Conventions of horror films

Horror films are designed to frighten, excite, engross and thrill audiences. This is achieved through different techniques and conventions. These techniques are widespread across the horror genre some of these techniques are ;

v    Low key lighting.

v    Point of view shots from the killer.

v    The use of the unexpected.

v    Music

One of the most common conventions that we see in horror films is the use of low key lighting this is generally because most horror scenes are set in dark areas which is a convention in itself. An example of a film that uses low key lighting is the ring.

As you can see there is only one source of light here and we cannot see what is really happening apart from what is on the screen this gives a sense of ambiguity it also gives the audience a better perspective because they can see as much as the person on screen.

A good definition of low key lighting is found on Wikipedia “The term "low key" is used in cinematography to refer to any scene with a high lighting ratio, especially if there is a predominance of shadowy areas. It tends to heighten the sense of alienation felt by the viewer, hence is commonly used in film noir and horror genres.”

Another technique used in horror films is point of view shots from the killers in the film. This useful because it gives more than one perspective also it lets the viewer know what is really happening however leaves them powerless to stop it. A good example of this is from jaws where point of view is used alot from the sharks eyes showing it about to kill its prey

Point of view is also usefull when viewers do not know where the point of view is coming from and so do not know what kind of horrors await.

The use of the unexpected essentially means a shock or fright it usually occurs after the viewer is lulled into a false sense of security. A good example of this kind of unexpected fright is in the film ‘seven’ by David flincher

Another very useful technique is music. In modern times most films have soundtracks and usually they are crucial in helping to tell the story or set a scene. Music can be used to manipulate people’s emotions and to make them scared or angry or tense and works very well in horror films.

We are going to use and develop these conventions in our trailer in order to get the best effect possible.