Key Elements Research

There are many key elements in horror films that will make it a much more successful film. I done some research into what ones were key and needed in a horror film;

One of the first key elements that are in many horror films is loud sound effects. This can be created by the use of diegetic sounds in the film such as doors slamming and glass smashing. This catches the audiences attention and makes them jump adding adrenaline and a sense of suspense because its not expected. Also traditional horror film sounds add to suspense of the film for example creaking doors and footsteps. It makes the audience think who is there, this adds to the suspense of the unknown because the audience don't know what or who is there.

Another key element that is in horror films is low key lighting. These are mainly used at the start of horror films to create enigma due to the unknown at the start. It adds a sense of mystery, this makes it scarier due to the character doesn't know what's coming and they cant protect themselves in the dark which puts the audience on edge as they know this and keeps their attention on the film. Low key lighting will be used in our opening scene when Maggie goes upstairs and finds her daughter dead in the bedroom it will be hard for the audience to see what is going on therefore they will have to pay full attention to the scene so they dont miss anything.

Close-up shots are also key to the horror films as they are key at showing a characters facial expression so therefore the audience can see how the character is feeling, and their emotions.