1. Key elements in Horror movie synopses Setting Icons Protagonists Stock characters/stereotypes Stock situations/plots

2. Setting: horror films are typically set away from the city, portraying the normally comfortable surroundings as dangerous. Also the word ‘black’ in the name suggests mystery and death. Summary of ‘Let the Right One In’ (2008) A non-stereotypical protagonist and a stock situation of conflict. In the suburb of Blackebergin Stockholm, the twelve year-old Oskar is a lonely and outcast boy bullied in school by Connyand two other classroom mates; at home, Oskar dreams on revenging the trio of bullies. He befriends his twelve year-old next door neighbor Eli that only appears during the night in the playground of their building. Meanwhile, Eli's father is a serial-killer who drains the blood of his victims to supply Eli, so she doesn't have to kill. Eli advises Oskar to react to Conny fighting back; however, he soon discovers that she is a vampire and he feels fear and love for the girl. The supporting character is another stock of the horror genre: a vampire but defies conventions by being female. The killer is a male. Blood is an icon of the genre. Again, a typical conclusion that the vampire is exposed and the human faces internal conflict. Themes of loyalty, love and persistence

4. Supporting protagonist is a stock character – the sheriff

5. Lucy is a stock character – the vulnerable girlTheme of good vs. evil

6. Summary of ‘The Shining’ (1980) The protagonist in this case is also the villain A novelist - Jack Torrance takes a job interview as winter caretaker of the isolated, old, huge and beautiful Overlook Hotel. In the interview, Jack is told by the manager himself, that the previous caretaker - Grady, chopped his family and later killed himself with a shotgun. Ignoring the story, Jack brings his wife - Wendy and his son Danny. It happens that Danny, has a mysterious power known as "The Shining" that shows him things from the past and future. Some of the visions come from Tony - "the little boy who lives in Danny's mouth". Danny meets Hallorann- the hotel cook in their first day arriving at the Overlook, who also has this "Shining" and he warns him about the hotel and the sinister Room 237. As the days go by, Danny has visions of previous guests and employees who died at the hotel years before, meanwhile Jack starts driving into insanity, turning more and more aggressive, at the point that Danny and Wendy gets convinced that Jack might try to do the same thing, Grady did. Isolated setting typical of the genre Horror films typically involve a family unit or friendship group. Theme of betrayal This film uses less of the key horror elements and therefore employs variation in the plot but still uses enough to ensure the viewer can recognise it as a horror movie.