AS G3: Sub-Genres of Horror

Georgia, Alexander and Isaac Group 3
*Warning: Spoilers*

As part of our research into the horror genre and its sub-genres, the group has looked at three sub-genres and their conventions.

Thriller/Horror Conventions (Alex D)

The Thriller/Horror genre is a sub-genre of the thriller genre, and borrows heavily from either two genres. The story of a Thriller/Horror movie is usually set up through a set of extremely violent crimes or psychological trauma. A notable example of a Thriller/Horror movie would be Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho from 1960, largely due to one of the most famous scenes of horror in the history of film, as shown in the link below:

Thriller/Horror also borrows many other conventions and it could be said that the thriller genre borrows from the sub-genres of horror. Occasional Thriller/Horrors contain antagonists that possess supernatural powers. Others have conventions akin to the psychological horror films, as seen in Funny Games (Haneke, 1997).

Generally, it can be said that Thriller/Horror movies contain the following conventions:

• Complex narratives, with misleading clues and pieces of evidence that all seem to suggest one character as the antagonist, only to be followed by a plot twist revealing the true identity of the antagonist or revealing something that the protagonist has not realised - as seen in movies such as Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960) and The Sixth Sense (Shyamalan, 1999).
• Dark and isolated locations to create the impression of loneliness of the protagonist, or, in the case of Psycho, the loneliness of the antagonist. 
• Iconography that characterises the genre, in the shape of either objects, locations or actors. An example of a common horror object would be a sharp weapon in the form of either an axe or a kitchen knife, as the predominant tool for killing. An example of this would be in The Shining (Kubrick, 1980), where Jack Torrance hunts his family using a fire axe.
• Themes of thriller/horror often play on real life values or religious values or vices. An example of the latter is seen in Seven (Walker, 1995), where the killer plays on the seven deadly sins from the bible, killing his victims following the sins - eventually being killed himself by the final sin, Wrath, performed by the protagonist.

Psychological/Horror Conventions (Isaac H)

The psychological sub-genre of horror is a branch of Horror often closely linked to the thriller sub genre, given it's adrenalin-fueled nature, however it is often more subtle than thriller, usually letting the audience make assumptions about the acts that occur, and the villains who cause them. Perhaps the most famous and original example of a psychological horror film is "The Blair Witch Project" (Sanchez/Myrick, 1999) which pioneered the use of hand-held camera shots and subtlety to suggest rather than actually show the antagonist(s), supporting the audiences imagination along the process of creating a monster far more menacing and personally tailored than would ever be possible through showing the monster clearly.

 

Common conventions in psychological horror films include:

• Often, the only weapons used in psychological horror films are simply psychological ones, a common example being the mind of the killer being used as a weapon of fear against the victim.
• Psychological horror films are notorious users of stock locations, often showing a large creepy/deserted house in the middle of the woods, warehouses, schools, hospitals etc. These enhance the verisimilitude and make the film more engaging and scary for the audience, as they can relate to being in those situations.
• Psychological horrors often employ stock characters, for example "The final girl" is extremely common, as used in The Blair Witch Project. Stock characters are often targeted as being stereotypical, however they are used because the effectively create a realistic, terrifying experience the target audience is supposed to react to in fear, giving them visceral pleasure.
• Flashbacks are often used to explain aspects of a film, a common example being the event that caused the killers mind to become twisted in the first place, or to highlight a detail in the story that changes the film somehow.

Supernatural/Horror Conventions (Georgia P) 

 

As part of our research into the horror genre and it's sub-genres the group has looked at three sub-genres and their conventions. Supernatural Horror involves all kinds of monsters whether they are paranormal, demons or zombies. Some of the most famous horror movies which have grossed the most are supernatural horror and just like any other horror film there is a scare factor involved. In fact, the first ever horror film released, The Haunted Castle (1896 - George Melies), was based on this sub-genre. However, specific conventions make this sub-genre have it's own recognizable identity. 

• Often the setting is in an isolated or quiet location. The protagonists often, as a result, are left stranded. Examples are The Village (2004) and 28 Days Later (2002).
• There is a focus on different types of monsters from 'beyond' which are causing people to suffer. .e.g. zombies and ghosts.
• There are often religious references and iconography, such as Christian crosses to prevent harm, which are most common with ghosts and demons where the devil is on the evil side. Paranormal Activity (2007) and The Exorcist (1973) are the most well known examples. With these religious themes, there are often stock characters such as a priest.
• The physical, not ghosts, appearances of the monsters are made to make the audience want to look away. Zombies are a classic example as the "uncanny valley" comes into play. Night Of the Living Dead (1968) A BBC article by Sean Coughlan called 'Zombie Faces: Why Are We Afraid Of Them?' highlights this.
• However, there are sometimes, not too frequent, humorous takes on this sub-genre such as Shaun Of The Dead (2004) and Zombieland (2009) which purposefully use the stereotypical characteristics to create the humour.
• There is normally a realistic environment (location); this makes the audience relate to the film more and the scare factor is therefore increased.