Horror movies contain many conventions which define them as a genre. From the various settings, the typical iconography it includes, the technical codes it uses, its classic Hollywood narrative structure and different themes and character types we are given. By using all of these conventions, moviemakers think this will constitute the making of the perfect horror movie.
After viewing various horror movies such as ‘Halloween’ and ‘The Shining’, I feel that the setting is the most important convention in the horror genre. In ‘The Shining’ for example, the movies is showing us, the audience, the effects of being in an isolated setting can have on the main character, as we see Jack slowly descend into insanity and sprout the famous line, “ All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” However it becomes clear later in the movie that this may not have been the only factor in this event. Other movies such as Eli Roth’s ‘Cabin Fever’ again show the effects of an isolated setting. The movie also shows the effect of going away from the community, which makes them more susceptible victims of the horror genre. Other horror movies show the villain returning to a place that they have had connections with in the past. In ‘Halloween’, for example, we follow Michael Myers from his escape from a mental institution to return to his old family home, where 20 years earlier he had brutally murdered his older sister. The same is also true for movies such as ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’, were killer Freddy Kruger returns to the street he used to live on and in ‘Friday the 13th’, where Jason Voorhees returns to the Camp where he died. Places such as homes that have different levels of cellars and attics, are used in certain types of horror movies. In the whole ‘Haunted House’ sub-genre of horror, movies such as ‘The Haunting’ and ‘House on Haunted Hill’ , they have the house as a villain, as a character, which can link to the nightmares young children have, where something might be living in the attic. This can also link to ‘The Shining’, where it seems as though the hotel is the villain, with room 237 acting as the sort of heart of the building, causing the events that conspire to happen.
Technical codes in horror movies are also very important and are used to great effect in various movies. Camerawork is an integral part of this. From the earliest horror movies such as ‘The Cabinet of Dr Caligari’, using canted angles to great effect and is one of the earliest movies to use these camera techniques. Present day horror movies have shied away from this format and, by using hand-held cameras, have made good use of the P.O.V shots. Movies such as ‘Cloverfield’ and ‘The Blair Witch Project’ have allowed the audience to identify with the central protagonists in the scene. Films such as ‘Halloween’ have also made good use of the idea of ‘Depth of frame’. In the scene after Laurie thinks she has finally killed Michael Myers, we see her in the foreground slumped up against the frame of the door. However, she is ignorant to the fact that in a horror movie, the villain always comes back, and sure enough, in the background of the same shot, we see the body of the killer sitting up. Sound can also be useful in horror movies, especially in the diagesies of the movie. ‘Jeepers Creepers’, for example, uses a song with the same name and is played whenever the monster is going to appear. There is an element of self-referentiality in this as the protagonists in the movie are also aware that whenever this song is played, the monster will appear. The theme music from a horror movie is also valuable. Many horror movies are memorable partly down to the theme music. Movies such as ‘The Exorcist’, ‘The Omen’ and ‘Halloween’ all have famous music which allows the audience to connect with it on another level and makes them remember it. Editing devices used in horror can be of use to. Alfred Hitchcock used them to great effect in the ‘shower’ scene in ‘Psycho’, as the cuts used make it look as the women is being stabbed although the blade never pieced the skin. This shows the power of editing as it makes the audience believe something they haven’t actually seen.
Depending on the sub-genre of the horror movie we are looking at, there are various narrative structures for the horror genre. The slasher film consists of a familiar formula of a killer/villain returning to somewhere close to them (Their family home) and exacting revenge by killing, what is generally, a group of teens who only care about having sex and drinking beer. At the end of the movie there is usually only one character left, which is normally the sensible one, who is interested in neither having sex nor drinking beer and is usually a virgin, like Laurie in ‘Halloween’. We are also left with a rather ambiguous ending where we don’t know if the killer is actually dead or not, which can show the ghostly quality of the character or allow the director to Create a money-spinning sequel if they so wish. The character left at the end is usually a girl, and is often referred to as the ‘final’ girl, a phrase first coined by Carol. J. Clover in her 1987 essay, ‘Her Body, Himself’. Some horror movies such as ‘The Shining’ can also fit into the narrative structure of Vladimir Propp.
Iconography is key to the horror film industry as the audience can almost recognise instantly the horror genre. Things such as the mise-en-scene help add things such as low-key lighting and chiaroscuro, a device which means the creation of shadows through lighting and has been used since the early horror movies, such as ‘Nosferatu’, to more recent horror movies such as ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’. This device is often used to create tension so that the audience doesn’t know when the monster is next going to attack.In movies such as the ‘The Exorcist’ and The Omen’ we also have various pieces of religious paraphernalia such as the cross and crucifixes. Various props such as the killer’s weapons are also a part of the horror iconography, with weapons such as Michael Myers Carving Knife and Jason Voorhees machete. I can see from the following trailer the typical horror iconography present in the 'Friday the 13th' trailer:
In terms of the character types, aside from the ‘final’ girl, the horror genre has several other key character types. We also have the obvious of the monster or killer which we find out about as the movie wares on. We also find out about the group of the teens that the final girl is a part of, but they are very different from her as they spend the movie partying and doing typical teenager stuff, which usually winds up getting them killed. Children are used sparsely in horror movies, however when they are, they seem to be used in movies with religious overtones i.e. ‘The Exorcist and the Omen’, suggesting that religion preys on the innocence of children. The other character that is usually prominent in horror movies is the police. This character is usually shown as being inept and useless at catching the killer or that they don’t believe the victim. However, one film that goes against this fallacy is Wes Craven’s ‘Scream’, in which the police officer shown is actually adept at catching the killer and also believes the ‘final’ girl, Sidney.
To conclude, I have found that some of the key conventions of the horror genre, such as the narrative structure, iconography and technical codes help the audience to gain a clear understanding and defined definition of what the horror genre actually is. They help to formulate ideas about what to expect, leaving us, the audience, surprised when inventive directors do things which go against what we feel is the norm.
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