Jack Suddaby

Horror Conventions

The typical horror setting often consists of: Small dark cramp places. They can often be ghost like, with very little going on, or down a dark ally way. Abandoned houses are extremely common. Lakes, Subways, Countryside's, anywhere with real isolation is scary enough to be in a horror

Why is this you ask? Well because you are often on your own, or isolated from protection from people like the police, you can are much more venerable.

Locations and settings

This is your usual typical location?

Camera work can very unnatural and slow moving to reveal strange parts of certain areas, to add suspense.

POV shots are often used to put the viewer in the victims shoes.

Depth of field can be used to make the monster harder to make out, to again add suspense

Diegetic and non diegetic sound can also add suspense, with lots of tension building and distant squeals can all create a scary atmosphere.

Technicals…

Often colours like red and black have connotations with evil, blood and danger

Lighting can also be used to become more unnatural with sharp greens and stingy reds.

Props such as candles, axes and other sharp weapons can be seen as horror like items, also old furniture and broken items can link to deserted and haunted.

What we see?

This kind of thing?

The protagonist is often conveyed as victim or a hero of the movie

The villian is often a monster or some unnatural species like a demon etc, however it can also be a serial killer, or just sometimes a ‘normal human being’

You generally can trust no-one in horror films, as you are usually kept guessing if even the clear protagonist is a ‘good guy’

Characters?

Good versus EvilRevengeNightmaresMadnessDifferent planetLustSuicideReligionSupernatural beingsZombie apocalypse Some freaky experiment gone wrong

Generic storylines

Horror often has the same structure and many people can often predict when something ‘bad’ is going to happen. That’s why these days original ideas of ways to scare you have been thought of, for example, using hand held cameras and involving random twists, because the budget is often much bigger these days, the gore can also have the same quantity increase. Horror is often a ‘Marmite’ kind of genre either you love it or hate it, whatever your opinion, the genre makes millions a year, and will continue to scare and keep you on the edge of your seat.

In conclusion