Horror Codes and Conventions

THE HORROR GENRE CODES AND CONVENTIONS

OBJECTIVE: HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE WATCHING A HORROR FILM? MACRO / MICRO SYMBOLIC / TECHNICAL

CHARACTER CODES

(SYMBOLIC / MACRO ELEMENT)

Horror films always without fail feature a protagonist and an antagonist.

•This must occur in order for any ‘horror’ to take place.

•The antagonist can be supernatural or human.

•The protagonist can be anybody, be it an adult or a child.

•The audience follow the protagonist and support their side – usually the morally good.

‘The Unlikely Hero’ •audience suspects to be the antagonist

The Sex Appeal/The Irritant •1st to die The Final Girl •confronts the killer •vulnerable & weak – female masculinity

PROTAGONIST CONVENTIONS

Son or Daughter •child starts to change •they find it easier to believe the unbelievable

‘Paranormal Children’ •often do not speak •manipulated by a greater evil

‘Stupid/immoral teenagers’ •will die

NARRATIVE CODES & CONVENTIONS (SYMBOLIC / MACRO ELEMENT) Generally, horror movies follow these specific narrative devices: THE HERO: The one on the quest and the one who will eventually save the day THE VILLAIN: The antagonist of the film who causes the disequilibrium THE HELPER: A person who helps the hero on their quest THE VICTIM: At the mercy of the villain THE DONER: Someone who has something special which will help the hero These devices are often seen in all horror movies.

NARRATIVE CODES & CONVENTIONS (SYMBOLIC / MACRO ELEMENT) Slasher type horror films usually involve a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a violent manner – often with a cutting tool, for example, an axe or a knife Slasher films can also overlap with the crime and thriller genre These films usually result in everybody dying and the killer escaping. A Nightmare On Elm Street is a good example of a slasher type horror film.

Gothic horror films are quite different. This is a type of story than contains elements of Goth and horror; it may have romance than unfolds within the horror film, but it usually is suspenseful. Let Me In follows the plot of a dark twisted love between vampire and human. The two usually would not fit together but find a way.

Psychological horror films usually rely on characters fear, guilt, emotional instability and sometimes the supernatural.

In many cases a horror can involve a family of some sort moving to

a new

house/location. It then unfolds throughout the film that the location has a bad history of murder/death. Slowly the protagonists we follow start to play out the same plot as the previous residents of the house.

A common occurrence in a horror film

technology failing – for example the car breaking down. This can leave the characters stranded in unknown, isolated territory.

LOCATION CODES

• Anything that connotes isolation or being alone.

• Places with “dark” history • Everyday settings are used in horror films. This gives the effect that it could happen to the viewer!

‘Cabin in the woods’ •No phone signal •Open to attack

‘Asylums’ •Psychotic characters •Torture

LOCATION CONVENTIONS ‘Haunted House’ •Badly lit and dusty •Have a dark history

‘Underground tunnels’ •Mortal danger •Claustrophobia

‘Deserted cities’ •Isolation •Paranoia

PROPS/SIGNIFIERS CODES & CONVENTIONS WEAPONS

(SYMBOLIC / MACRO ELEMENT)

•One key feature nearly always used in horror films, especially with a slasher, is a weapon. Depending on the time period they can range from a cross bow to a chainsaw.

•Weapons can be held by both the antagonist and the protagonist – attack or defence.

•The final girl is usually equipped with a weapon.

•These weapons illustrate how vulnerable the human body is to the audience and in how many different ways one can die.

LOST?MISSING •In many horror films the protagonist gets lost in some way. Fog is a popular use for the character to become disorientated. The use of this block us from seeing anything but the protagonist and what the film wants us to see; there are no other details to distract us. This state of confusion orientates the viewer into the protagonists emotion and stress. It is almost as if we are transported to a different location as nothing can be seen.

•It is then that something emerges in the fog, often abstract at first.

•Usually another character in the film pulls the protagonist from the confusion and the illusion disappears.

PROPS/SIGNIFIERS CODES & CONVENTIONS DOLLS/CHILDREN

(SYMBOLIC / MACRO ELEMENT)

•Dolls are used in many horror films to signify horror. Weapons can be held by both the antagonist and the protagonist – attack or defence.

•The final girl is usually equipped with a weapon.

•These weapons illustrate how vulnerable the human body is to the audience and in how many different ways one can die.

•This could be because they signify children and illustrate the torment the child is going through but on the exterior. It could also show a broken child or the time difference from a previous resident.

•The idea that the dolls are supposed to be for children but instead look scary has become a common occurrence in certain types of horror films.

•Drawings by children are also regular in other-worldly type films.

•The illustrations can become precursors to later on in the film.

REPRESENTATION

(SYMBOLIC / MACRO ELEMENT) AGE / GENDER / SEXUALITY / RACE / CLASS / CULTURE / RELIGION

AUDIENCE

(SYMBOLIC & TECHNICAL ELEMENT)

What is the BBFC certifictate of the film?

How has this affected the horror types and decided the target audience of the film?

DIEGETIC & NON DIEGETIC SOUND CODES and Conventions. (TECHNICAL / MICRO ELEMENT) • In most horrors low pitched music is used to build up intensity.

• A loud shocking noise matches when antagonists pop out. This technique is used in all sub-genres of horror.

• In some cases the sequence can go completely silent in order to build suspense. This makes the contrast of a loud non-diegetic noise, or the introduction of a diegetic noise such as a phone call more shocking.

• The tone of a phone going dead or just ringing is very ominous in horror films and often crops up in the genre.

• This also works the other way round – when the antagonist calls the protagonist, a mysterious voice on the other end of the line that we cannot see. This is a key feature in The Ring.

CAMERA WORK CODES and Conventions.

(TECHNICAL / MICRO ELEMENT)

OVER TO YOU……

CAMERA WORK CODES and Conventions.

(TECHNICAL / MICRO ELEMENT)

OVER TO YOU……

MISE EN SCENE CODES and Conventions.

(TECHNICAL / MICRO ELEMENT)

• • • • • • •

Lighting Make up Casting Framing Locations Props Costumes

The arrangement of everything that appears in the framing – actors, lighting, décor, props, costume – is called mise-en-scène, a French term that means “placing on stage.”

The frame and camerawork are also considered part of the mise-en-scène of a movie. In cinema, placing on the stage really means placing on the screen, and the director is in charge of deciding what goes where, when, and how.