Horror film conventions

Horror films have been some of the biggest grossing films in both the US and UK box offices, but one of the main problems is, like with comedy films is that fear, like humour varies from person to person, so what may scare one person would seem boring to another, this has been the case in films such as Paranormal Activity (2007) and The Blair Witch Project (1999). I do not watch horror films, but I can see how some people enjoy watching them. To find out about horror films, I will be exploring their conventions so my group can apply them to our scary film, which we have given the 'horror/ thriller' genre.

Horror Film Conventions:

• Horror films often start the film with a 'normal' scene which establishes the characters and is also used to give a startling contrast to how bad things are about to become, this also allows us the judge the characters personality and strength.
• Attacking the audience's fears - Serial killers, monsters, aliens, demons, the psychotic/ mentally ill. These are all seem as either extremely powerful or 'supernatural' creatures which mean that the victims cannot control the situation; they are helpless, this is one of peoples biggest fears.
• Vulnerable situations/ characters - Young characters, often teenagers who are seen as vulnerable and are easy for the murderer/stalker etc to attack, for example, Brittany Murphy plays Alice in the film Deadline (2009), stays at an abandoned house, alone to finish a script, so is a prime target for the killer,characters living alone are a key part of horror films and allow the audience to really feel scared for the character, another example of female characters living alone is The Resident (2011)
• Location - Location is also an important part of horror films, and they are often isolated, such as in The Strangers (2008), or old and creepy, such as The Haunting in Connecticut (2009) where the house used to be a mortuary, this gives the house a past and this of course  normally leads to ghosts/haunting and murders.
• Lighting - Lighting is also a key feature in horror movies. The lighting is dark, and this means that the audience cannot see everything, which allows their imagination to take over. By having a dark atmosphere, it often means we cannot see the killer, so when he strikes it is even more frightening, causing the classic 'jump' in the audience as they were not expecting the sudden move of the killer.
• By attacking characters in their homes, this creates fear in the audience because the home is seen to be a place of safety, but horror films destroy this. This effect is seen in films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), where the murderer, Freddy Kruger, kills people in their dreams, which really destroys the boundaries, because the victim is completely helpless. 
• Sound is also crucial in horror films. Subtle sound effects are common, such as the snapping of twigs, footsteps, creaking doors,coughs etc which tell the audience that the killer is around. Sounds of the victim, such as footsteps, heavy breathing add to the sensory experience and take you further into the world of the film. Horror films also need excellent scores to help add to the drama, in my opinion, a horror film would not be as scary without the music. These scores are often classical and performed by orchestras and screeching violins and haunting pianos are common, sounds like these create tension and often come to a chilling climx at the event of a muder, for example, Alfred Hitchcock's cult horror, Pyscho (1960) had a score which has never been forgotton. Here is one of the most memorable songs by Bernard Herrmann, who created the score for Pyscho