types of horror.

1. Horror Sub-Genres

2. SLASHER
CONVENTIONS.

3. 1.Male Antagonist.
General Appearance; Appears, male,tall, broad and
strong. Lots of low angle shots are used when
introducing the killer to make the audience feel
afraid and uncomfortable of this terrifying man.
The Mask; The use of a mask in slasher films adds
to the fear of the unknown. By using a mask, it
strips away the killers features, making them
appear inhuman and more like a threatening
creature, as he can see us, however we
cannot see him.
Costume; it is conventional for the male antagonist
to wear dark costume, allowing him to blend
into the darkness and appear fearful and
mysterious. The antagonist may also have
splatters of blood over his costume highlight
his strength, power and strive to kill, again,
adding to the fear. The dark costume
connotates death and darkness which the
slasher target audience love.
For Example; In this image of Jason
from ‘Friday The 13th’ he follows typical
conventions of a slasher, male
antagonist. He appears frightfully tall
and bold, a threat to those around him.
Mask;His mask strips away his
normality and makes him appear crazy
and psychotic. The deep cut holes
around the eyes allow him to see
around for prey to kill and pounce on
with his powerful strength.
Costume; The dark colours mirror the
dark and twisted mind of the character
Jason and his motives. The tattered
over jacket appears dirty and torn,
highlighting the fights and murders he
has got himself into. The rips and tears
could also mirror the tears of flesh and
ligaments of his victims. The gloves
also remind us of murder and how his
fingerprints will not be tracked,
therefore he will keep killing; adding to
the fear for the audience.

4. 2. The Weapon.
The weapon used to kill in slasher films is usually
one which allows for the most amount of blood
and gore to be shed as possible. Comparing to
a gun which would allow a quick and painless
death. Common weapons used are axes,
machetes and chainsaws. For example the
famous chainsaw used in ‘Texas Chainsaw
Massacre’ by the antagonist of Leatherface.
The use of a chainsaw allows a unwatchable
scene for the audience which a slasher crazed
fan would love.
The weapon is one of the main focuses of a
slasher film, therefore it has to be memorable.
The only way to portray this convention is to
make the weapon as large, heavy and sharp
as possible.

5. 3. Setting
The setting in a slasher horror is an isolated area with nowhere to run. It tends to be
surrounded by forest and trees, lots of places for the killer to lurk and hide.
There tends to also be a large lake, another perfect opportunity for the killer to drown a
victim. The advantages of a lake is also to increase the levels of difficulty for the victims
to get away from the killer, a scene of crossing a lake will be common in a slasher horror.
Another conventional setting is the setting of ‘Cabin In The Woods’ a small house in the
middle of nowhere, perfect for a killing spree.

6. 4. The Narrative.
It tends to follow a similar narrative. A group of
reckless teens head out for a drunken
weekend in an abandoned area, usually a
forest, where there are lots of trees; plenty
of places for lurking and watching in the
distance.
These teens will face an endless cat and
mouse fight with the killer. The deaths
they face will be gruesome and will have a
unwatchable effect on the audience.
To end the narrative of the slasher film, the
‘final girl’ will face the killer, she will use
her intelligence and quick thinking to get
away and find help.
However, just as the audience think the killer
is defeated and all over from the hell, we
are wrong.
The trailer for Texas Chainsaw Massacre
2003 highlights the simple narrative of a
conventional slasher horror. It highlights the
group of teens on their way to what they
thought would be the perfect getaway.

7. 5. Final Girl; Protagonist
The final girl is portrayed strongly to the
audience from the beginning of the film.
Although it is common for her to still be
over sexualised through the choice of
costume, it is not as obvious compared to
the sacrificial lamb.
She comes across as intelligent, logical and a
quick thinker compared to the other teens.
Throughout the film due to conventions we
can guess who will stay to the end of the
slasher film and will face the killer.
Although she is just as scared as the other
victims, she is determined to keep herself
and her friends safe and most importantly,
alive.
Laurie Strode; From the film ‘Halloween’. She faces the killer and
manages to defeat him and keep everyone safe. Conventionally she
has darker hair and wears less revealing clothing. Rather than
running around frantically she uses her brain and quick thinking to
slow down Michael and leave him clueless, compared to the easy
catch from the other members of the group.

8. 6. Sacrificial Lamb.
The sacrificial lamb is the over sexualised female in
slasher horrors who is killed for her promiscuous
behavior.
This female is usually a blonde, girly and curvy girl
who wears very revealing clothing to emphasise
her body. She is a stereotypical ditzy blonde,
compared to the intelligent final girl, she is very
naive and childlike.
Her death in slasher horrors almost symbolises the
wrong in sex and being promiscuous.
Furthermore, her death tends to be more so
gruesome than the others throughout the film. For
example the death of Paige Edwards in ‘House
Of Wax’. This example highlights fully the typical
sacrificial lamb in other slasher horrors as she
follows all typical conventions of being an over
sexualised blonde.

9. POSSESSION

10. TYPICAL CONVENTIONS
Conventions include, levitations; this
highlights the power the spirit
has over the character. Making
them appear fearful and
threatening over life.
Props include religious texts such as
the bible; these are used during
a carried out exorcism. It creates
a contrast of good vs evil.
The evil usually comes from a
source such as, a box or another
normal household object.
For example, the box found in ‘The
Possession’. From the finding of this
box, all the evil begins.

11. NARRATIVE
Like the other sub-genres, possession follows
Todorov’s Narrative Structure. An example
of this is the film ‘Drag Me To Hell’;
The protagonist Christine lives a normal life in
her job in an office (Equilibrium).
She receives a threat from an old woman who
curses her (Disruption).
She sets out to seek help to relieve the curse
from her soul (Reaction & Repair)
Finally, she is free from the curse (so she
thinks) - this is the New Equilibrium.
However like all horror films, the ending is
not so sweet, as she realises she is not
free from the curse and is dragged to hell

12. PSYCHOLOGICAL

13. Narrative Conventions.
In a psychological horror, the main
protagonist usually comes across as a
normal person. However, as the narrative
continues this protagonist becomes more
and more twisted as they are affected by
the going-ons in the setting.
Furthermore, there tends to always be a twist
to a psychological horror. This is to add
more to the crazy confusion to the
audience, which a psychological fan
would love.
For example. the twist in The Uninvited as we
find out the character if Aex is acctually
dead.

14. Common Technical Devices:
Psychological horrors
tend to use a lot of
flashback scenes to
emphasise how a
character has changed
and become more crazed
over time. This is shown
strongly in The Amityville
Horror. Flashbacks are
often made more effective
by using dissolve
transitions.
Example of dissolve transition from the opening titles of
American Horror Story.

15. GOTHIC

16. Setting
Gothic setting is conventionally very
gloomy and dull, with an eerie and
misty atmosphere.
This sub-genre usually includes a castle
or a large mansion which has been
run down and covered with ivy and
forests.
A typical example of a gothic setting is
the large mansion in ‘The Woman In
Black’.
The use of the run-down mansion allows
for an uncertain and spooky feel for
the audience, making them fear what
lies inside.

17. Setting: Interior.
Besides a battered and old exterior to the
castle, the interior of a typical gothic
mansion is shown clearly again in The
Woman In Black.
It tends to have a victorian feel to the
furniture, featuring spiral staircases,
rocking chairs, large candle holders and
antique mirrors. All of the furniture in a
typical gothic mansion releases a eerie
and dark feel, perfect for the sub-genre.
This is further reinforced by the only light
source coming mainly from candles.
Old fashioned childrens toys are also a
common feature in the gothic sub-genre,
they too give a sinister and dark tone.

18. Types Of Characters
Characters commonly featured in gothic
horror films are usually, vampires and
zombies.
These characters tend to be pale white,
with dark eyes and dark features.
Followed by black costume, usually
long capes or dresses.
It is also common for the antagonist to
be half human half animal, for
example the antagonist in ‘The
Wolfman’
For example the characters from the
Twilight Saga.