Horror Research
WHAT IS HORROR?
Horror is one of my favorite genres, so I picked it to do research, and learn about it. Horror can be described as a genre of fiction whose purpose is to create feelings of fear, dread, repulsion, and terror in the audience. You might think "Who would want to watch anything like that?" Surprisingly, horror movies are some of the most popular movies people come to see. People seek a good horror movie for a variety of reasons: for the thrill, the enjoyment of knowing it's not real, or even just comforting your girlfriend.
CONTENT
Fear is something every good horror film needs. Horror uses a large mix of different methods to portray fear. Wether it be jump-scares, gore, or just completely phycological, all horror movies use fear in one way or another.
The protagonist in horror movies usually is not as strong not only physically, but mentally than what they are fearing. The antagonist is the one cause the fear of the protagonist, and can be displayed as monsters, killers, creatures, animals, or even turkeys!
Ex: In the movie "Thankskilling" a couple hundred year old turkey is on a killing rampage, causing fear thought 4 college students.
Suspense is another crucial aspect of a horror movie. In a thriller, suspense is the build-up of tense and anxious feelings in a certain situation. Gradually increasing your fear of the unknown until you're ready for a jump scare, is an intense sensation, unlike anything else. This can occasionally work in a film's favor, but it can also cause dissatisfaction. It may be upsetting and unsatisfying when the writer fails to provide what everyone has been looking forward to. On the contrary, suspense may be the element that elevates a mediocre Horror movie to greatness when used right. It provides you the adrenaline rush that most Horror lovers want.
Ex: The movie "Us" heavily relies on suspense.
Production Techniques
Sound is a technique used in horror that can help a person feel uneasy. The audience will be physically and emotionally terrified by the jump scare if shouts and loud noises are added. Slow footsteps and heavy breathing might be used to heighten the anticipation before jump scares. Music may also be used to enhance the anticipation before a jump scare or the action during a battle. The sound of a track gradually rising in pitch may create tension, while a loud and dramatic music can contribute to a battle between the protagonist and antagonist.
Lighting is also utilized throughout the production to create a creepier vibe. The scene is significantly creepier thanks to shadows, harsh lighting, and underexposure. These approaches make use of darkness, allowing the audience to conjure up a monster in their minds. The audience may enact their own darkest fear by transforming their thoughts into an unknown entity.
Ex: The film "The lighthouse" uses many lighting techniques to create tension, and scare the audience.
MARKETING
When it comes to marketing a horror film, you must examine your target demographic. Horror lovers are often between the ages of 15 and 25. This is due to the fact that teens appreciate the thrill or terror that some older viewers may not. We must also remember that when someone decides to see a horror film, they are most certainly expecting to be afraid. When marketing, you want to show a product that will appeal to your target demographic. You may achieve this by marketing/designing your production cover in a certain way. Poster designers often utilize dark reds, blacks, and other dark shades/colors to depict a frightening theme when promoting horror films. Sometimes, horror movies will even have a slogan in their promotion.
Ex: The movie "IT" uses the slogan "You'll float too" in its poster.
EXAMPLES
1. "SLEEPAWAY CAMP"
On a nice sunny day, a father and his two kids (one a boy, the other a girl) go on the lake for a nice kayak ride. Suddenly two teens on a speedboat crash into them, and kill everyone, but one of the kids. Years later, we find that the aunt has taken guardianship of the daughter, and is sending her to camp with her cousin. When she gets to camp, she is bullied and excluded, but a boy seems to take interest in her. Camp is going pretty well so far, but all the sudden, a killer is on the loose, killing people in camp. This movie represents the horror genre by its jump-scares, sound technique, and suspense thought the movie.
2. "Halloween"
A killer named Michael Myers brutally murders his 17-year-old sister on a dark Halloween night in 1963. He was arrested and sentenced to 15 years in jail . Sadly for the townspeople, on October 30th, 1978, while being transported from the prison to the courthouse for a hearing, he escapes by hijacking the automobile and goes back to his hometown for revenge. The general public had no idea that they may be the next victims of Michael's homicidal spree.T his film exemplifies the Horror genre by presenting a number of heart-pounding, dramatic, and extremely terrifying sequences.
Horror Recommendations
