Conventions of Horror

The horror genre is said to be first shown through the film 'Devils Castle' in 1922. Since then, the genre has evolved with changing society, therefore it is now possible to identify the typical conventions of horror in film.

Typical conventions:

• Darkness/night - this is possibly the most common convention that runs throughout most films. It can be seen in 'Dracula', made in 1931, and 'Lights Out' made more recently in 2016. This consequently shows how strong the convention is. 
• Sound - this convention began to develop in the 1930s, and has since been manipulated in lots of different ways to create fear. It is often paired with the idea of the unknown further its effect. Some of the most well known uses of sound include the 'Jaws' and 'Psycho' sound motifs. 
• Unknown - this convention is present in most horror films, meaning the idea of the unknown for the characters then creates fear in the audience. It is usually shown by the use of sound. 
• Blood - the convention of blood was most present in the 80s through slasher films - an example being 'Carrie' - made towards the end of the 70s. It has since continued to be used in films with a more gore effect than typical fear.
• Good VS Evil - this convention has always been present in the horror genre, as most story-lines feature a conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist. It can also be related satanic horror films that evidently show evil/bad through ideas of exorcisms/possession. 

Many other conventions include;

• Chase 
• Screaming
• Eerie settings 
• Surprise/stop
• Weather changes (fog/mist)
• Isolation
• Weapons/death
• Jump scares (fake scares with built suspense)
• Lone female

 

How will I use conventions?

I have no doubt that my short film will feature many typical conventions, and it would be wrong to not have any - conventions are conventions for a reason. I aim to make a film that is not a gore fest, but leans more towards the psychological side. Consequently, the main convention I will most likely use will be the idea of the unknown. This is because it can be applied alongside the idea of realism, and combined they can terrify, as it makes the film story line more of a reality. Additionally, I will obviously experimenting with sound to create an effective film, as well as darkness, isolation and perhaps chase. This is because I find they can really mess with the audience when all applied together. As for my target audience, I aim for them to be teenagers, as theses are typically who watch horror films and are more likely to get gratification from them. However, as I aim for it to be more psychologically, the target audience is quite broad because horror films of this genre can affect anyone, as they play on the fears of the audience.

 

Conventions using Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'

'Thriller' was one of the first music videos with a movie storyline, and it features most horror genre conventions.

The opening scene of 'Thriller' shows a car at night time breaking down - the idea of darkness is a typical convention of the horror genre to create an unsettling feeling and so installing fear. There is also the use of fog in the woods, and this therefore creates a typical eerie setting, yet another convention. Michael Jackson later transforms into a werewolf (Creature Feature) and the camera cuts to a shot of the moon, this is a commonly used shot  in most films that feature wolf transformations. In the moments that follow, the female then runs off, playing into the convention of the lone female. The effect of this is that there is an anticipation of what will happen to her, and this links to the idea of what uses and gratifications people get from horror films. Here, the audience would be feeling a slight adrenaline rush, paired with the typical chase scene that is present in almost any horror film made.

We then see that it is just a horror film and the characters emerge from a cinema - it is here that the music starts to play. The theme of the lone female is present again here. The rest of the music video is shot in the misty dark at night time, with the characters walking through graveyards and running to houses. Grave yards are typically associated with the horror genre, and it is here that zombies begin to rise. This is perhaps the most conventional scene in any Apocalyptic horror film. By using such conventions, the music video is almost making a mockery of the genre. It then changes into a dance number - it is here that horror conventions can no longer be applied, and the reason for this is obvious - dancing zombies rarely feature when trying to scare an audience.

The majority of the video features a chase - one of the most generic scenes found in most films. The overall scary effect of the video is severely lacking, yet this is hardly surprising due to it being a music video, and so has an insufficient amount of realism.

Theories of the horror genre

Many theorists have differing views on the importance of genre in film - some believe that it helps attracting the audience, whilst others think it puts constraints on the creativity of the films. The following are key theorists and their ideas; 

Daniel Chandler: he argues that the genre is explained by the conventions in it. This means that all films follow the typical conventions of their own genre, and thus define the genre itself. When applied to horror, this implies that the films fall into their sub - genres/genre when they feature the conventions listed above.

Steve Neal: theorises that expectations help to understand the film, and so guarantee deriving pleasure from it. He explains this through 'repetition and difference' - it is the idea that we may derive pleasure from observing how conventions of the genre are manipulated, yet there would be no pleasure if there were no difference. Essentially, we need to know what to expect from horror films (how they make us feel, ect) but they need to be different in order for us to enjoy them.

Jonathan Culler: he states that generic conventions exist to establish a contract between the creator and the reader concerning audience expectations. This allows compliance and deviation from the accepted modes of intelligibility - acts of communication are only intelligible within the context of a shared conventional framework of expression. In regards to horror, this means that the reader is aware of what to expect from the creator, and that there are ways these expectations can be expressed through the horror film conventions.

Rick Altman: he argues that genre allows texts to be produced to appeal. This means that they are usually defined in terms of media language (semantic elements) and codes (eg. Horror - blood, death, knifes, dark, characters)  or certain ideologies and narratives (syntactic elements). Therefore, horror films are defined by what is associated with them.

Tom Ryall: he states that the genre guide/affects the production of text. This means that a framework is provided by the generic system, and so the genre becomes a cognitive repository of images, sounds, stories, characters and expectations.

Richard Coe: the phrase "tyranny of genre" comes from this theorist, and essentially means that the conventions of genre limit the films, so limit the creativity. It can applied to horror by the fact that all horror films have a typical style that they take, regardless of the subgenre.

In my opinion, I agree that the conventions of genres can help to identify the media text, yet I also agree that they can limit them. This can happen if they follow the conventions without manipulating them or changing them slightly - by doing this the text would then be individual and interesting for the viewer. However, it is hard not to be confined by conventions nowadays, and creating a new concept is becoming increasingly harder - this can explain why many films are often updated remakes of original ones. For my film, I will undoubtedly use conventions, but I will try not to make it so conventional that it becomes a mockery of the genre.