Codes and conventions in horror movies

1. Codes and conventions in horror movies

2. The codes and conventions of a horror film are almost like the 'rules' that a horror movie must follow in order to be successful. • Here’s a list of conventions that people often associate with horror movies: • Blood • Screams • Death • Killing • Darkness • Evil • Haunted houses • Ghosts • Victims • Exorcism • Devil

3. Other horror movies My movie • Small communities • Lakes • Countryside • Subways • Dark streets • Alleyways • Abandoned houses One of the main conventions in horror movies are isolated places, to create a mysterious atmosphere. Isolated places are usually known for having some ‘dark’ past incidents or myths.

4. Other horror movies My movie Men- often portrayed as brave, therefore always willing to this discover the mystery (evil). The male audience usually compare themselves to them. Women/children- vulnerable/sensitive hence usually becoming the victims. Most demonic horror movies have children as the evil spirit or as the victim, for example the movie 6th sense. Possibly because children are more sensitive/vulnerable therefore becoming the victims.

5. The majority of horror movies also have the ghost (when a girl) dressed in the stereotypical old/dirty white long dress and usually with long black hair. For example I used the movie ‘the ring’ as a main influence as I liked the effect the girl’s appearance had on me as the audience.

6. Intertextuality • This is the practice of deliberately including references to one text in the narrative of another. • I done this to engage the interest of the audience by appealing to their prior knowledge and experience of horror movies. • For example, the ghost’s costumes/appearance in my trailer is very similar to the ghost in the movie “the ring”.