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Lo4 Horror Movies Codes and conventions

Horror movies have been around since 1896 this was when Le Manoir Du diable was
broadcasted, at this point in time horror movies were known as ‘Spook Tales’ the
term ‘Horror’ wasn’t introduced until the 30s. (Wilson, 2017)

In a general sense horror movies are portrayed in a way that is meant to make you
feel slightly and in some cases extremely uncomfortable, those that enjoy horror
movies or ‘Spook Tales’ are generally those that crave the adrenalin rush of being on
edge also known as ‘Adrenalin Junkies’ this is who Horror movie directions will be
appealing to when writing and producing a new horror film.

Horror movies generally have very set list of codes and conventions. Horror movies
are probably the most conventionally heavy out of all of the film genres as the
conventions are pretty obvious.

A few of these conventions include:

Dark settings, scenes and lighting. Dark settings and light is fitting with horror
conventions as it conveys a more sinister feel to a scene. This often a hint in a horror
film that suggests something bad is about to happen. This also adds tension as the
antagonised could be hiding the the darkness. An example of this would be in films
such at ‘it’ 2017 Pennywise appears in the shadows on the drain Either done with
shadowy lighting or a crescendoed music note that builds up in the background.

Colour palettes like Black, Red, white & Grey. These are all used to represent
different things, The black and red suggest more sinister connotations. The Red
representing blood or the devil and black representing the dark nature of the
antagonists in horror films. White is a colour that is often used in horror films ironically.
White usually represents something pure however often white is used in horror films as
something pretending to be pure and innocent but is completely twisted in the
other direction. For example a white dress being worn on a evil spirit is common
theme in horror films. White is also used to connote innocence this is played on in the
opening scene of the very self aware horror comedy ‘Scream however in this
instance it is used to subvert the audiences expectations as the popular actress
Drew Barrymore is killed in the first scene whilst wearing white. In contrast Neve
Campbell, who appears as the films actual protonist has dark hair and wears darker
clothing which contradicts the typical “innocent” horror protagonist.

Its not only the heroes that have changed over time, but trends can been seen
shifting in horror villains as well. For example in 1970-1980s you had slasher villains
that went round killing teens and those characters had an element of paranormal to
them as these antagonist were fairly down to earth but for their apparent
invulnerability for example popular franchises were Halloween, nightmare on elm
street and Friday the 13th.

Moving on to the 90s you had more realistic villains such as the insane Dr. Hannibal
‘The cannibal’ Lecter, “John Doe” in 7 and Max Cady in Cape Fear. Not only were
villains becoming more believable but horror films even started to poke fun at the
stereo typical slasher villains as in films like ‘Scream’
Progressing into 2000s the villains moved on into more paranormal characters such
as in the movies Paranormal Activity, Insidious and Sinister. These films focus around
the themes of demonic possessions and hauntings. Another popular horror series
‘The conjuring’ has spawned a sequel and 3 spins off movies showing that the
popularity of this sub genre endures.

Slashers and paranormal horror films are two of a vast range of sub-genres. Each of
these categories will have their own set of conventions to follow but tend to closely
follow the codes and conventions listed above, with a few variations.

Paranormal movies tend to follow a gloomier grey colour scheme, films like
Paranormal Activity have very dull colour palettes and lighting colours like grey,
white and beige follow throughout the films with a washed out filter to dull out the
colours further. This instantly gives the film a more eerie feel to it.

Horror films in terms of pace generally follow a very all or nothing pace so this can
go from very slow, to build up tension, to fast paced jump-cut montage scenes.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Phsyco which was the first demonstration of the use of montage
to suggest the death of a character. In terms of visual effects the technology has
developed immensely, although montage scenes are a good way of doing a gory
scene, special effects and general visual effects have developed in a way that
means you don’t have to ‘suggest’ what’s happening though a montage you can
just do what you are suggesting through effects and makeup etc…

In terms of actual camera quality over the years this has developed immensely also,
when one of the first ever films were made in 1896 by The Lumiere Brothers this would
have been film on a Lumiere cinematographe. These were heavy, stationary
cameras which only filmed in black and white, were difficult to operate and relied
on having stocks of physical film available on set.

“35mm Lumiere Cinematographe camera/printer/projector, serial number 254, with

brass taking and projection lenses with Lumière thread, crank handle. Claw
mechanism designed for Edison perforations.” (Collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk, 2017)

Over the years as technology has developed to now 2017, a very popular camera
used within the tv and film industry is a Arri Alexa, this camera retails for anything
between £40-£100.K This is a very popular camera in the industry due to how the
good the image quality is not only that but how well it works in low light and still
captures the highest quality footage. This is what most of the block buster films that
you see on screens and in cinemas today will have be captured on. This camera is
ideal for horror films as it works so well under low light which is one of the conventions
of horror films. It is also much more lightweight and stores images digitally so there is
no need for vast amounts of film at a shoot.

In terms of audio, audio equipment back when the Lumiere brothers were
producing their first film they were silent, it was only in 1927 in The Jazz Singer, and the
sound was captured on a ‘Vitaphone.’ This was a ‘sound on disc’ form of audio.

Since the first use of audio in movies in1927 the technology within audio has
developed into a whole new world. Now audio is heavily based on the audience
experience, modern cinema is a whole new experience with surround sound systems
and special effects. Going to the cinema really gives the audience a real
experience of the film that they’re viewing rather than just some visuals on screen.
Having that surround sound system really elevates the experience. For example the
slower more creepy scenes will have slow but crescendoed music that builds up
slowly and the more fast paced scenes will nave sharper more blunt audio. Surround
sound adds another layer to horror as it immerses you in the film, making you =feel as
though you are in the same situation as the character, with noises coming from all
around you.

In terms of distributing films this will be done by a professional movie distributor that
will be part of the production company involved in producing the film. Their job will
be to set a release date, who has the rights to view it prior to this date etc…

Generally the film will be released into cinemas for the first couple months of release
and then DVDs and TV launches will be issued.
Ref: Collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk. (2017). Lumière Cinématographe | Science Museum Group
Collection. [online] Available at: http://collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/co8090140/lumiere-
cinematographe-35mm-motion-picture-camera-printer-projector [Accessed 26 Sep. 2017].

In terms of TV distribution, channels like Sky Premiere will have a premiere for the
week, this is a subscription based service meaning that, even to watch the film in
your own living room, you will have to pay a charge.

The Internet has a huge range of places in which you can find horror movies,
websites like Amazon Prime enable you to download movies if you have a
subscription to the service, there is also the option to pay a fee per film. Along with
the apple app store in the tv&films section.

Netflix has become a phenomenon in the tv and film world, changing how people
view tv and film immensely. Netflix is a streaming service that can be downloaded
on phones, tablets, streamed through televisions etc… Netflix has a wide range of
horror movies, be that old classics or the newest releases. Netflix also produce their
own shows and films which go “straight to Netflix”. This goes to show the popularity of
the streaming service, as it has allowed them the budget for multiple, high-quality
projects.

There are also lots of websites out there that stream movies illegally which aren’t
contributing any funds towards the film and its producers/actors. This means that the
industry, in the long term, risks making less money and no longer being profitable.
This would result in less films being produced. It also means that studios will take less
risks and continue with established franchises as they are a safer bet. This would
mean less diversity and choice for the audience.

Paranormal activity was a huge success within the horror genre producing 6 movies
in total and most likely still more to come. Paranormal activity follows a linear
narrative and often a single strand narrative in the way that each movie will involve
a family but it will be focused generally on one person.

Whereas a film like Saw, which is also a horror movie, follows a non linear, multi strand
narrative as the movie follows different characters in different parts of the film as
they are going through the maze.
Although Saw follows a nonlinear, multi strand which is a more complex narrative but
this goes to show that you don’t need to follow a certain type of narrative for the
movie to be successful as they have both proven to be successful with opposite
narratives.

Steven Neale postulated repetition and difference are important to genre, this can
be seen in these two examples. The repeated codes and conventions of horror films
being included in these two franchises ensures that fans of the horror genre will be
drawn into watching the films as they know what to expect. However, the difference
in the narrative structures means that they can be enjoyed in different ways. For
example often horror films follow a standard narrative but have a twist at the end /
do something different in order to keep the genre fresh and interesting.

Horror movies can be a little problematic when it comes to representation of social

groups and social issues and stereo types they tend to follow very basic old
fashioned stereo. For example a lot of films will follow that damsel in distress
character usually represented as a blonde helpless girl. This is problematic as it is
generally suggesting that the woman is always the one that needs help suggesting
weakness which may have been a pass able a few years ago but now following
that stereo type really isn’t politically correct in 2017.

Another stereotype is that the “black guy dies first”. Minority characters are often
included in order to give the film a wider appeal across different demographics, but
the primary audience typically remains young white people. However, films like GET
OUT (2017) featured a black protagonist and played on the theme of racial tensions.
Similarly, “The First Purge”, released this year, features a predominantly black cast.
This can also be seen in other genres, such as the Marvel movie “Black Panther”,
which shows that the trend towards more diversity isn’t limited to the horror genre.

In conclusion the horror movie genre has developed and changed immensely, it just
takes one movie to start a trend within a genre such as Silence of the lambs (1991)
having not only 3 sequels / spins offs but also paving the way for films like Seven and
Kiss The Girls which followed with similar themes. Not only does the genre as a whole
but shifting technologies have allowed for more variety in both production and
distributions and a changing cultural climate has lead to developments in
representation of various groups.