Codes & Conventions of Horror Movie's

Horror movie's are mean't to un-nerve its audience, creating an unsettling atmosphere

to the whole movie in general. It is also mean't to captivate its audience whilst causing

a frightened and panicing vibe within them. It often has a plot which concludes

to a shocking/terrifying ending. There is always a lead character that often survives in

the film, there is a virtual certainty of a 'villian/monsterous' character who is normally

the murderer. It always carries the concept of 'Good Vs Evil' with often the good

guy defeating the evil source or escaping its traps.

Key Conventions  include: Blood, Death, Victims, weapons or

some estranged killing technique. Haunted houses, mysterious,

creepy, weird settings.

Shadows and low key lighting are often the aspects in which

create such an erie mood and vibe within the piece. Iconic

pieces within the 'Horror' Genre are films such as 'Psycho',

'Dracula', 'The exorcist' and more recent such as 'Incidious'

Whilst invoking the audience's worst fears and toying with their emotions, most horrors deal with nightmares or primal nature etc. The genre consentrates on the darker side to life and generally has its setting in day to day enviroments to creep its audience even more so, as these are familiar enviroments to that of their own. Some narrative devices have already been mentioned but there is also 'The Hero' & 'The Helper'- whom normally gets killed whilst trying to be of assistance.