ConventionsBy callum keenan

Typical horror conventions

Lighting-

They use low key lighting to make a dark effect and give more of a sinister feel as there will be a silhouette or shadow on the character the lighting is focused on because they want show that the character is a villain, which can be part of propp's narrative theory, and make it obvious that they are the main antagonist in the plot. This lighting is also used to scare the audience as they can't see the whole set and fear the unknown or unseen characters

Typical horror conventions

Camera work-

Camera work can be the same as every other movie but it may differ with some shots as some camerawork can be more popular with one genre than another. In the horror genre, films like to use low and high angles to show the villains power, and they use tilt shots to make the audience feel nervous as it goes against the normal eye-level view for a movie, or it can also be used to show a supernatural entity pushing the camera as they can’t see the person pushing the camera, as seen in paranormal activity.

Typical horror conventions

Colours-

The main colours used in horror are dark colours, such as black and blue as they show isolation in a character, which can be shown through the weather, and dark/sinister intentions from the main antagonist's point of view. The audience is made to feel these emotions from the colours as they are wanted to empathise with the characters and feel any pain, confusion, solitude or fear the characters would feel. The colour red also is shown to distinguish danger, which can create tension or to show gore, such as blood.

Typical horror conventions

Props-

The main props in a horror movie are usually the classic conventional weapons used by many, such as knives in “Scream” or an axe in “The Shining”, as they are usually sharp and associated with inflicting pain or damage to someone. In modern western movies recently though, more obscure items such as household objects are being used as they are more relatable to the audience and the pain looks more grotesque, for example, a vacuum cleaner in “Dead meat” or a piano in “Zombieland”.

Typical horror conventions

Characters-

In horror movies there are many different types of characters. The main one is the ‘final girl’, who is commonly associated with slasher horrors but can be an any subgenre of horrors. This character is usually left till the end and is generally the most pure and innocent out of all the original protagonists. Other characters may include the generalised alcoholic/drug abusing provocative friends or even the mentally disturbed/psychotic villain who went through a tragic event during their childhood.

Typical horror conventions

Narratives-

Any movie can have any narrative structure, but in a horror, particularly psychological horror, they tend to use Todorov's narrative strand as it's easiest to follow and you can relate it to most plots. Todorov’s narrative structure follows the plan that there is an equilibrium to begin with, which is then disrupted by obstacles and a villain, but is solved eventually and creates a new equilibrium, but that equilibrium is not the same as the old one. A classic example of this is again, “The Shining” as it shows a happy family at the start, then the father becomes mentally ill due to visions from a supernatural entity, and finishes with the father dead and the mother and left relieved and safe but also upset.

Typical horror conventions

Settings-

Typical settings include abandoned houses, mental asylums and woodlands as they are the most desolate areas in modern society, and are also the most scariest as they are commonly associated with previous tragic events, for example, the woods in the blair witch project. Also, they are usually set at night as the darkness is usually feared by many younger children and young adults, due the connotations night time has picked up over the years from previous horror movies.