Jaxson's AICE Media Blog: November 2021

I chose to do my research on the Horror genre because it is one of my favorite types of movies to watch. Even though I am always completely terrified, there is just something about the genre that always has me wanting to watch more. In this post I will explore more about Horror and why it is so appealing to so many people.

Content:

Obviously the most important element of any good horror movie would be the actual horror, the fear! When a person is coming to theater to watch a movie labeled under the Horror genre, they are expecting be scared. Typically the main plot line of the whole movie will be based on a common fear of the general audience. This could be death, a killer, the dark, ghosts, paranormal activity, monsters, being alone, vulnerability, and much more. Sometimes the plot will revolve around the protagonist dealing with their own personal fears.

Another element important to any horror movie is suspense. Suspense is used to create a stronger feeling of fear or anxiety about what might be next. For the most part, people like to be in control and have an understanding of the things around them, so the feeling of suspense is what really adds to the fear related to these movies. The suspenseful moments in these types of movies are the ones that make your heart race as you wait for the unexpected jump scare or other terrifying image.

Production Techniques:

The types of shots used during filming can help add to the fear of horror movies. Closeups are important for highlighting the emotions of the actor, but wide shots of the actor's entire body can help to create fear. A shot of the actor in a wide shot looking through a window creates the feeling of isolation and the fear of being watched. This type of shot shows the audience that we know something is watching them but the actor is completely unaware, which creates an uneasy feeling.

Lighting is an important part of making a successful horror movie. Low level lighting is utilized very often to create the creepy or mysterious feeling as darkness is typically associated with something evil or malevolent. Darkness is also an element that makes people feel vulnerable or as if they are in danger. The darkness hides many things and as I previously stated, people have an extreme fear of the unknown. Lighting is also used to create shadows and silhouettes which allows the audience to create a frightful image within their own minds.

Sound is also an important part of a horror movie as it assists in creating the feelings of uneasiness. Non-diegetic music is played in the background of many horror films to create a creepy atmosphere and to build suspense. Music can be very influential on a person's emotions or feelings. Synchronous sounds are also used to create the atmosphere. These sounds ground the film and make the film more realistic, almost making it even scarier because the audience can imagine this happening to them in real life. Sound can also be used for jump scares as a loud unexpected noise.

How is Horror Marketed:

The target audience for horror films are between the ages of 15 and 25. The most common reason for such a young age range is that teenagers and young adults enjoy the thrill and feelings of being scared. The feeling of being scared is not as appealing to an older audience. The age range is not younger because typically the content in these movies are very gory and not appropriate. The typical target audience is males. Obviously, people of any gender enjoy watching horror movies, but it is believed that violence and gore is more likely to be aligned with the interests of males.

Marketing horror movies involves a lot of teasing the audience. All promotional materials like trailers and posters should build a mystery and give small hints at the frightening force of the movie. Good marketing involves teasing the monster of the film, the monster does not have to be an actual creature, it can be a entity or ambience. No matter what form the "monster" takes, it is important to tease the intentions of it without revealing to much in order to get the audience to watch the movie.

Samples:

The film A Quiet Place (2018) features the stars Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. This film is very interesting because it is all about being quiet and not making any noises. Sound is an important part of horror movies so the absence of sound was very interesting to see. It can also be noted that the absence of sound is more successful in making the audience more uncomfortable. Since the movie was so quiet, when sound was actually used it made it more shocking and dramatic. Sound was also used to create the feeling of danger in this movie almost as if you should fear sound itself. Another way the movie represented the horror genre by having a terrifying monster. The monsters of the film were creepy alines that attack anything that makes noise. Just the sight of these monsters make the audience scared.

The film Hush (2016) is one of your typical slasher horror movies but with a twist, the main protagonist is completely deaf. She lives in a house all alone by herself surrounded by the woods when a killer stumbles upon her house and decides she is his next victim. He notices she is deaf and decides to torment Maddie (Kate Siegel) in a game of cat and mouse. This is another film that uses sound in a special way. The film is filmed in the normal way where all sounds are heard by the audience but there are some moments of complete silence to represent what Maddie hears. These moments of complete silence create an uneasy feeling and help the audience relate to the protagonist as she tries to survive the night. The film uses dark lighting to create the eerie feeling and the whole movie is shot at night. The use of darkness adds to the fear of the movie and is an important feature of horror films.