SA - Genre Analysis - Horror

1) The genre our group has chosen for our two minute opening is horror, which has many sub-genres and spin-offs which maintain some common conventions throughout but are based on different scenarios and various types of threat. Some of the sub-genres are:

- Extreme, which is very graphic and uses this iconography to put across its point
- Gothic, which is very dark and sinister
- Psycological, which is based around the human mental state
- Supernatural, which is based around the fictional ghosts and demons etc
- Suspence, which has a lot of tension and doesn't give too much away about the 'threat'

- Slasher, this typically uses knives as the weapon of choice

Some films that fit into genre are:

- 'Saw'(2004-2009), which is very extreme in it's graphic use of 'blood and guts'
- 'Omen'(2006), this is a very supernatural thriller type horror
- 'The Number 23'(2008), this is a film based around obsession and how it takes over
- 'Cloverfield'(2008), this is a film which uses a 'monster' that terrorises people
- 'The Village'(2004), this has very suspense filled moments and has a lot of tension
- 'The Blair Witch Project'(1999), this uses handycam and is set in a woods which connote a very scary place

2) Our group is thinking of doing a similar thing to 'Omen', with regards to the photos being changed and people dying as a result. This interests us as we are all interested in photography and we think it would be relevant us.

The handycam use in 'Cloverfield' and 'The Blair Witch Project' is quite revevant to our work as we like the use of this and think it is really effective in creating different moods and tension levels.

The enigma in 'The Number 23', I think is quite relevant to our work as our opening is going to create a lot of enigma and question with the audience.

3) The typical narative of horror films consists of a threatening situation or danger which kills people and affects the other people, we are typical positioned with some main characters and we follow them throughout the film as they try to avoid the 'threat' and stay alive. In the opening there is typically not much information given away and if it is revealed it is quite confusing, there may also be an event or happening that creates an enigma to the start of the film.

4) Typical characters in horror are helpless female characters and crazed madmen, there may also be a male protagonist and depending on the film, he could powerful or weak.

5) Some typical locations of horror films typically have eerie feelings and make the audience feel part of the experience.

6) Typical iconography you would expect to see in a horror film are knives, blood, dead people, dark houses, black, and red colours.

7) Some examples of horror costume are shown below:

8) Lighting is used in horror films to emphasise particular parts of the frame, similar to noir films. It can also be used to create tension when people are in shadows etc. Red connotes blood and death and black is generally used to connote death and somber moods.

9) I found fonts on posters that would be suitable for titles for a horror film.