Media Sub-Genre Presentation

By Michael and Abir

Paranormal….Witches and Occult

Examples:Black Sunday-1977

Suspiria-1977

The Blair Witch Project-1999

General Horror Conventions

Jump scaresBlood

High pitch/sharp noises

Inevitable death

Plot

Character TypesIn most horror films a common theme Is for the most innocent looking characters to be the victims of the danger or in a lot of cases, the innocent/sweet little kid or women plays a big part in scaring the audience

In a lot of witch films this is the case and it plays a big important part in the plot as you are usually unaware of the dark spirits until the end of the film. Usually the witch ends up being the least person a viewer would expect. This keeps the audience guessing throughout the film actively engaging them, This means that suspense, jump scares and stuff like that will affect them more as they are focused on the film, ultimately scaring them more.

Setting

The setting in these kind of horrors is usually in a dark secluded area, a forest is the most common with typically a small random houses in the middle. (e.g. cabin in the woods and the Blair witch project)

There is usually one building or area that Is isolated and out of the way from Everywhere else. This is to create an eerie Feeling for the audience as since they are All alone, any random noise can shock the Audience.

The main setting in a horror film is usually highlighted by using slanted angle camera shots and it makes the shot like disoriented and gives the audience a felling straight away that they aren’t meant to be there as it makes them feel uneasy.

MusicThe sound effects in generic horror films is the same as in the witches and occult sub genre. There is lots of high pitched and sharp sounding screeches that are used to shock, startle and scare the audience.

In terms of actual music in a horror film, the music usually starts of very slow and dull but will build to an extremely loud climax. This is often used when leading to an important scene or even sometimes the opposite where it is used to tease and mess with the audience.

The music is also very contradictive to the atmosphere in the film and what is happening. For example in a really sinister moment in a film, there will be a backing track of little girls slowly singing or really calm and soft music, this gives the scene a really eerie feeling and makes the audience feel uneasy.

Camera Shots/Angles

The close up shot of the child’s face and innocent smile juxtaposes to the audience what is going to happen

The low angle shot shows the audience vulnerability and adds terror to the audience

Handheld camera shot to highlight the realism and allow the audience to feel involved in the horror.

Tilted angle camera shots are used to show the characters perspective and what they can see, useful for showing supernatural beings.

Tracking/panning shot is used to follow a character and usually filmed from a distance, it is great at building suspense as the audience is waiting for something to happen. It also shows tells the audience when a character is being watched or followed.

A long shot is filmed from a far distance away and is used to highlight the area they are in, typically suggesting to the audience that something important will happen there.

Special Effects

Black and white gives an eerie feeling to the atmosphere as it is so dull. This makes the audience feel so on edge all of the time.

Narrative Structurethe general narrative structure usually has a sense of revenge in it and innocence which always makes the audience feel uneasy as they are not sure of what to expect

Editing Techniques the fading techniques from different shots e.g. the mans face and the book suggest to the audience the importance of the book which could play a part later on

Jump cuts are frequently are widely used in all genres of films as a way of giving the film continuity, In horror films shock cuts are also used.

Fear of the unknown is also used which is where the camera is placed at a point where you know something bad is happening but you cant see exactly what it is, or in paranormal films where you can see stuff happening but you don’t know how or why its happening or what’s doing it.