1. Representation/Convention of
Horror film
BY Rushelle Mckoy

2. Horror
• The horror genre has the capacity to scare its audience by
inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie and
frightening atmosphere through the use of particular forms
and conventions. Most horror films consist of the same type
of settings, props, themes, character types etc. This is
because by using these same forms and conventions you
know what reaction to expect from your audience.

3. Female victim
• There is almost no horror film without a
female victim, as they are portrayed as
being vulnerable and in need of
protection.
• This representation dates back to earlier
horror films that were made in a more
sexist era, and idea continued.
• Usually young, blonde and
attractive, help to appeal to a wider male
audience.

4. Non believer
• Can be of either sex, although often male.
• Portrayed as being cocky and at ease, convincing the
other characters that they are over reacting and that
nothing is going on.
• Typically overconfident, which usually lead to them
being the first to be killed, and their death will trigger a
mass killing of the other characters.
• To begin with, the audience will listen to this voice of
reason and be reassured and calmed slightly by them.
However, when they are shortly after killed, the
audience will panic and all sense of security has gone;
nobody is safe.

5. Hero (Protagonist)
• Hero Pretty much always a male character of
strong, masculine build. Although he is the „hero‟, there
aren‟t many horror films where the good triumph over
evil.
• In these cases, he tends to be the brave character that goes
after the murderer, often never returning.
• These characters tend to show little emotion throughout
the film, perhaps to stay strong and supportive for the
other characters that cope less well.
• In more recent horror films, the hero has begun to appear
as a female. This makes the film more unpredictable, and
challenges the older, more traditional conventions.
• This character shows little emotion throughout the film
and stays strong and supportive to the rest of the
characters.

6. Hysterical Character
• Usually female They are typically known
to not want to leave the building they are
in, usually after witnessing the murder of
one of her friends. The other characters try
to move her, but she often breaks down
into hysterics and refuses to move. This
will usually either result in her staying
behind and being killed, or all other
characters being hunted down and her
saved until last. One way or another, she is
always killed. This character has quite an
impact on the audience, and her hysterical
tendencies reflect onto them and helps to
build up more suspense.

7. Villain (Antagonist)
• Can take many forms; serial killer, demonic
possession, ghost, monster (vampire, werewolf, zombie etc.)
If they are human, they will often wear a mask, disguising
them completely of appearance or emotion, and the audience
can make no connection to them whatsoever.
• Wearing a mask also plays on the fear of the unknown. They
will never react in a normal way to injuries; if they were to
be stabbed, they usually manage to get back up again
unharmed, hinting towards the idea of them being inhuman.
• Any other type of killer, such as a monster or demon also
plays on the fear of the unknown, and as there is never any
solid proof that they do not exist, they play on the audiences
more primal fears and the thought that they could actually be
all around at night. This character obviously has the biggest
impact on the audience and strikes fear into them.
• They are what the suspension throughout the film and all
other codes and conventions have been building up to.

8. The False Hero
• This character pretends to help the hero and
the group but it turns out later that they are
helping the villain (Antagonist)
• This character can sometimes be mistaken to
be the hero.

9. Examples of Horror films with these
settings would be:
The Strangers:
Set in an isolated
vacation home.
Silent Hill: Set in a
desolate town
The Others: Set in a
darken old house.

10. Settings
Throughout horror films the typical settings which are used are :
• Graveyards
• Lofts/Basements
• Isolated/Abandoned areas/buildings
• Haunted houses
• Or a place with a hidden past which specifically links in with a
character or plot.
Most of which are usually set at night time when a character is
alone, this is done to create suspense and build tension making the
viewer fear for the character as we know they are in danger. However
on some occasions the settings can differ as they can be done within
different times of the day but still within an isolated area an example of
this would be The Hills Have Eyes; director Alexandre Aja has chosen
to set this film in the desert during the day:

11. Friday 13th
A dangerous weapon is used as
a prop to highlight the danger
and power. This character posse
as the villain in the movie. The
audience can see that because of
the way he carry the weapon in
his hand and hide his face with
a mask. However the knife he
has is dirty which signifies that
he‟s a serial killer.
The background of the character is very hazy and
also doesn‟t reveal anything specific or facial
features of the character. The fact that the audience
is unable to make out the setting signifies the feeling
of fear for the unknown that the character creates.
Facial expression and identity is
hidden behind a mask which
signifies a sense of the unknown
increasing fear levels for the
audience.
Use of the ripped and
Only eyes of the character are
ragged costume gives the
revealed which are shown
character an animalistic and
focusing on something, possibly
uncivilized look
a victim which highlights the
Character is stood very patient apart immediately distinguishing
intent of the character
from his weapon which he has held him from the rest of the
high which signifies the element of characters.
danger the character creates and also
creating a sinister look about the
character

12. Scream
The low key lighting
backdrop connotes the
themes doom, danger and
death.
The costume like the one
the villain is
wearing, lighting is very
dark, thus making the
villain look more threating
due to the sense of doom
created by the colour black
The only props used are an
ordinary everyday object used
as a weapon highlighting the
danger of this character. This
is the only enhanced by the
fact the knife. The knife
signifies murder and danger.
Facial expressions can only be
seen from the facial expressions
of the mask which looked like a
ghost. The fact that it’s a ghost
creates a supernatural feel about
the villain.
Face is hidden hiding the
identity of the killer and any
facial expression used. Like the
director increases fear levels
and plays on the themes of
tearing the unknown.

13. Horror villian
• Villains in horror films are represented
using different methods and techniques.
Sometimes they can have make-up which
enhance the appearance of a character to
give them a more dreary look. In addition
make-up is used such as fake blood, eye
liner, or face paint, usually in dark
colours, which alters the appearance of a
character dramatically, which instantly
gives the audience the impression that
this character is evil.

14. Costume
• Costume is a crucial element that allows the audience to easily and
quickly decipher the intentions of a character before they have even
seen them. Costume ranges from fantasy horrors to realism horrors.
For example a hooded boy would instantly generate the typical
teenage stereotype of a “chav” or “gangster”, which means that
traditionally the audience would automatically think that they are up
to no good. In Harry Potter for example, voldemort is dressed in
dark ragged clothing, looks to be a robe. Clothing can range
depending on the scene, or type of horror the film is.

15. Props
• There are loads of different props that can be used
for a villain, here are a few: The use of contact lens
can be extremely effective when creating a horror
film. It generates the output “you can see it in their
eyes”. Contact lens allows the alter of a character
all together, and give them a look which makes
them seem not human and makes them seem more
evil. Combined with the use of a knife or a weapon
of some kind, give the character a killer
appearance. In addition props such as fake blood
also generates the killer stereotype, and is
extremely effective on villains such as vampires. Of
course a well known prop use for a vampire villain
would be fake teeth. Props like these are relied on
to create the villain you are after.

16. Horror villains – ICT
• ICT can have a massive impact on the
appearance of a character too. The
improvement in technology not only lets us
change the atmosphere of the room and
setting, but characters too. Special effects can
be added to create the character you are after.
For example, the ghosts in Casper are all
created using CGI (Computer Generated
Image) which means that the editor has to
import the ghost into the clip once it has been
filmed. The power of ICT not only allows us
to use enhanced effects but offers the
opportunity to new kind of horror films for the
future.

17. Horror Conventions – Lighting and
Setting
• The above is the exact opposite of what a villain character is
expected to be set in. The set location of the introduction of
a villain would be in a dark gloomy location such as a
graveyard or warehouse. It is easier to establish when the
setting is in a location with little to no lighting, perhaps
introducing the character in a mid shot where the audience
can't see all of their face due to the lack of lighting. This
generates an evil atmosphere where the audience can easily
establish who is the villain.

18. CAMERA WORK
• The art of camera work is an important
element displayed in horror films. Through this
convention, the audience can easily be
understood to what the film is trying to say.
Weird angles and canted cameras are most
common within horror films. Also, they of often
use extreme close ups and point of view shots in
order to make the audience feel more
involved, to build tension or even to express
fear.

19. ICONOGRAPHY
• The visual styling of horrors is what easily identifies the audience with its
genre. For example: Dark colours used, such as black and red. These key
colours connote danger and the most obvious assumption, blood. The
repeated use of these colours are usually seen within posters of horror
films.
• The colour white is often associated with supernatural horror movies.
Therefore, the use of colour is a powerful form because it allows the
audience to identify what type of message the film is trying to send. For
example, Typical locations (e.g. an abandoned house, a forest, an event that
occurs during the night time, dark alleys etc.)
• Props are one of the main indicators of the horror genre. When it comes to
identifying a certain character or villain, props such as
costumes, machetes, knife, chainsaws, rope etc. are used
• Lighting can be essential in creating dark shadows and unfamiliar shapes.
Low-Key lighting can contribute to this effect. Common objects: (e.g.
supernatural icons, masks, religious symbols etc.)

20. Horror Conventions
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Setting:
Deserted Building
Small Room Shed house
Warehouse
Narrow Alleyways
Quiet Dark Street
Less populated Locations
Cellar
Underground Graveyard
Props: Knife Lantern Flash light Old Book Firearms Rope Phone
Empty Backpack

21. Elements of gender stereotypes
• Men have been traditionally presented in horror films as either the
antagonist or the hero. There have been many occasions where both
the hero and antagonist are men.
• Men have traditionally been shown as masculine, strong and very
courageous in horrors. Perhaps the leader of a team who are lost in
the woods. In more modern day films, men have been portrayed as
equal status as woman for example: it has been shown that a man
who is playing a hero can easily be out powered by a woman villain.
• Woman in horror have been traditionally presented as
vulnerable, and not as masculine as men. Many of the woman in
horrors are seen to be half clothed, meaning that they could be seen
as a sex object. However due to modern days society, woman are
beginning to be portrayed as equal status to men, and have shown to
be defeating a male character many times in recent films.