The horror conventions Analysis

The horror conventions Analysis
Having watched several different horror movies and looked at different new horror based or scary trailers to see and learn about the conventions, I have come up with a summary of the most horror similarity and icons and conventions used.
Having watched films like nosferatu (1922 German Dracula adaptation ) and Dracula (Bram Stoker's Dracula 1992 by Francis Ford Coppola), Halloween (Halloween, released in 1978 by John Carpernter),Texas chain saw massacre (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 horror film directed by Tobe Hooper old version 1980 and new 2002 released ), and the new films like Twilight Movie (Twilight is a 2008 romantic-fantasy film with Horror Themes vampire and werewolf Hybrid movie), Aliens (Alien (film), 1979 film directed by Ridley Scott and second Aliens (film), 1986 sequel directed by James Cameron) , Predator ( sometimes referred to Science fiction Horror ) . Later I also saw horror trailers for “Wolfman (2010 Release) “ and few others recent horror trailers on You tube and ITunes.

Mis en Scene(things placed in scene or movies to add to the theme to make it recognisable. Isolated settings locations, eg, “Aliens” set on new planet, “Dark Knight “ 2009 or eerie scenes at night and haunted houses, these scenes create a very dark atmosphere which adds to the tensions of the plot.
The creative dark shadowy lightings as used in “Nosferatu” is still seen in lot of horror films today including Dracula , psycho (1950 & 1996 version) and Wolf man 2010.

Camera editing for horror movies tend to be fast suspenseful scenes to create tensions or scary moments. Sometimes editing is faster for chases or violent action where someone is chased or running with lot of pov(point of view shots) are all intercut with expressions of fear with the likes of “Evil dead 1989” movies that used a lot of hand held camera shots with chases.
Modern horror uses technologies with the likes of steady cam( camera mounted to allow camera operator to move quickly and freely and sometimes run to show point of view for audience of victim or hero in chase.

Characters in horror films
These tends to be innocent girls, hedonistic teenagers (the ones with no regard to morals and the like to sleep around with more than one partner.)
Sometimes the bad \villain or killer could be a human, super natural or of alien\monster origin. Aliens and predator have elements of horror and action with cross breeding of Genre including Science Fiction, to keep audience entertained with moments of scary scenes to make them jump.

The final girl theory by Carol Clover said characters who may be a young attractive innocent female who survives the horrific events that follow and defeat the monster or killer may even have a history or past link with killer and may have boyish names to show similarity with films like “scream 1,2,3 “, “Psycho “ and “Aliens”.

Story themes or issues.
Good mostly triumphs over evil they fight or conflict with good or evil the unholy spirit affecting an individual or group of people as seen in Lost boys or twilight movie.

Sometimes the villain or killer may have unfinished acts and comeback repeatedly for revenge like in “Friday the 13th” various incarnations and” Halloween “movies. Murder and strange events add to the confusion of plot and characters like in nightmare on Elmstreets “ is a classic horror franchise which being revived after it success in late 1990 and now a new remake of the old classic aimed at new teenage audience.
Killer can be evil spirts ,monsters, alien orgin,or not from Earth.