Genre Research Activity

                                                                           Horror

Research: 

The target audience is usually males 15-25. Horror conventions are gatherings for the community of horror movie, goth, and occasionally science fiction and fantasy lovers. The emphasis has historically been on the film medium rather than on literature and art, but in recent years it has expanded to encompass all disciplines. The antagonist is usually presented as a normal person at first and gradually reveals their true colors. They are usually set in big houses, hospitals, and the woods. There is also a lot of blood and gore in a horror movie. Horror movies are usually marketed by teasing the audience, creating suspense and mystery, and making ads everywhere. Moreover, they show intense parts in their teasers and trailers and then leave it on a cliffhanger. They also tend to market the movie as something completely different than it is.  Some examples of horror movies are Scream, IT, Smile, The Conjuring, Annabelle, Chucky, Halloween, Psycho, Friday the 13th, Saw, Terrifier, and The Exorcist.  

 

 Database:

Since Halloween is today, I picked Horror to do this research activity for.  

 

Horror includes a lot of jump scares and gore. Some include killers, while others include paranormal activity. There are also some that focus more on gore instead of the movie being scary. Some horror movies focus on psychological horror. In horror films there are sub genres like slasher movies, psychological horror, gore, supernatural horror, and paranormal activity horror. Some horror films usually have the antagonist appear as a normal person in the beginning. Progressively throughout the film this will change, and the killer is revealed. However, in some films, like IT, you know the killer right away. They usually have flashing lights, low key lighting, and a lot of shadows and mysterious figures. They also include a lot of foreshadowing. They are usually set in big houses, hospitals, and the woods. There is also a lot of blood and gore in a horror movie. 

How is it marketed?  

Horror movies are usually marketed by teasing the audience, creating suspense and mystery, and making ads everywhere. Moreover, they show intense parts in their teasers and trailers and then leave it on a cliffhanger. They also tend to market the movie as something completely different than it is.   

 

 

In the 1996 movie, Scream, directed by Wes Craven, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, and Tyler Gillett, one of the main premises is that it makes fun of a lot of the cliche plots in horror movies. For example, the group splitting up, the one nerd, walking alone in a dark place, like a basement, and someone getting killed during/after being intimate. Moreover, there is always a dead girl in the beginning, a comedian, the love interest being the killer, etc. The movie is a slasher film, and the killer runs around in a Ghostface costume. The viewers follow Sydney Prescott and her friends. It raises suspicion against Billy Loomis, her boyfriend, but then debunks it, just for him and Stu Macher. The movie mentions other horror movie titles and techniques they use throughout the film as if to make fun of them or mock them. It is a perfect example of a horror movie as it ironically includes almost all of the cliché plot ever used throughout the franchise.  

  

 

The 1980 movie, Friday the 13th, directed by Marcus Nispel, is an American slasher film. It includes jump scares, a lot of gore, and it was intended to be scary. There are characters alone and some die while being intimate. Overall, it includes a lot of basic horror movie plots. However, the interesting thing is that whenever Jason kills, the camera is in his point of view, so you never see his figure until the later movies. The film is set in a camp in the middle of the woods. It is raining and it is nighttime. At the end of the movie, it is his mom that is killing everyone. Although the acting and editing isn’t good in today’s perspective, it was scary and good in its time. The movie is still considered iconic!

 

Some other examples of Horror films include:  

 

 Halloween, 1978, directed by John Carpenter 

 

 

The Conjuring, 2013, directed by James Wan 

 

 

 The Shining, 1980, directed by Stanley Kubrick  

 

 

 

 

IT, 2017, directed by Andres Muschietti 

 

The Exorcist, 1973, directed by William Friedkin