Identifying common traits.

Horror Traits

I have conducted some research into the different horror traits that are commonly used in order to conform to the Horror Genre and make the film interesting, realistic and effective

Here are some of the traits that i have found:

Settings and locations:
Horror films are mainly set in either urban communities or very small isolated areas. Also in dark streets and alleyways. These all portray isolation and loneliness. Some of the places have a dark history a past, for example abandoned asylums, factories and houses.

Locations can vary with horror films, for example roads lakes motorways barns farms, countrysides dark woods, subways at night, abandoned buildings, graveyard, basement, attic and many more places. These are all linked to isolated and dark locations. The audience don't know what is there and it is the unknown making it more scary.


Iconography:
The main colours that are linked to horror films are mainly dark colours like red&black. These have connotations of danger, evil, blood ect.

Mainly low key lighting is used in horror films mainly to create suspense and enigma. It can used be used to create shadows and unfamiliar shapes in the darkness to make the audience on edge.

Props are also key in horror films, these help identify further the horror genre. Specific props can be used in the horror film. For example weapons such as chainsaws, knives, firearms ect.


Narrative structure:
Main structure of a horror film is there is:
Antagonist
Protagonist
Final man\girl
These fit with the genre of the film due to it being the protagonist going on a mission to save people but also encountering the antagonist.

The antagonist normally has a strange twisted past sometimes linked to the setting that him\her are in. For example a medical\psychotic issues or a childhood past. Sometimes the antagonist will come back to his past to take revenge on one of his\hers friends from the past.


Character types:
There are 3 main character types in horror films

1. The main protagonist in horror films are mainly men "muscluar" saving the women
2. Antagonist; this is normally a sick and twisted human or a mutated freak, not with the norm.
3. Teenagers; mainly all horror films do have teenagers, these tend to be very naieve and stupid.

Characters can also include;
creepy children
police officers
ghosts
zombies
demons ect.