Locations for HorrorIn this video I will be showing some examples of horror film locations and

why these settings are used. I will also be including some of my own examples which I will be using in my own short film. IMDB, a respected online database including film reviews, plot summaries, etc, claims that

the No. 3 most popular setting for horror films are camps, parks, and wilderness, which is where I most likely to be shooting my film opening.

Fields or settings with trees are often used as part of the horror genre, most likely because trees are a form of safety from danger, like in the example above where the girl is hiding from her murderer. However, what is also known is that trees can be circled around to reveal what is hiding, which frequently happens in such genres. This excites the audience because they are aware of what is yet to come in the film (almost certainly death or torture).

This example is from ‘The Witch’, where the girl is paranoid about something following her in the woods. Her anxiety heightens when she is unable to see anything apart from the never-ending trees.

What is regularly seen in horror films are endless pathways which the characters must choose to go down. The atmosphere caused by this is one of uncertainty of what is waiting for you at the end of the tunnel. Due to this tense mood caused by this revelation, the lighting on set isn’t as significant to help create an atmosphere. Usually, darker surroundings will help highlight the face and show the characters emotions or fear, although when there is already a continuous sense of terror, the lighting is or minor consideration.

This example is from the film called ‘The Tunnel’. A news team descends into a network of abandoned underground train tunnels, which are of course ‘never-ending’. Reviews claimed that the ‘endless darkness is something unimaginable’, which only goes to prove the ambiguous paths are fearful in horror films.

This example is from the Blair Witch Project. In the film 3 young adults are camping through the woods, only to find that they can’t get out, and something is hunting them towards a haunted cottage. Because the can not escape the woods, they feel trapped and alone, which leaves a haunting effect on the audience who empathises with the characters.

Open spaces are also a common occurrence in horror films. Despite them supposed to be a place of freedom and safety, in horror genre they can be manipulated as a place of imprisonment and fear. Open spaces are often an open piece of land accessible to the public. Open space in horror films usually have green space (land that is partly or completely covered with grass, trees, shrubs, or other vegetation).