The History of the Horror Genre
So Many Genres, What Do I Choose?
There are so many genres that I have to take into consideration when thinking about what to use for the film opening of the Cambridge Portfolio Project. Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Comedy, Thriller, Drama, are all just a small percentage of the many genres out in the media sphere. So, you may be asking, " Hannah, how do you expect to pick the best genre for your project?", or "How will you and your group members agree on the genre?"
In all honesty, my group has not picked a final genre to use, which is fine, considering how we should only be doing research within this week. This is why each member will be taking the time to consider which genre options are most appealing. For this reason, I decided to explore one of my favorite film genres, being horror.
What is Horror?
Horror is a type of genre that focuses on fear and suspense to appeal to an audience. The mood and atmosphere of these film tend to be filled with suspense, incorporating scenes in which everything goes still and quiet to create shock for the next scene. While horror films may focus on fantastical creatures like ghosts and monsters, the most popular plots for horror films nowadays revolve around serial killers and slashing stories.
Examples of Horror Films
The genre of horror has always been appealing to me. To give an idea on how horror films are made, below are a few examples of horror films that I have watched...
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
Plot Aspects of Horror Films
While details of many horror films differ from each other, most horror films share common elements related to theme, characters, and music. The creation of a horror film's plot comes from general fears of an audience, like invasion, robbery, murder, etc. Using people's fears for films tends to be what appeals to that same individual; this applies for a majority. Nowadays, horror films tend to lean towards stories on serial killers and supernatural themes and dark religious themes.
As for characters in these films, there is usually a clear protagonist and antagonist; it is usually an obvious identification. Lots of horror films tend to have a powerful antagonist that has a history of causing harm to others, with a very brave of very fearful protagonist that has to deal with the antagonist. The "brave" protagonist tends to have an inner motivation to end or stop the antagonist once in for all. The "fearful" protagonist tends to do everything in their power to ignore or hide from the issue.
However, some horror films follow the same structure of a film, with a protagonist, usually a woman, that feels only fear for the antagonist and does everything they can to hide and defend themselves, rather than fight. The following films below are examples that follow this structure...
Hush (2016)
Scream (1996)
Another very important aspect of this genre of horror would be the audio. Audio is one of, if not, the most crucial part towards creating suspense in a horror film. The audio usually consists of stings, which helps create a dramatic effect that adds to the "shock factor" of the film. Music is also very important, as it also helps create an intense atmosphere and keeps the viewer on their toes. However, the concept that makes suspense the most impactful would be the sudden removal of the non-diegetic audio, creating a sudden stillness in the film. This quiet and still moment creates the suspense of what will occur in the following scene.
Techniques that Horror Films Usually Share
- Lighting: Lighting is used in a variety of ways throughout many horror films. An example of lighting use is flickering lights. In horror films, flickering lights are usually shown in mysterious setting like in haunted houses or abandoned buildings. This kind of lighting adds on to the speculation that there is something wrong or something bad will happen. Another example would be lighting shown behind a character for the sake of hiding an identity, or low key lighting. This kind of lighting tends to be utilized for the antagonist, to hide their identity from the audience to create mystery.
Friday the 13th (2009): In this scene, low key lighting is used to show the danger of the antagonist as they approach the victim. This lighting also creates a sense of mystery in the perspective of the victim.
- Shots and Angles: These aspects are also used to convey different messages in horror films. A classic, yet uncommon example would be the Dutch angle. In horror films, a Dutch angle usually represents danger, or that a character seems to be going "insane." It also may show the victims shock and fear through this sort of angle. Either way, both options SCREAM bad news. Whenever I see this angle, I always know that something bad is about to happen to the protagonist. A typical shot used in horror films would be an over the shoulder shot, which is usually utilized to show how the antagonist keeps an eye on the protagonist. The shot usually hides the antagonist to keep their identity hidden, while letting the audience know of its presence.
The Birds (1963): This Dutch angle is used to show the protagonist's fear and confusion as she is being confronted by the antagonist of the film.
- Color: Color is yet another dominant aspect of horror films, as different colors represent different ideas. For instance, in mise en scene elements like costume design and set design, lots of red is usually associated with danger or death, which is why the antagonist is usually scene with this color. Another popular color is black, which is to represent power and mystery. With this, the antagonist tends to be challenging to take down considering its power, and usually has its identity hidden to let the audience predict who the "bad guy" is.
It (2017): The red incorporated in the costume design of the clown represents danger, even with red balloon as the prop, which is seen several times throughout the film.
This is all of the research I have gathered towards the genre of horror. It is one of the main genres that I am leaning towards to for the film opening, so I am definitely looking forward to applying my knowledge to the project and for researching more on other genres. Stay tuned for more updates!
References/ Photo Credits
Ludy, James. “LibGuides: What Is Horror?: Home.” Westportlibrary.libguides.com, westportlibrary.libguides.com/Whatishorror
IMDb. “IMDb - Movies, TV and Celebrities.” IMDb, 2008, www.imdb.com/
Scott, Jonathan. “The Horror Genre Explained.” StudioBinder, 24 May 2020, www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-horror-definition/
“4 Classic Cinematic Techniques for Horror Films.” Digital Photo Pro, www.digitalphotopro.com/pro-video/4-classic-cinematic-techniques-for-horror-films/#:~:text=4%20Classic%20Cinematic%20Techniques%20for%20Horror%20Films%201. Accessed 15 Feb. 2023
hyperx. “Top 5 Facts about Our Newest Killer Clown: IT | Strangling Brothers Utah.” Strangling Bros. Utah, 12 Sept. 2017, stranglingbrothers.com/haunted-house-american-fork/top-5-facts-newest-killer-clown/. Accessed 15 Feb. 2023
“Low Key Lighting Is Commonly Used amongst Horror’s as It Creates Dark Shadows from Which “Evil Characters” Can Appear. It Causes Tensi… | Horror, Film, Horror Films.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/399201954456894807/. Accessed 15 Feb. 2023
“Dutch Angle.” ERIC KIM, 21 Feb. 2017, erickimphotography.com/blog/dutch-angle/
It (2017): The red incorporated in the costume design of the clown represents danger, even with red balloon as the prop, which is seen several times throughout the film.
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