MACRO ELEMENTS/ SYMBOLIC CODES & CONVENTIONS Of the HORROR GENRE With the example of THE RING -2002 Gore VerbinskiA Presentation by Tony Buchholtz
CHARACTER CODES Horror films always feature a PROTAGONIST and an ANTAGONIST in order for any ‘horror’ to take place.
ANTAGONIST • supernatural or human • works against the PROTAGONIST • morally bad side
AUDIENCE • follows the PROTAGNIST • supports their side • usually the morally good
PROTAGNIST • adult or child • tries to eliminate the ANTAGONIST • morally good side
CHARACTER CODES -THE RINGPROTAGONIST Generally Rachel Keller is the protagonist in THE RING however she is not directly fighting against the antagonist, she is trying to help the antagonist to find her good side. Furthermore is her initial intention to find out how her niece died and further along the story it turns into saving her life and the life of her son. So the character code for her is more un-stereotypical.
CHARACTER CODES -THE RINGANTAGONIST Samara Morgan is the antagonist of the film. She had a terrible past and was put into an asylum. She creates a tape about her life which shows her suffering and how she died. This tape gets into the hands of a group of teenagers, including Rachel’s niece Katy, and so Samara’s story is remembered. Samara comes back to earth and kills everyone who watched her video if they did not create a copy in the first 7 days.
CHARACTER CONVENTIONS ‘The Final Girl’ • Develops the most during the story • Innocent, weak, vulnerable girl turns into a strong female personality • Fights the evil • Confronts the killer/murderer
‘Son or Daughter’ • Starts to change while the story progresses • Finds it easier to believe unrealistic situations – innocence of a child ‘Stupid/immoral teenagers’ • Careless towards their environment • Will die • Unproductive in problematic situations
PROTAGONIST CONVENTIONS ‘Paranormal Children’ • Often have a sad life story • Mostly do not speak • Haunt people for revenge • Could not find peace • Often lead by a greater evil
‘The Sex Appeal/The Irritant’ • Most likely to die first • Annoys the audience • Is unproductive in solving situations
‘The Unlikely Hero’ • Not likely to survive • Audience tricked into thinking he is the antagonist • Often an unfriendly character
CHARACTER CONVENTIONS -THE RING‘The Final Girl’ • Develops the most during the story • Innocent, weak, vulnerable girl turns into a strong female personality • Fights the evil • Confronts the killer/murderer •
In THE RING Rachel Keller is the Final Girl/Woman. She is the protagonist of the story and the one who is trying to uncover the truth about Samara and the Tape which shows Samara’s story. She is the mother of Aiden (the little boy) and tries to find out why her niece (Katy) died. She watches the tape and receives a phone call telling her that she only has 7 days to live. She makes a copy of the film and is saved when Noah (her ex) watches the copy. She ends up finding out about Samara’s story and in the end saves her life and the life of her son by creating copies of the tape.
CHARACTER CONVENTIONS -THE RING‘Paranormal Children’ • • • • •
Often have a sad life story Mostly do not speak Haunt people for revenge Could not find peace Often lead by a greater evil
Samara Morgan is the Paranormal Child in THE RING. She died in a well in which her mother threw her and survived 7 days until she finally died. Seeking for revenge Samara comes back and creates a tape showing her life story and everyone who watches it dies after 7 days like Samara did. She could not find peace in her lifetime as she was the ‘haunted’ child which her parents did not want as she was said to be psychologically not normal and does not speak. She is driven by her revenge and does not hold before children, like for example Aiden the son of Rachel and Noah.
CHARACTER CONVENTIONS -THE RING‘Son or Daughter’ • Starts to change while the story progresses • Finds it easier to believe unrealistic situations – innocence of a child • Has a connection to antagonist •
Aiden is the son of Rachel and Noah. He has a special connection to Samara and draws pictures of her. He is the responsible between Rachel and him and takes care of the household which shows that he is very responsible and intelligent for his age, 10. He watches Rachel’s copy of the tape and is saved when Noah watches his which results in him dying. Aiden was very close to his cousin, Katy, who died first.
CHARACTER CONVENTIONS -THE RING‘The Unlikely Hero’ • Not likely to survive • Audience tricked into thinking he is the antagonist • Often an unfriendly character
Noah is the unlikely hero of the story. He is the father of Aiden and the ex husband of Rachel. When he watches the Aiden’s copy of Samara’s tape he has 7 days left to live and does not manage to produce a copy and let someone else watch it before his time runs out. He helps Rachel on her journey but is not a very friendly character overall. The audience is not tricked into thinking he is the antagonist however he does not believe Rachel at first and hinders her research at the beginning.
CHARACTER CONVENTIONS -THE RING‘The Sex Appeal/The Irritant’ • Most likely to die first • Annoys the audience • Is unproductive in solving situations
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Katy is the niece of protagonist Rachel and the cousin of her son Aiden. She clearly is the irritant as she wears the blouse of her school uniform open a bit too much and wears a short skirt with it clearly provoking a ‘sexy’ look. Furthermore her make up and hair support this impression and her annoyed face expression as well. She and a group of her friends went on a holiday trip in the woods and watched Samara’s tape there. The group gets a phone call and 7 days later they are dead including Katy.
CHARACTER CONVENTIONS -THE RING‘Stupid/immoral teenagers’
• Careless towards their environment • Will die • Unproductive in problematic situations
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Katy and her friend are doing a holiday trip to cabin number 12 in the woods. This cabin was placed above the well in which Samara was thrown to die in. They find Samara’s tape and watch it. Afterwards they get a call saying, they will die in 7 days and they all do. Later on when Rachel tries to find out why her niece died she finds pictures of the group which are mysteriously blurry. Further along the story she finds out that persons are blurry in pictures and mirrors when they saw the tape which could be an indicator for the suffering of Samara in the well as she was surrounded by water which made her seem blurry in her reflection in the water.
NARRATIVE CODES & CONVENTIONS All Horror films generally follow these narrative codes & conventions
VICTIM • At the mercy of the VILLAIN • Could have died several times, but did not HELPER • Helps the HERO fulfill his ‘destiny’ • Can be anyone: stranger, best friend, parents,
HERO • The PROTAGONIST of the story • Main character in the film • Saves the day DONER • Similar to the HELPER • Has something that helps the HERO
VILLAIN • Makes the HERO’s life more difficult • The ANTAGONIST of the film • Causes imbalance
NARRATIVE CODES & CONVENTIONS -THE RINGVICTIM -Katy-
HERO -Rachel-
HELPER -Noah-
VILLAIN -SamaraDONER -Aiden-
NARRATIVE CODES & CONVENTIONS Slasher
Horror films of this sub genre mostly involve a psychopathic killer. The stalking and killing of a row of victims in a violent manner is essential for this type of horror. Weapons like, an axe or a knife are typical for this genre and create the thought of an everyday tool used to kill which provokes a feeling of reality to the audience. Slasher films can also contain parts of the crime and thriller genre. Films of this genre often end in a mass dying of people and the escape of the murderer. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE which was directed and produced by Tobe Hooper in 1974 is a good example of a slasher horror film. •
NARRATIVE CODES & CONVENTIONS Psychological Horror films of this sub genre genuinely try to deliver characters fear, guilt and emotional instability to the audience to create the feeling of horror. Sometimes supernatural elements are used. A good example for a psychological horror film is THE SHINING by Stanley Kubrick from 1980.
NARRATIVE CODES & CONVENTIONS Gothic Film of this sub genre are different to the conventional horror films. A film of this genre usually contains elements of both horror and Goth. Romantic sequences may occur within the horror film, but it is usually more suspenseful and dramatic. THE WOMAN IN BLACK, directed by James Watkins in 2012, is a good example for a gothic horror film.
NARRATIVE CODES & CONVENTIONS Technology Failing The Failure of technology is often used in horror films to create the feeling of isolation and to create a situation without a possibility of rescue. For example a car breaking down, loss of electricity or a phone that does not have a signal which can leave the characters lost in unknown and usually lonely territory. An example for technology failure in a horror film is HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES which was directed by Rob Zombie in 2003.
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NARRATIVE CODES & CONVENTIONS
New House/Location
In a lot of horror film, mostly in the psychological sub genre, some kind of a haunted house or location plays a key role in the creation of horror. Most of the time they involve a family moving into such a house or visiting a haunted place. Throughout the film some kind of bad history of murder/death is told about the location. Most of the times this background story is told in between the present story creating the emption of a continuing threat. Furthermore the knowledge of the audience of what will happen next strengthens the feeling of fear and horror. Slowly the protagonists start to repeat the same plot as the previous residents of the house or previous visitors of a location. A good example of this is the film ANNABELLE and its continuations THE CONJURING and THE CONJURING 2.
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NARRATIVE CODES & CONVENTIONS -THE RINGTHE RING falls into the sub genre psychological horror as emotions of fear and guilt are knowingly build up throughout the film. The whole story of Samara provokes guilt in the audience. The mother that did not love her, the dying of the horses which was said to be her fault, the asylum and finally the scene where her own mother throws her into a well and leaves her in there for 7 days to die. A mixture of guilt, fear, anger and revenge follows the audience through this story. The use of the asylum as a repeating element in the film, as not only Samara but also the friend of Katy is brought there, gives the feeling of a repeating story and especially the cruelty of the tapes supports this, as everyone who watches them dies, if they did not produce a copy and got someone else to watch it beforehand. The dark atmosphere and the dark locations in which the film was produced follow the pattern of a psychological horror. They provoke the feeling of isolation, darkness and hopelessness without escape which is especially represented in the well in which Samara was caught as it is not possible to escape with the rock on top of it and the claustrophobic circumstances evolve a dangerous kind of fear.
LOCATION CODES UNDERGROUND TUNNELS • Mortal danger • Claustrophobia • Darkness • Isolation • Louder noises
ISOLATED/ SECLUDED PLACES • Woods • Cave • Countryside • Deserted city • Paranoia ASYLUM • Psychotic characters • Inappropriate conduct • Torture • Isolated towards visitors • Often no way out • •
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HAUNTED PLACES Houses Buildings (in general) Places with a ‘dark’ history Dilapidated, dusty, ruins
CABIN IN THE WOODS • No phone signal • Open to attack • Isolated • Difficult to reach for rescue
LOCATION CODES -THE RINGISOLATED/ SECLUDED PLACES • Woods • Cave • Countryside • Deserted city • Paranoia
There are a lot of isolated, deserted places in the film supporting the emotion of fear and paranoia.
LOCATION CODES -THE RINGASYLUM • Psychotic characters • Inappropriate conduct • Torture • Isolated towards visitors • Often no way out
Samara got sent into the asylum after the catastrophe with the horses. She was videotaped in there and Noah found out about those tapes when he visited the asylum. It was the same tape the teenagers found in the cabin. Furthermore Katy’s friend was taken into the same asylum after she saw her friend dead in the bathroom after she got killed by Samara.
LOCATION CODES -THE RINGHAUNTED PLACES • Houses • Buildings (in general) • Places with a ‘dark’ history • Dilapidated, dusty, ruins
The house of Samara’s family gets closest to a ‘haunted’ house. The family history was haunted by the death of there horses. T the time when Rachel visits the whole house is wracked and neglected.
LOCATION CODES -THE RINGCABIN IN THE WOODS • No phone signal • Open to attack • Isolated • Difficult to reach for rescue
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The teenagers stayed in cabin 12 while there visit in the woods. The well in which Samara was thrown by her mother is underneath the cabin. The place is very isolated and lonely. There is no phone signal which strengthens the feeling of being trapped in the audience.
LOCATION CODES -THE RINGUNDERGROUND TUNNELS • Mortal danger • Claustrophobia • Darkness • Isolation • Louder noises
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well in which Samara was thrown is a very isolated place. Her mother covered it with a round stone so that there is no way to escape or scream for help. The surrounding is very claustrophobic even for a little girl like Samara and the starvation and the constant surrounding of water worsened her conditions a lot.
PROPS/SIGNIFIERS CODES & CONVENTIONS WEAPONS Weapons are a common prop in horror films of all types, however they are mostly used in Slasher films. Weapons occur in a wide range from an ax to a chainsaw depending on the time the film plays in. Depending on who holds the weapon, antagonist or protagonist, it can be used for attack or defense. The final girl usually uses a weapon to fight the antagonist. Weapons are used to represent the weakness and vulnerability of the human body and illustrate how many different ways there are to kill someone physically and mentally.
PROPS/SIGNIFIERS CODES & LOST or MISSING CONVENTIONS In a lot of horror films getting lost is used to show the vulnerability of the
protagonist. A typical method for this is fog to disorientate the protagonist and to create the vision of the protagonist only for the audience to bring the audience’s attention to whatever the producer wants it to see. This confusion and disorientation intensifies the relationship between the protagonist’s emotions and the audience and intensities the level of tension and fear. Most of the times another character or an object takes the protagonist out of its trance and the fog/ dream/ illusion disappears.
PROPS/SIGNIFIERS CODES & CONVENTIONS DOLLS/CHILDREN Dolls are used in many horror films to represent horror and fear. A theory towards this is, because dolls represent the horror and pain a child is going through to the exterior, as they are seen as childlike figures. Other possibilities are the representation of a broken child or an indicator for time if it changes the owner. The idea of scary looking child toys became more and more popular with the time and has become a common occurrence in some sub genres of horror. Furthermore not only the toys of the children, but their fantasy and special connection to the antagonist becomes more regular in supernatural horror films and other films in that genre direction. These drawings can be precursors to what happened in the past or what is going to happen later in the film.
PROPS/SIGNIFIERS CODES & CONVENTIONS –THE RINGTHE TAPE In THE RING the most significant prop is the tape that Samara creates to tell her story to the world. It creates fear through not knowing what it shows until the secret is lifted in the end. This prop is a strong supporter of the sub genre by provoking emotional instability through the disturbing, scary scenes from which the film is cut together.