3. Why A Success
• Wes Craven is a master of suspense like
Hitchcock this can be shown through the
actual murders. This film only had four die but
each was a mini movie. Each creative and to
take a place in horror film history
4. • It wasn’t just about killing of one by one, Craven had
scenes where he built up such tension and he had the
audience question why he was doing this which lead into
the mystery of it. Not the simple film where one dies
every other minute end of story.
• Also the angle hadn’t been done before, true the victims
were teenagers like every other horror at the time but
no on had made nightmares/dream state as a way of
murder and created the ideal bogyman.
• Plus the dreams could become so creative and the death
scenes imaginative because the audience no that the
rules of reality are gone in a dream.
5. The Reboot
• The reboot was a way of updating the franchise, the
original sequels were disappointing and so the reboot was
using the content that made it a success. The use of
technology plays a part but Freddy is changed to become a
paedophile while the other was just a plain villain who
symbolically mirrored the victims repressed emotions. The
new Freddy is more gritty and has a booming voice that
makes him a great villain that teases his victims. Plus this
freddy was kept in shadow so we never got a full view
unlike the original that was under constant exposure
• The original squeals failed because it was the same victims
every time and it was difficult to work away from that.
6. Iconography and Memorable scenes
• The Film set a standard because it had such
memorable scenes, form every death scene to
the first appearance of Freddy with
outstretched arms. To the bath scene to the
boiler room. It got to the victims personally.
Creating suspense before the killing and
scaring a generation.
7. Freddy Kruegar
Creator: Wes Craven
Location: Elm
Street, Springwood, Ohio
Signature Weapon: Blade
Glove
The hat, jumper and burned face was all part of the character and
couldn’t be changed. But the weapon was original and there was
nothing like it, inspired by a cat clawing at the side of a sofa. The
signature weapon identified the film as unique
Wes Craven Conceived the idea when he was a boy, he look out of his
window to see a man in a hat and coat. He looked up at him and hid
away, he looked back to see him smiling. He was inspired by a man who
took delight out of scaring children
9. Why a Success?
• Originally made to cash in on the success of
Halloween (1978) this film developed into a huge
franchise that had 12 films in total.
• The film had all the conventions and expectations
of the horror films of the time: teenage victims,
location and an antagonist. But the effects and
surprise scares turned it into a success. The plot
even had a twist at the end, while most people
though Jason was the killer it turns out it was his
mother. Plus, another twist that Jason is alive.
10. • After the first film the next few films were a success as the second
film introduced Jason and the third introduced Jason with a hockey
mask. Like many horror films there is the final appearance of the
monster for one last scare and hint for the sequel
• It suited the audience of teenagers as they were the victims, like
many films at the time the monsters and killings were a moral story
telling kids to be good, don’t have drugs etc. and nothing bad will
happen to you
• Even the title is used. Friday the 13th is a day for unlucky because it
was the day all the nights Templar were executed by the church.
The use of the unlucky day was a way to exploit people’s
superstation and is thought to be Jason’s birthday (the guy is evil
because he was born on the unlucky day) but this created the joke
that he waits a year before he can kill again
11. The Reboot
• The franchise failed because it kept going on and on and it
was getting tiresome, they had Jason supernatural, Jason in
space and Jason going around the world. The studios
exploited the franchise the get money and it didn’t work. The
reboot was to get in a new generation and remember why it
scared us to begin with
• The Reboot featured a more modernised range of victims but
they were stereotyped and the audience could predict who
would be killed, Most of them were jerks and the audience
were happy to see killed and the behaved survivors got out
alive. If studios want the audience to feel sympathy and no
the antagonist is really doing something evil they need to
connect with the characters
12. • Instead of following the same storyline as the
original, it combined the first three films. In the
beginning Jason witnesses his mother decapitation
and see him get the hockey mask later. He wasn’t
supernatural but seemed that way because he was
built up strong and refused to stop.
• The film didn’t have much iconography apart from
Jason himself and the plots were fairly similar.
13. Jason Voorhees
Creators: Victor Miller, Ron
Kurz, Sean S. Cunningham, Tom
Savini
Mass Murderer
Location: Crystal Lake
Signature weapon: Machete
Over the years Jason has been portrayed by a variety
of actors, across the franchise he has appeared as a
boy, a bag for a mask, hockey mask and then it
continues on.
The original killer was Jason’s mother. Jason became the killer in
the sequels. In later sequels he appears to worship his mother,
similar to the Norman Bates character and some other horror
characters when the mother controls them
The character was created by four people who’s characteristics
came along in the writing process. The name itself is a
combination of Josh and Ian who are sons of the writers and
Voorhees was the last name of an old classmate which the name
sounded creepy
15. Why the Success ?
• The reason why it was scary was that it wasn’t
set in a specific location, it was set in an
ordinary street which means it could easily be
the audiences home.
• Also the fact is that he seems impossible to kill
even though there is no supernatural reason
for it (yet) throughout the series even though
he seems defeated he always seems to come
back
16. • One main factor is the mask, while many other horror
films have a mask to cover the face (leading the
audience to believe they are deformed) but Halloween
is used to be the face of evil and all you can see are his
eyes. Masks unnerve audiences because it is fear of the
unknown and the brain tells them to react.
• Unknown fact is because it was a relatively low budget
it was a William Shatner mask that was spray painted
white, hair teased out and eye holes reshaped.
• Also he’d appear in the background, we saw him before
the victim which corresponded with the music as
altering us similar to Jaws
17. Reboot
• Like many sequels, it went on too long, even
though it still scared audiences because of the
psychopath factor but they got too familiar with
the character and he became less scary.
• In 2007 Rob Zombie directed the reboot and even
a sequel to it. It is seen as a good reboot because
it didn’t copy the story and didn’t get too much
into the gore. Instead they went deep in the
psychological side and created the terrifying
psychopath. We did see the child Michael Myers
and glimpsed at his origin.
18. Michael Myers
Creators: John Carpenter Debra Hill
Psychopathic mass murderer
Location: Haddonfield, Illinois
Signature weapon: Kitchen Knife
"I met this six year old child with
this blank, pale, emotionless
face, and the blackest eyes; the
devil's eyes […] I realized what
was living behind that boy's eyes
was purely and simply…evil."
Carpenters inspiration came on a field
trip to visit severe mentally ill
patients, among them was a 13 year
old boy that gave an unsettling
stare, similar to how the character
Loomis describes him
The character is enduring is
that he is believed to be the
personification of evil or
something that is apart of
the human nature. When
audiences think of Michael
Myers they think of the
mask because the mask is
the symbol of him and evil
and because of that symbol
he’s created he cannot die
The reboot gives more
detail of his origin like an
abusive family or mother
fixation etc. but the chilling
fact is we don’t know why
he kills but that’s all he
wants to do
20. Why A Success
• This film is praised as being on of the first of it’s
kind and being Alfred Hitchcock's master piece. In
fact he struggled with this film and some cinemas
refused to show it but in the end Hitchcock one
out and created a classis piece in cinema history
• The film is perfect for raising tension and one of
the most memorable death scenes in cinema.
Also a twist ending that no one at the time
expected.
21. • The success mostly came due to the deception
of who the murderer was but the famous
shower scene set the bar for horror, a chilling
scene without showing any nudity or
penetration with the knife just suggestive
themes that made the scene
• The Film was a flop because while other films
could be updated and use new ideas, psycho
could never be improved as it was already
perfect and all the film could do was copy. As
were the squeals to the film because you
cannot go further than the original story.
22. Reboot and TV series
• The TV series Bates Motel is a success so far
developing the characters origins and
demonstrating the relationship between
Norman and Norma.
• Like many dramas, there is an issue of the
week but this show has good writing and cast
that it is not based on psycho but and
interpretation of it.
23. Norman Bates/Mother
Based on the novel by Robert Bloch
Location: Bates Motel
Signature Weapon: kitchen knife
(dressed as mother)
Norman has a split personality in order to keep
his abusive mother alive and it is obvious they
have an interesting although difficult
relationship.
Introduced the archetype for the psychopath
antagonist in horror films but the film that
started the slasher craze was peeping tom.
No one could suspect the nice boy or the weak
mother but it showed not to expect anything.
It also has one of the best lines in horror
history ‘a boy’s best friend is his mother’
25. Why a Success?
• Partly because of it being banned from
cinemas people are more curious to know
more about it but it is because of the gore and
many elements considered disgusting that
audience find disturbing
• The angle of religion is dominate in society
and the film exposes the idea of evil inhabiting
the human body
26. • Also the begins the scenes when some of the crew
died during filming creating a sense that supernatural
mythology and unease
• The use of a little girl being the main character that
the demon inhabites. That it is creepy and scary.
• Some of the most memorable and scary scenes in
horror like running down the stairs like a spider and
twisting her head 180 degrees. This sends the
audience into a state of shock because of the
horrible visuals and the sense of something beyond
their comprehension.
• Also the sequels and other interpretations are not as
good but they have never made a remake of this film
because it has genially scary scenes and is normally
ranked as the number 1 horror.
27. Regan/Pazuzu
• Thought to be a demon
possessing a girl, also
appearing as screen savers
to scare users.
• Playing to the heaven and
hell theme, and that evil
inhabits humans
• Not a modern sophisticated
spirit but a monstrous
demon that has fun
tormenting everyone
29. Why a Success?
• Steven King- Author of many horror stories
that often lead to supernatural conclusions
and link to childhood issues but some have
clichés
• Stanley Kubrick- One of the most praised
filmmakers for his auteur. He was successful in
creating some memorable scenes in the
shining from the twin girls to the blood in the
elevator
30. • While it had a supernatural approach with ghosts
and psychics it still had a realistic viewpoint that the
character simply went insane which is scary
because it was the familiar turning against you.
• The performance- Jack Nicolson can give a chilling
performance as insane, even when he appears sane
he gets the audience on edge.
• The memorable scenes and trail shots, we see the
fear in the characters and we don’t know were the
killer is.
• Also the supernatural ghosts take persuade the
characters and perhaps inhabit them
31. Mini Series
• Steven King is claimed to not like the
theatrical film and wrote a mini series for it.
However, it was heavily criticised because it
wasn’t scary and it spent a lot of time talking
but one thing King did better than Kubrick was
Jack’s character we can see him slightly go
mad every scene and we even sympathise
with him. Nicholson is scary and his character
wasn’t as three dimensional.
32. Jack Torrance
Creator: Steven King
Alcoholic
Signature weapon: axe/
mallet
Kubrick deviated from the novel to make Jack a less sympathetic
character to turn in him into an apathetic psycho, also his death
deviates while in the book he redeems himself but in the film he
freezes and seems to be punished for his actions
Jack appears to be persuaded by the ghosts or possessed by them into
killing his family. While the supernatural elements are present for the
horror genre I find the character evolving into a psychopath more chilling
as I’m sure audiences did because we see someone who we believe is
familiar and therefore safe become a threat
34. Why a Success
• Wes Craven- a master of suspense that was
able to build up every death scene which had
the audience on edge to see what would
happen next. Similar to a theory that they
audience know what's going to happen but
don’t know how creating excitement
• The mystery of who the killer is, creating a
backstory for the killer/killers for every film
and helping form the story
35. • It wasn’t meant to be a horror but a comical
satire of every horror convention which in turn
made this film unique, by using the cliché horror
conventions creates fear because when faced
with in in real life the victims don’t know how to
survive. It also creates the rules to the horror
genre.
• Trivia- because it links and ask questions to the
victims about horror films it tests the audience
knowledge and puts them to the test whether
they would survive.
36. Recent Years
• The sequels have had success but they aren’t as
good as the original and became predictable
however the franchise still attempts to surpass
expectations with some success. Scream 4 is an
example which showed the changing generation
of horror, clever scenes of building up tension but
became predictable
• Also other franchises have used this conception
as parodies like scary movie or the Simpsons
37. Ghost face
Creators: Wes Craven, Kevin Williamson
MO: taunting victims with phone calls,
stabbing, slitting throats and
disembowelling.
Signature Weapon: Hunting Knife
Voice by Roger L. Jackson
‘What’s your favourite Scary Movie?’
Again use of masks to install fear in the victims but also
hides the killers face and adds mystery to the genre and
has a different killers every film
What makes this killer unique is that he taunts his
victims and actually uses the knowledge of horror
films to his advantage to test whether the victims will
survive depending on the right or wrong answer
39. Why the success?
• A unique angle that has not been done when the
victim makes the choice to live or die depending
on how much they are willing to go
• Interesting motivation for the antagonist saying
that those who do not cherish life do not deserve
to live and people only change when they face
death
• Had a interesting genre that included thriller and
mystery. For most of the films it had a twist
ending to surpass expectation and is clever
40. • Sparked a phenomenon because of the
amount of gore and the use of instruments to
kill the victims
• Also introduced a Saw ride and Saw maze at
Thorpe Park- this implies that audience want
to become part of the horror film and interact.
• Film contains a moral ‘those who don’t
appreciate life do not deserve to live’ A
warning for the audience that if they don’t
appreciate life they will be next
42. Why a Success?
• Used the based on true story angle to
persuade audiences to go see the film.
• Brutal and bizarre with questions that are
never answered leaves the audience curious
to no more even though the film is successful
in scaring the audience.
• Realistic and violent which stood out against
it’s competition
43. Leather Face
Creators: Kim Henkel & Tobe
Hooper
Location: Texas
Signature Weapon: chainsaw
The mask itself is thought to
be made from the flesh of
his victims
The antagonists of this franchise was a cannibalistic family with their
family member with no name but know to the audience as
leatherface. The portrayal of the character is a bullied child by his
family, he kills anyone who trespasses in a defensive way to protect
his family. While one main theme of the franchise was the mystery
behind the character and why the family do what they do, the sequels
have attempted to flesh out the character, perhaps to make him more
human or to develop the family. Even though the family are the
antagonist, it is obvious the main villain was the chainsaw weilding
leatherface even though the audience never see his real face nor hear
him speak.
44. The Classic Monsters of Cinema
The original film monsters were the first
of their kind because they were already
created through folk tales and novels
using evil supernatural forces to scare
people. These were the classic monsters
which are unique in themselves and
cannot be forgotten, Still legendary even
with the more recent horror icons
45. Evaluation
The reason for analysing the popular franchises of horror, focusing on
why they were a success and why the audience find the antagonist’s so
mesmerising. Focusing on the psycho killer archetype and ones that
could translate into my trailer, for example the monster from the film
‘The Thing’ has created fear in audiences because it could survive and
attack in any form and we had no idea what it was, however this would
not be able to suit my trailer and would be difficult to film. For every
one of these films there are always iconic scenes which have been
repeated in reboots. Reboots are proof of how popular these franchises
are and probably demonstrates that they need an update to get in a
new target audience. Every villain has a famous weapon and a certain
look. These popular horror monsters do follow the arch of a psycho
killer. This transfers into the reboots but the supernatural element is less
exposed so the film focuses on the realism.
