EXPLORING HORROR CONVENTIONS

MISE-EN-SCENE

• Isolated settings e.g. house, mansion, forest, church

• Domestic settings

• Set at night time

• Dark atmosphere

• Shadowy lighting

• Expressionistic lighting

Location Props/icons

• Blood

• Gore

• Ghosts

• Masks

• Crucifix

• Bible

• Death

• Shadows

• Guns

• Darkness

• deformities

CHARACTERSHedonistic teenagers Innocent girls Victims become heroes

Monsters Final girl Psychologically damaged adults

MUSIC & SOUNDHeartbeats

Atmospheric suspense music

Psycho strings

Loud bangs and crashes

ScreamsCreaks or doors/floorboards

Diegetic vs Non-Diegetic

CAMERAWORK AND EDITING

Crosscutting for suspense sequences

Faster cutting for violent action

Point of view shots

Handheld shots for chase scenes Basic camerawork:• Mid shot• Closeup• Long shot• High angle• Low angle• Pan (left to right)• Birds eye view• Worms eye view• Tracking shot

Tilted angle

NARRATIVE STRUCTURE• Group of people venture into a strange and ultimately threatening setting• Background information is shared with the audience • Binary oppositions: between good and evil, life and death, supernatural and natural• There's often a twist at the end of the film that suggests the all is not well which leaves an

effect of uneasiness to the viewer• Todorov’s equilibrium (physical balance), then leads to disruption, restoration to the

equilibrium • The movie begins to climax when it starts to become dramatic • There's always a showdown between the main character/s and the monster• At the end of the film there's always a resolution of the plot but then there's a hint that a

possibility of the monster returning• Editing enhances confusion and disorientation• Victims use their skills to solve the crime

NARRATIVES BASED ON ISSUES/THEMES

• Good triumphing over evil• Confusion with identity• Paranormal Activity• Possession/demonic creature• Exorcism• Conflict played out as a battle between good and evil• Unexplained events• Unsolved murder• Unfinished business with a villain coming back for revenge