Genre Research: Horror

 Genre Research: Horror 

• Common camera angles and movements in the genre: Horror movies often use Dutch angles, low angles, high angle shots and Point of view shots. In addition to shaky camera movements, slow zooms, and tracking shots. These all help to convey panic, disorientation, suspense, and a sense of being followed. 

• Common mis en scene in the genre: Tattered or dirty clothing is common costuming for horror movies. A lot of antagonists in horror films also have distinctive silhouettes or costuming like long coats, masks, or cloaks to make a figure more unsettling. Lighting in horror films can be used to obscure different threats to make it more scary and unknown, as well as flickering lights or candlelight. Acting can be wide-eyed fear or frozen stillness, as well as sudden emotional shifts. Acting for antagonists can be slow or almost unnatural movements. Makeup for horror movies can be subtle wounds, dirt, sweat, or darkened eyes. Props can be various weapons, mysterious or ‘cursed’ objects, or regular household items used in unconventional ways. 

• Common Editing in your genre: establishing shots to introduce ominous settings, action match, jump cuts, extreme close ups, POV shots, cross-cutting, dissolve. Much of the editing choices focus on shock and discomfort, with clear attempts to be faster or disorienting to the viewer.  

• Common Sound in your genre: Shrill violins, loud bangs, squishing, bones snapping, death croak, whispering, knocking, bloodcurdling screams, low-frequency drones, “scare”/sting/diminished chords, heartbeats, the apprehension engine, the blaster beam, Ondes Martenot, footsteps, ringing bells 

• Example films of your genres: Pearl (2022), Evil Dead Rise (2023), Talk to Me (2023), Scream (2022) 

• An element we would use from horror movies would be the lighting, more specifically the way lighting can be used to obscure an antagonist. I also think that we would use similar acting to a horror film, and how antagonists can move more slowly to create tension and fear. 

• We don’t want blood or gore from horror in our film. We also don’t really want our actors to have the same intense fear of horror movie acting such as blood curdling screams we find that it would be the most difficult emotion to convey. Another element we don’t want if for our film to take place in the usual horror setting, such as a haunted house, graveyard, or hospital.