. Stumbling into a forbidding, and often forbidden, setting unleashes a
wave of violence that leaves many of the protagonists dead. As those who survive the initial onslaught begin to fight back, fear and fatigue provoke dissention within the group, putting them at greater risk. Those who have come in contact with the monster may try to warn the larger community, or they go to the authorities to muster up support, only to be met with disbelief and derision.
The climax of the film generally involves a dramatic, sometimes apocalyptic, showdown between the main characters and the monster, with varying results. In contemporary horror films the resolution of the plot leaves open the possibility of the monster’s return.
