''Media studies portfolio''

Horror



Genre Conventions-content

The content used to create a film in the horror genre consists of mainly a psychological response from the audience watching the movie; this includes one's heart racing, sweating in the palms, and even the tendency to look away from the screen at times. Horror films usually consist of tension and concern to keep the audience on the edge of their seats; for example, keeping a character hidden under a mask, this will keep the audience worried because the unknown is more terrifying than the known.

                                                   Ex. Micheal Myers in Halloween

Some horror films even use a touch of unrealism, this keeps the audience interested by wondering what they would have done in the situation themselves. The role of unrealism played in a horror movie consists of uncanny or unsettling events. Unrealism keeps the audience wanting more due to the fact that they would never experience such a situation themselves in the real world.

                                                               Ex. Chucky in Childs play

In addition, horror films also incorporate a sense of relatability, this helps the audience place themselves in the character's position thus making the scare effect much greater. The most common horror movie types are psychological, affects the mind of reality, possession, a spirit or ghost possessing a person or household, and slasher, a realistic killer.

                                                                       Ex. Scream


Genre conventions-production techniques

Production techniques are used in horror movies to reach the goal of creating fear in the audience. Specific unique techniques such as the camera shooting a person through a glass window create a tension of that person being watched. In addition, angles such as close-ups and dutch tilts are used to reflect the expression of fear from the character on to the audience and also foreshadow the craziness to come. Horror films also include specific lighting of darkness and or fog to underexpose figures which create fear. Finally, horror movies also use loud suspenseful sounds to create fear and anticipation of a sudden jump scare or discovery.



Institutional conventions- How is genre marketed?

Horror films usually target an audience ranging from late teens to late twenties due to the fact that these ages appreciate the thrill and adrenaline rush of a scare. To attract their audience horror movie's main goal is to create a scary yet craving trailer to persuade people to watch the film.



Analysis

                                                                       Get Out
Get Out is about a black male dating a white woman, where he is being introduced to her parents for the first time. The couple takes a trip to her parent's house and while driving to the secluded estate the couple hits a deer on the road. The police are notified and arrive at the situation, but ask for Chrises I.D. even though Rose was driving, this situation creates suspicion. Mystery and tension are further included when Chris goes outside for a smoke in the middle of the night and sees Roses parents gardener, who is black, sprinting, whereas the housekeeper moves about as if she is a ghost, who is also black. The main character continues to shrug the situations off to be meaningless. Roses parents throw an annual party where Chris realizes there is only one other black person there, suspicion increases as Chris watched the way the black man(Logan King) acts as if he had been rehearsing what to say. Logan seemed to look familiar to Chris so he wanted to take a picture to send to his friend, but as he took this picture loud music and fearful expressions emphasis the scare. Odd events and comments continue to occur which only added to the mystery and tension until finally, Chris found out what was really happening and murderous events occurred.

                                   

       A nightmare on elm street
This movie is about an unrealistic monster going into teenagers' dreams and killing them. Loud suspenseful music, screams, and scenes of teenagers running away and tripping over something are what make this movie a classic horror film. Freddy Kreuger, the slasher, invades people's dreams, giving them nightmares and then kills them. Other than being able to enter people's dreams the character itself can be quite realistic, having burn marks and wearing a glove with knives at the end of it. In addition, the audience can relate to having nightmares, which can make the movie seem almost possible.The film itself involves some scenes of gore making a realistic connection of what the monster could do to the people watching, this is what makes the audience truly scared.