Genre research

Research enables you to discovere the generic conventions of the specific genre you're studying.

Horror

Typical horror's always include the following:

• a build up of tension and suspense
• a fake scare
• an injury
• unusual creepy locations e.g an isolated house or a mental asylum
• uses of stings

character types:

• the main protagonist, usually the victim/hero/one that escapes/survives
• the villain, most usually a serial killer/some sort of mutation - alien/monster
• a twist in an important character, usually turns bad
• typical teens - drink a lot, dopey, sexual, stupid

an example of themes used:

• good VS evil
• religion
• scientific experiments gone wrong
• childhood/everyday issues
• supernatural

- most horror films make us question ourselves: what's real and what isn't.

Analysis of 'The Amityville Horror' opening

The Amityville Horror uses typical horror conventions in the opening and throughout the rest of the film. A lot of stings are used to add emphasis to the movement of things and the actions taking place. For example, when Ronald DeFeo Jr shoots his little sister Jodie who is sat hiding in her bedroom closet, a sound of some sort of animal, possibly a lion is head. This is to signify the fact that he's not himself anymore yet also that his behaviour is animal like; he's not thinking as a normal person would anymore. The use of pathetic fallacy also is to add atmosphere and emphasise the mood. Whenever the weather is rainy/dark/stormy in a movie, bad things take place. Pathetic Fallacy is a typical horror convention. When the news is shown, the pace of the sequence is really quick. This is to show how quickly things had changed and gone wrong; how quickly he had gotten brain washed by the 'voices' of the house. Just from the first few minutes of the opening, the audience can tell what the movie will be about; where the set location is and also the back ground of future preferences made/reasons as to why things are happening.