The Horror genre
The Conventions of horror
The first film in the horror genre was The Devil's Castle, made in 1896. Following this were films such as Nosferatu, Frankenstein and the Werewolf of London. Earlier horror films focused on the supernatural and things that weren't real, such as vampires. Towards the end of the 40's and early 50's the focus moved to exaggerating real events, playing on speculation and society. Themes of apocalypse start to show, with films like Godzilla and The Day the Earth Stood Still. After this the horror genre began to focus more on the fear of human beings ourselves, as is evident in Psycho, released in 1960. Later on towards the 90's horror films used the idea of the real to scare its audiences, with films like The Blair Witch Project causing its viewers to question it.
Conventions of horror films include:
- Jump Scares/ Fake Scares
- Suspense
- Disturbance
- Tension
- Darkness/ Night-time
- Psychological themes
- Isolation and separation
- Death
- Unknown threat
- Confined (no escape)
- Blood/ gore
- A chase
- Screaming
- Good vs Evil
- Dependence on sound editing to create affects
- Eerie setting
- Ordinary characters the audience can relate to
- Lone female
- Society
- Senses (Usually blind or unable to see clearly, hearing noises but unable to see the source, smell, touching a surface that feels unusual or out of place)
Sub Genres of Horror
- Supernatural
- Paranormal
- Slasher
- Apocalypse
- Suspense/ Thriller
- Religious/ Satanic
- Sci-Fi
- Gothic
- Rampant Animals
- Splatter/ gorenography
- Erotic
- Dark Fantasy
- Comedy
The Horror genre is one of the most popular genres of film. Many people enjoy being scared and getting the adrenaline rush that comes from fear. Some are interested in the dark, scary unknown. However some people do not enjoy the genre, nor the disturbing feeling that comes with it.
Genre Theories
Daniel Chandler says 'Genre is defined by the conventions' however he only right to an extent. Many conventions are seen in multiple genres, not just the one, and conventions change all the time, meaning the genre also becomes slightly different to what it may have been like in the past.
Jonathan Culler states 'A contract exists between creator and reader concerning 'audience expectations' of genre'
Genre Theories
Daniel Chandler says 'Genre is defined by the conventions' however he only right to an extent. Many conventions are seen in multiple genres, not just the one, and conventions change all the time, meaning the genre also becomes slightly different to what it may have been like in the past.
Jonathan Culler states 'A contract exists between creator and reader concerning 'audience expectations' of genre'
Well done for including moving image. Clear conventions.
ReplyDeleteNS: Show you have connected with the conventions and explore how these conventions are apparent in examples from existing films.