Horror films are designed to:
· Frighten and panic the audience
· Cause dread and alarm
· Invoke or hidden worst feelings
· Make the audience uneasy and startle them
Settings
The usual settings for horror films are dark. This is because it creates a better atmosphere and immediately creates tension and fear to the audience.
The locations can be from:
· Small communities or isolated areas
· Dark streets and narrow alleyways
· Large cities or run down ghost towns
Often places with ‘dark’ history, like abandon houses, hotels and mental asylums.
Characters
There is always a villain in a horror film; the villain is often a monster, alien, serial killer or even ‘spirits’.
Most of the ‘innocent’ people in the film are usually killed with maybe one or two surviving, there can also be creepy children and police officers who can be good or bad.
Music
The music/sound effect used in horror films play a huge part in creating the tension and uneasy feel to the audience.
There can be:
· Silence
· Big bangs
· Screeching/high pitch noises
· An orchestra
All these types of sounds create tension and create chills for the audience; it is also used to create a climax for when something big is going to happen.
Themes
There are many different themes that run through horror films, they can be:
· Good versus evil
· Religion
· Childhood issues
· Revenge
· Supernatural
· Beyond death
· Science gone bad/wrong
· Nightmares
Iconography
The visual style in a horror film is usually dark with dark colours like red and black ; which is linked to evil, blood and danger ect.
There is usually dark lighting which helps to create shadows and unfamiliar shapes in the blackness.
Props used can also help the audience identify that it is a horror film; specific props can be linked with certain characters or villains. E.g., chainsaws, machetes, knifes ect.
The iconographies of the monster help to connote fear and terror to the audience. E.g. werewolves, vampires, mummies ect.
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