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Horror Codes & Conventions - Coggle Diagram
Horror Codes & Conventions
Subgenres
Gothic
Weather plays a big part
Dreams
Sense of mystery
The supernatural
Revenge
Persued Protagonist
Slasher
Lots of killing
Death in the first few minutes
Blood & Violence
Weapons
Dark costumes
Dyers theory
Psychological
Play with your mind
Ghosts / spirits
Gore & blood
Characters are seen as normal human being nos monstrous
Antagonist isn't always shown - can be kept as a mystery
Paranormal
Feels real
Relatable
Cameras placed in house
Spirits / movements
Plays on audience fears
Can be known to link to children
Gore
Lots of blood and gore
Weapons
Not always a main narrative as long as people are dying
Lots of dark colours
Stereotypical locations - dark and isolated environments such as woodlands
Found Footage
Forests / Abandoned houses
Tense sound tracks
Screaming, crying, shouting
Low key lighting, un naturalistic
Types of shots
High & Low angles to connotate fear
POV shots to allow the audience to see the world from the monsters eyes
Characters
The main protagonist, often the 'victim/hero' of the movie
The villain, often a monster, mutated freak, alien or serial killer - tend ti have a trademark characteristic as to how they kill
The stupid/immoral teenagers that always get killed
Creepy children
Police officers (either good or bad)
Others: Ghosts, zombies, demons, psychopath, stalker, weirdo, werewolf
Settings
Urban environments
Dark streets
Narrow alleyways
Abandoned houses
Barnes & farms
Cities
Cabins
Creepy hotels
Graveyards
Basements
Themes
Good Vs Evil
Depression
Religion
Childhood issues
Revenge
Supernatural
Beyond death
Lighting
Deep shadows to obscure details and only show glimpses of the horror.
Low-key lighting can help to create dark shadows and unfamiliar shapes in the blackness.
A harsh spotlight might draw attention to a character’s face, making their frightened expression more intense for the viewer, or a flicking strobe light could highlight the monster’s erratic movements.
Often dark colours like red & black (links to evil, blood and danger etc)
Narrative
There’s always a ‘hero’ or protagonist, a man or a ‘final girl’ of the film, keeping with the normal conventions of the genre. Usually the hero must embark on a mission or quest to kill or solve problems in order to save themselves or others around them
Some narratives are very mechanical and this is practically present in sub-genres, most noticeably ‘slasher’ films. After some event that turns the killer insane or by some childhood past or even psychotic medical issues, the villain returns to his home-town and always preys on teenagers. These teenagers represent ‘immoral’ and are quite stupid, usually they are the ones who start the horror in the first place or maybe they just get killed quickly and there is always/sometimes a survivor, most likely a female character.
Classic narrative structure largely made applicable to the horror genre but it can either be left for closure or maybe perhaps leave room for a sequel and thus enable a franchise
Examples
The Shining
Halloween
Silence of the Lambs
The Babadook
The Exorcist
Alien
Music / Sound Effects
Eerie music which rises to a crescendo in order to bring tension where there is a climax
Thunder, Rain, & Lightning
Heartbeats & flat lines to create tension & suspence