Research on horror films, by Libby jones

What is a horror film?

Horror is a film genre that tries to promote a negative reaction from the audience by playing on the viewers fears.  Horror films often overlap with fantasy, thriller and supernatural genres.

What elements are generally included in horror films?

Horror films are often based around nightmares, terror and hidden fears.  The common Iconography elements include ghosts, aliens, vampires, werewolves, curses, demons, gore, torture, vicious animals, monsters, zombies, cannibals and serial killers.

Classic horror music: One of the most important aspects of any horror movie is the music. the music in horror and thriller films are used to increase fear levels and tension and often indicate when something “bad” is about to happen. It’s also common to find “sound motif’s” in horror/thriller which illustrates a particular character, setting or situation.

Here’s are some YouTube link`s to music that has been/could be used in various horror films:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwNAwkulMF0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhWtO7ppEOk

The music is often up- beat and fast and grows dramatically loud and softer at random intervals. The music used is very unpredictable and it’s thought that the harsh, discordant and unexpected sounds used in horror soundtracks imitate the screams of frightened animals.

The spider diagram below gives a brief history of horror films :

Sub-genres of horror films:

·         Action Horror – A horror movie with themes or elements associated with a typical action film. Examples of horror films include Ghost Rider, Doomsday, planet terror and dawn of the dead.

·         Body Horror – a horror move where the main scenes show graphic destruction of the body, unnatural movements and monsters.

·         Comedy Horror – A horror film that combines comedy. Examples include: Gremlins, shaun of the dead, eight legged freaks.

·         Gothic Horror – where the story uses elements of both goth and horror, examples include: The Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy. Sleepy Hollow, Let Me In and The Woman in Black.

·         Natural Horror –features nature in the form of mutated beasts, carnivorous insects, and normally harmless animals or plants turned into cold-blooded killers. This genre may sometimes overlap with the science fiction and action/adventure genre. Examples include The Birds, Black Sheep, Jaws, Mimic, Deep Rising, Them!, The Swarm and Primeval.

·         Psychological Horror –Relies on characters' fears, guilt, beliefs, eerie sound effects, emotional instability and at times, the supernatural and ghosts, to build tension and further the plot. Examples include A Tale of Two Sisters, Dark Water, Ring, The Exorcist, The Others, The Innocents, Frailty, Sinister, The Changeling, and The Sixth Sense.

·         Science fiction horror – Often revolves around subjects that include but are not limited to killer aliens, mad scientists, and/or experiments gone wrong. Examples include Alien, Pandorum, The Fly, Event Horizon, Apollo 18, Doom, Pitch Black, The Mist, and It Came from Outer Space.

I think the film we are creating would most likely fit under the sub-genre physiological horror because in the script the story follows the idea of a gift that becomes a curse. The story uses common iconography elements from this sub-genre and it plays on the characters fears to build tension.