Genre Research: Horror

  The horror genre creates a sense of fear, panic, alarm, and dread for the audience. Usually, in these films, the goal is to scare the audience by feeding on their fears or worst nightmares. Traditionally there's an evil person, force, or event and sometimes a supernatural being like a ghost or a zombie. The main elements are fear, surprise, suspense, and mystery.  

Angles

High angles are usually used to make the character look vulnerable and powerless against whatever entity scares them.

Close up- Used to show the emotions in an actor's face. The horror in their eyes, for example. 

Tracking shot- Used to build suspense and show movement in a horror film. For example, when an actor is being watched or followed. 

Tilt- Adds dramatic tension to the scene. In horror films, it can be the camera being moved or grabbed by a supernatural being or acting as a POV angle of the victim lying on the floor. 

Low angles- Used in horror movies to make the antagonist look more powerful and horrifying as they look down on the antagonist. 

Handheld camera shots- Used in horror films to make it more realistic and make it seem like the audience was actually at the setting experiencing each phenomenon along with the main character. 

Reverse Shots- Typically used to show flashbacks in horror films.

Mis-en-Scene

Costume- Costumes in horror movies are meant to scare both the viewers and the actors right away. They can be clown costumes, shredded clothes, head-to-toe black outfits, or any bloody outfit, usually a white gown.

Lighting- Horror movies usually use low lighting to create shadows and only show parts of the actors and the environment. It creates an eerie, mysterious atmosphere. 

Actors- Usually young adults who go somewhere remote together, a group of friends going to a haunted house, for example. 

Make-up- The make-up in horror films is called special effects make-up. It uses prosthetics, body paint, casting, etc., to create the illusion of something horrible and terrify the characters in the film and the viewers. 

Props- The props used in horror films are usually supernatural, such as a haunted mirror or any weapon used by the killer, such as a knife. A lot of fake blood is used. 

Setting- Horror films are usually set in dark remote areas such as a cabin in the woods or a haunted house. 

Sound: 

Diegetic sounds in horror films include dialogue and screaming. 

Non-diegetic sounds include the suspenseful music that rises as something happens in the movie that only the viewers hear. 

Editing: Quick cuts are the most common edits in horror films. A quick cut is when it cuts from a scene to a horrifying image when you don't expect it. This creates a jump scare. 

Example films: 

Child's Play (2019)

Host (2020)

We like the variety of angles used in this genre. While the opening scene is short, combining these angles with good costumes and editing will make a fantastic concept. However, we don't like how this genre requires a lot of visual editing with a green screen to make sense. Unfortunately, we are not professionals, so we do not have the necessary equipment.