What Is Horror?
Because Horror is one of my favorite genres out of the many available in the film world, I have decided to conduct research on it to further expand our knowledge on this spooky genre.
So what exactly is Horror? Horror is a genre in film and literature that is made to scare, shock, disgust, or leave the audience unsettled. Although the genre is hated and feared by many, it is also one of the most loved genres known to man. Horror fans have their own reasons on why they love the genre so much. People like me love to get scared, enjoy the intense scenes and situations presented, and ultimately love the way films and literature are put together when presented in a dark, eerie, and even macabre manner.
Content:
One of the most important and more common factors in the Horror genre is fear. To most people, when they hear the word “horror”, they will immediately jump to an emotion like fear. Fear is commonly used in Horror films to help build the plot and many scenes. It usually starts with a protagonist that is usually more vulnerable and weaker than what he/she is fearing. The antagonist is almost always what is causing the sense of fear and can be displayed as many entities and beings. Some common examples include: a killer, monster, demon, spirit, creature, or even nature itself.
In the TV Mini Series “IT”, “Pennywise” is used as the “entity” that causes fear and hysteria
Another important factor in a Horror film or piece is suspense. Suspense is the build up of tense and nervous emotions in a certain scene in a story. The goal is top build up your fear of the unknown over time until it is time for a jump scare, extreme realization, etc. This sometimes works for the better in a film, but can sometimes lead to disappointment. Sometimes the writer will fail to display what everyone has been anticipating and it can be disappointing and extremely anticlimactic. On the other hand, when used correctly, suspense can be the factor that makes a good Horror film great. It gives you that heart racing feeling that most Horror fans seek.
The killer in the film “Happy Death Day” adds suspense when slowly creeping behind a woman
Production Techniques:
There are many techniques that are used in the production of Horror films. One of those techniques is the art of jumpscares. You could make a jump scare out of almost anything. When a viewer is watching a Horror film, they are almost always anticipating a scare. So when making a film, you can show a child dropping his toy and you would still get some jumps in the audience. Another example would be in a film like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974) when “leatherface” (the killer) bursts through the wall with his chainsaw making loud noises at an unexpected moment.
“Leatherface” in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974)
Another technique used in Horror production is Tight Framing. Tight framing is used to spark a sense of anxiety because of the closed trapped feeling it gives off. Producers will also use tight framing to force the viewer to apply all of their attention on one thing. This one thing may be disturbing, which gives the viewer no other option than to close their eyes or take in the disturbing image being displaced in a heart racing scene. A film that displays the usage of tight framing perfectly is “The Exorcist” (1973) when they used tight framing to force the viewer to take a deep look into the demonic face of Pazuzu.
“Pazuzu” in “The Exorcist” (1973)
Another gut-wrenching technique used in Horror films is irregular movement. Irregular movement is popular when trying to display a possessed human, alien, creature, or anything to make it seem uneasy. We are so used to regular human movement, that it is usually predictable and not as disturbing as something like the demon “Sadako Yamamura” in the popular Horror film “The Ring” (2002). When exiting the portal, Yamamura walks in a very disfigured, flexible, and un-human like manner. This can make the viewer of the film/scene repulsed and left extremely uneasy.
The demon “Sadako Yamamura” in “The Ring” (2002) walking out the T.V. in a non-human like manner
Marketing:
When marketing a Horror film/piece, you have to take your target audience into consideration. The most common age for Horror fans range from 15-25 years old. This is because teenagers generally enjoy the thrill or scare that some older audiences may not enjoy as much. We also have to take into consideration that when a person chooses Horror film to watch, they are most likely going in to get scared. When marketing, you want to display a product that the target audience would be attracted to. You can do this by that way you market/design your production cover. When marketing Horror films, cover designers tend to use dark reds, blacks, and other dark shades/color that can represent a sinister theme. If it is related to your movie, you can maybe add something like a withered doll, an old gloomy house, or even just some blood and gore.
Some Examples of Horror Marketing:
“IT” 2017
“The Silence of The Lambs” (1991)
“Get Out” (2017)
Samples:
Halloween (1978)
On an eerie Halloween night in 1963, young Michale Myers kills his 17 year old sister in a brutal manner. He was brought to court and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Unfortunately for the town, on October 30th 1978, while being moved from the prison to the court for a hearing; he breaks free by stealing the car and driving his way to freedom and back to his old town in Haddonfield, Illinois. Little did the common citizens know that they could be the next victims to Michaels murderous rampage. This movie represents the Horror genre by displaying multiple, heart racing, intense, and truly horrifying scenes on a dark cold night. There is also a killer who spreads fear among the victims, citizens, and protagonists.
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The burnt face menace “Freddy Krueger” reigns terror among the city of Springwood. Freddy goes in the dreams of many teenagers through the city where he causes havoc and terror. At first the teens may think it's only a bad dream, but they would soon realize that their dream state injuries translate to the real world. Freddy slays each victim in extremely gruesome ways until two teens try to solve the puzzle to stop Freddy in his tracks. This film relates to Horror by using irregular movement, gruesome scenes, and dark creepy environments.
Horror Recommendations:
Alien:Covenant (2017)
The Conjuring (2017)
Annabelle (2014)
American Psycho (2000)
Friday The 13th (1980)
Sources:
Vocal.media
qualitylogoproducts.com
