The Coventions of Horror

From watching the opening sequences to three horror films, I have come up with the typical conventions, with examples and analysis.

1. Lots of enigma codes are always raised early on to hook the audience, so it is vital that I do the same for my opening sequence.  This hook captivates the audience, making them want to watch on.  Although I will only be showing the first two minutes of a horror film, it is key that the audience would want to continue watching.  Using Scream as an example, it is easy to see how the audience become curious about the characters introduced, especially when limited information is given out about them.

2. Female victims and lead role's are the most common in horror movies, such as Casey (right) in Scream.  The typical victims in horror films tend to have blonde hair, blue eyes and be fairly young.  To the audience they look innocent and even angelic, showing that they are perhaps naive and a little clueless.  This creates a sense of superiority for the audience, as can feel like they know more about what's going on, and be 'one step ahead'. 

3. In most horror films, the location is very important as it can determine whether a character survives or not.  Large, open areas are most common, as is seen in Eden Lake.  If there are lots of people around, it is most likely the number of deaths will be limited, whereas if a house is situated in the 'middle of nowhere' there is more opportunity for the killer(s) to strike and not be seen.  Big houses are also a common convention of horror films, allowing for more places to hide and more potential ways to make people jump.  For example, the killer could be waiting in a room upstairs whilst the victim is in another part of the house. 

4.  The editing in horror films is usually fast paced and quick, especially when the action begins.  To do this in an opening sequence will be difficult, particularly when I don't want to show too much in the first two minutes.  The editing also has the ability to portray emotions, such as fear and panic, that are key to creating the right atmosphere.  Fast paced editing tends to be a convention later on in the films, and not always in the opening when things often appear calm and normal, like in Frozen.

5. An orchestral style of music is common in horror films, as it can sound eiry and be used to create a atmosphere of suspense.  As well as this style of music, limited dialogue also tends to be a convention of horror films in order to focus on the scary bit, however this was not shown in Scream, Frozen or Lake Eden, all of which contained rather a lot of talking. 

6. Having inter lay titles is another typical convention of horror films, as was shown in Scream and Frozen. By having titles on a plain, usually black, background they stand out more to the audience and have more of an impact.  The font is typically a bright colour, such as white or red, and in bold capitals to be seen clearly and look more threatening. 

So to summarise:

1. Enigma codes raised straight away

2. Blonde haired, naive, female victims

3. Large, open spaces and big houses

4. Quick cuts to shots, imitating fear and panic

5. Orchestral music, limited dialogue

6. Inter lay titles, bold fonts, usually white or red