Media Horror Research

 

Horror Films Research

Horror films were created in the early 1930’s with movies such as “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” being some of the first to hit our screens.

The main purpose of horrors is to:

·         Frighten and panic its audience

·         Cause alarm and dread

·         Invoke its audiences hidden most worst fears

·         Captivate and entertain its audience

These key purposes of a horror are important as when creating my short trailer and basic storyline it will help me to keep these in consideration.

Horror Films

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Fact File

Director: Tobe Hooper

Release Date: October 1^st 1974

Budget: $300,000

Box Office/Gross: $30,859,000

Distributed: Bryanstone Pictures

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an independent horror film with certain elements based on a “true” story inspired by the crimes of real-life serial killer Ed Gein (Leather face).  It was falsely marketed as a true story to attract a wider audience.  It is a slasher film about five friends visiting their grandpa's old house and are hunted down and terrorized by a chainsaw wielding killer and his family of grave-robbing cannibals. The film gained mixed reviews when released and was banned in Britain for some length of time due to the violence. The film caused such an impact within the industry that the word “chainsaw” itself was banned from film titles. It is still today considered one of the greatest controversial horror films and a major influence on the genre.

Paranormal Activity (2007)

Fact File

Director: Oren Peli

Release Date:  0ctober 16^th 2009 (Official wide cinema release)

Budget:  $15,000

Box Office/Gross: $193,355,800

Distributed:  Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures

Is a supernatural horror film, the film was created in 2007 and was originally an independent feature shown at the ScreamFest Film Festival and due to the success it received, was brought by Paramount who screened it nationwide in cinemas in 2009. Its about a young, middle class couple moves into a suburban 'starter' tract house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night. The film had alternate endings with the 1^st ending shown in cinemas for a limited amount of time and was only able to be seen again on the DVD or Blu-Ray, as it was banned from being shown on the Internet by Paramount.

The Grudge 

Fact File

Director: Takashi Shimizu

Release Date: January 25^th 2003

Budget: $3,500,000

Box Office/Gross: $325,661

Ju-on is the Japanese Horror “The Grudge” written and directed by Takashi. The film has many sequels and even has an American re-make, which was also directed by Takashi. The re-make had a bigger budget of 10 million and also grossed higher than the original J-Horror ($187, 281, 115). The film is based on an evil curse and vengeful spirits that seem to linger upon a house where the horrific murder of a woman and child took place and anyone who set foot inside the house is marked for a terrifying haunting which will not rest.

Film Director: Wes Craven

Wes Craven born on August 2, 1939 is an American actor, film director, writer, producer, and best known for his numerous of horror movies. Some of his work includes: A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Last House On The left, The Hills Have Eyes, Scream Films and numerous more. If not realized he plays a cameo part in all 4 of his Scream Films.  Craven was born in Cleveland and Ohio and had a strict Baptist upbringing. This is an interesting fact as some of his movies, like his first feature movie “the last house on the left” contain some disturbing scenes, which wouldn’t be tolerated in the Baptist community. His work tends to share a common exploration of the nature of reality. Craven is also very clever within in work adding jokes referring to real life events within his movie forming it within a clever piece of dialogue.

Characters

Protagonist- Main character of the film, story line mainly focused around them, usually survives till the end known as the final girl.

Stock Characters- characters within the film, which usually die throughout

Sound

Background Music- Eerie high pitched music softly is usually played or a low slow monotone beat usually enhanced when something drastic is about to take place

Foley Sounds- Footsteps, Creaking, Panting,

Incidental- to crate a particular atmosphere of tension at a high pressure point

Themes

Themes usually revolve around:

·         Revenge

·         Curses, supernaturalism

·         Psychotic man/woman

·         Inhuman beast causing havoc

Editing

Quick cuts used to show a chase increase the drama and tension.

Long takes build up the far of audience show what happening.

Icons

Certain props, a character, music or a phrase, which become ionic with the movie.

Examples:

“Here’s Johnny!” – The Shining             

Ghost Mask- Scream                             

Musical Score- Psycho

Lighting

Low-key lighting is conventionally used as it creates an eerie tense atmosphere for the audience enhancing the “scare” factor.

However Halloween (original) was 1^st horror to use daylight.

Conventions Of Horror Film Teaser Trailer (see attached table)

For my research of the conventions of a horror teaser trailer I created a table with various horror movies, which have enabled me to analyse them and see what things were in common, the basic conventions. I have done headings such as: Length, Voiceover, Subgenre, Setting, Male/Female Ratio, Editing, and Number ofCaptions.

Without fail on a teaser  trailer will be:

·   Title
·   Various shots from the film Release Date

·   Release date