Genre Research
Horror:
What is a Horror Movie?
Horror movies have been a staple of movie making for many generations. They appeal to people of all ages from 8 to 98. Iconic movies such as "Night of the Living Dead"... a campy 60ish terror classic to Halloween and the more recent "It" by legendary writer/director Steven King has scared the bejesus out of all people of all ages and walks of life! Horror movies use a tried and true formula to send chills up people's spines. The mood of these films tends to be very dark and foreboding. Music plays an important role in the background as it tends to convey impending doom. There is always the likable character, though vulnerable, who as an audience we tend to want to protect. The villain or antagonist can either be earthly or supernatural as in "Halloween" the super scary Michael Myers serial killer or Annabelle the mystical terrorize!
Horror movies use camera angles/ shots to enhance the visceral effects. The "Blair Witch Project" was shot using a POV from a camcorder which really heightened the movie's scare factor. Usually, there are close-ups of victims' faces to really emphasize the fear and blood-curdling background screams for effect. The Horror genre stops at nothing to get their goal of total fear accomplished. Horror movies use all media including and not limited to Televisión where intense scenes are promoted which attracts the older demographic and also social media to attract the younger audiences. All is done with dramatic footage accompanied by dark background music.
An example of a successful Horror movie is Steven King's "It".It did very well at the box office! The target audience was primarily 8-25 but it played up well to those 25+ as Horror movies have a broad appeal. The vulnerable characters in the movie were young kids from a small town in Derry Maine who faced a mystical antagonist named Pennywise the Clown. This client could appear invisible to adults which cleverly added more tension throughout the movie as the kids protectors were incapable of helping the young victims. The background of the movie set in a small town added to the innocence that was about to be destroyed. The first scene of the young boy losing his ball in a sewer and PennyWise appearing made all moviegoers' hair stand up and is an instant classic scene with a magnificent close-up shot! As in most successful Horror films, the movie ends somewhat as a cliffhanger warning of more movies to follow! This film uses all of the classic Horror film genre elements...camera angles...foreboding music...setting to reach its spooky goal!
"Halloween" has been one of the most successful Horror movie series ever! John Carpenter the maker of the film/s has become legendary! This movie has scared many generations with an antagonist named Michael Myers who kills his sister and is committed to an institution. He escapes 14 years later and prays on vulnerable babysitters and others who get in his way. This film has a heroine in a girl named Laurie who got away and Michael Myers soon sees her as his sister. The audience has a rooting interest in Laurie as she is a typical vulnerable horror movie character. The potential hero is Michael Myers's psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis, who tries to stop him! The dark music in the film in combination with very graphic shots of victims creates an almost unbearable watch for theatergoers but is a brilliant success as many more films were made after."Halloween" created a serial killer that in many ways became a standard for other movies to follow!
There are many other Horror movies that use a lot of the same scare tactics including:
"Get Out"
"Annabelle"
"Happy Death Day 1-2"
