HORROR

SUBGENRES

There are numerous

subgenres within the

horror genre.

These include:

1. slasher

2. supernatural

3. gothic

4. psychological

5. possession

SUBGENRESThese subgenres have been more and more prominent in

recent years and have allowed the genre of ‘horror’ to

expand in both size and both popularity. As society has

changed over the years, audiences have demanded more

from the limited amount of horror that was available to

them – they began to tire of the recurring conventions

and storylines and demanded new ways to be terrified.

This was especially prominent after the 60s, where

society underwent huge changes and incorporated

radical new ideas, and the usual constraints on what

could be classified as a ‘horror’ were weakened.

Ultimately, this led to the emergence of subgenres such

as....

SLASHER‘Slasher’ movies were one of

the first subgenres to emerge in

the ‘Golden Age’ of horror. Although slasher films were in

production and released in the

previous decade, they began to

achieve mainstream popularity

in the 1970s, largely due to the

films Halloween and Friday the

13th. Whereas previous horrors

focused on events happening in

the distant past, with creatures

and mutated humans serving as

the antagonists, slasher films

took place in the present day,

with real humans serving as the

psychopathic killers. By using

locations audiences were

familiar with – such as

suburban neighbourhoods, or

isolated cabins in the woods – the

films played on their domestic

fears by making the horror

depicted in the movie actually

seem possible. Indeed, some

slashers were released as a

warning to audiences about the

dangers of casual sex, which was

becoming hugely popular after the

era of the sexual revolution in the

60s. This further played on the

audiences fears, as those who were

the most unruly or ‘wild’ in the

films, were often the ones to be

killed first, in the most graphic of

ways. Furthermore, slasher

movies were the first mainstream

films to feature strong scenes of

gore and violence.

CASE STUDY

HALLOWEEN

CONVENTIONS IN A

TYPICAL SLASHER

1. A group of naive teenagers interested in

only sex and being disorderly, with one

member of the group who serves as the

intelligent virgin, the antithesis of her

friends. She will survive to the end.

2. The killer is masked, with a signature

weapon at hand, and seemingly has no

conscience.

3. The film is set in an isolated location,

often away from any help, which the

killer uses to pick off the characters one

by one.

4. Final cat and mouse chase with the

killer, with an unresolved ending.

ARE THEY IN

HALLOWEEN?

Yes – Laurie Strode is the

hardworking, virgin teenager

who manages to survive while

each of her friends –some who

are engaging in sexual activities

– are brutally murdered.

Yes – Michael Myers carries a

knife at all times and wears a

stolen Halloween mask. He kills

without mercy.

No – Although the action takes

place at night, it is in a

suburban neighbourhood, with

surrounding neighbours and

the police attempting to help.

Yes – Although believed to be

dead, Myers is still out there.

SUPERNATURALTowards the end of the 1970s, audiences were being

presented with more and more supernatural films.

Although the concept of the supernatural had been

prominent since the very first horror films – such as the

vampiric antagonist in Nosferatu – these new

supernatural films moved the horror closer to home. At

the time, many noted authors such as Stephen King

were playing with readers’ perception of reality, forcing

them to find terror in everyday experiences that may

have whole other meanings. Supernatural horrors such

as The Thing and The Fog brought forward a new type

of supernatural horror, where the threats seemed very

real, especially due to the emergence of realistic special

effects at the time. Filmmakers began to realise that

perhaps the greatest fear is the fear of the unknown,

and therefore used these films to make the unknown a

part of audiences lives, designed to scare them for days

after the film had finished. Poltergeists, ghouls, demons

– the quality of these supernatural films made them

real to the audience.

Case study

T

H

E

S

I

X

T

H

CONVENTIONS IN A TYPICAL

SUPERNATURAL

ARE THEY IN THE

SIXTH SENSE?

1. A family moving into a new house/area, where the majority of the film will take place.

2. The supernatural presence reveals itself to one of the characters early in the film, and none/few of the characters believe him until the very end, where it is too late.

3. Otherwordly creatures, such as ghosts, phantoms, or demons, will appear, but are often misunderstood.

4. There is likely to be a twist at the ending, where the threat is seemingly vanquished but returns in some way or another.

No – the action takes place over a variety of locations, and is not triggered by the arrival of a new areaYes – Cole is plagued by these visions throughout the film, but everyone except his psychologist believe he is delusional until the end, when the twist has already been revealed.Yes – As Cole can communicate with the dead, many ghosts can be seen, although they are not all threats.Yes- the film is celebrated for its final twist, which changes the life of his psychologist forever.

PSYCHOLOGICALTowards the end of the 1980s, audiences began to tire of the same old formula of death, gore, and hauntings, and began to demand a new, intelligent kind of horror movie – one that would intellectually stimulate them, as well as

terrify them. In general, the quality of films were starting to improve, with more thoughtful blockbusters being made, and a greater amount of philosophical content being injected into films. Horror filmmakers realised that they

needed to match this demand for more, and with the release of films such as the silence of the lambs in the early 1990s, audiences were hooked on a new kind of horror – the one that takes place inside your own head. These films

proved that humans were perhaps the biggest monsters of all, and used an entirely new set of conventions to provide the audience with unexpected twists, thrills, and scares.

CASE STUDY

T

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E

S

H

I

N

I

N

G

Conventions in a typical psychological

1. There are a variety of complex characters; each

grappling with their own personal issues and

contributing heavily towards the plot.

2. The killer appears to be like everyone else but is

mentally deranged, and there is often a motive behind

his killings.

3. A variety of plot twists, red herrings, and false

suspects will be utilised throughout the film, before a

final scene where the killer is either removed or kills

everyone.

4. Flashbacks and glimpses into the past allow the

audience to decipher why the killer is the way he is.

5. The police/outside authorities often become

involved, but are usually either disbelieving, useless, or

killed off.

6. Isolated locations are used so the focus can remain

solely on the killer, with elements of mystery and

deception regularly recurring throughout the plotline

In the shining

1. Yes- the son of the killer is gifted

with supernatural abilities, and so

does the chef.

2. Yes – The hotel ghosts prompt

him to kill his family as he begins

to lose his mind.

3. Yes/no – Due to the limited

number of characters, there are no

false suspects or twists, but the

killer is eventually frozen in a final

cat-and-mouse chase.

4. No – the killer is driven mad by

the forces working within the hotel,

and the isolation he experiences.

5. Yes – The police cannot come to

help, as the roads are blocked, and

the chef who returns is brutally

murdered with an axe.

6. Yes – the entirety of the film

takes place in an isolated hotel. As

the characters explore this hotel,

they find details of the past

traumas that have occurred there.

GOTHIC

Gothic was first introduced in the 1930s and 20s as it provided a harsh contrast to the reality that most people of the time were experiencing – with vampires, ghouls and monsters serving as the main antagonists. However, as the fears of society began to evolve, the popularity of the subgenre began to decline until the end of the century, when Hammer Film Productions – known for producing some of the most well-known Gothic horrors of all time – was purchased and rekindled as a major competitor in the production of horror movies. Since then, films such as Sleepy Hollow and The Woman in Black have taken viewers back to Victorian times, into darkness, hauntings , and monsters. Gothic horrors often base their plotlines and antagonists on myths and legends of varying degrees of notoriety, attempting to use childhood fears to truly terrify their audience.

CASE STUDY

The

Woman

In

Blac

k

CONVENTIONS OF A TYPICAL GOTHIC

1. The antagonist is usually a creature/supernatural entity derived from an old legend or folk tale.

2. The characters within the film often dress extravagantly, with clothes from the Victorian era being a popular choice of costume.

3. The atmosphere is consistently dark/grey and often scenes of lightning or heavy fog are used to give the film an eerie feel.

4. There is a way to banish the evil, whether it is an ancient weapon or spell.

5. Haunted houses, castles, villages –seemingly abandoned.

IN THE WOMAN IN BLACK

1. Yes – the woman in black is a common tale in the local village, and many try to avoid where she used to live.

2. Yes – the main character is shown in the Victorian attire of a waistcoat and long black coat throughout the film.

3. Yes – the house, where the majority of the films scares take place, is consistently bathed in an all-consuming fog, and many of the scenes are filmed at night.

4. Yes/no – the woman is appeased by the return of her lost child, but not banished.

5. Yes – the majority of the film takes place inside a haunted house.