The Main Conventions of Horror Films

There are many traditional conventions used in horror films, these conventions give the horror genre their own identity and help in scaring the viewer!

• One of the oldest conventions is the hiding of the antagonist in the darkness. This is a kind of a form of dramatic irony as we can see the antagonist and but the victim cannot.
• The concept of using a shaky camera to show realism is a relatively new convention first used in the 1980’s. However it wasn’t successfully established until the “Blair witch project” in 1999. Since then it has been used in a lot of horrors and psychological thrillers.
• The victim is often only partly dressed. This convention is supposed to show vulnerability. It is also often used to show how they would nakedly exit the world the way they entered it.
• A similar convention is the victim’s costume. They often wear white to show their vulnerability or improper clothing such as night gowns to show how unprepared they are.
• Also due to the stereotype of being weak, women are often the victim, as they are seen to be the more vulnerable sex.
• The high pitched stringy music is one of the very oldest conventions in horrors. Its uses trace back hundreds of years to plays and one of its first film uses were in silent films such as the original Frankenstein in 1910. It is suppose to make the watchers feel uneasy and distort the film.
• Also making the setting of the film isolated is another common convention used in horror films. Used to make the us and the characters feel isolated and lonely it is very effective technique.
• Using a normal place such as a house; but decorating it to look freaky is also a common convention. It makes us feel uncanny and gives us the sense of realism.
• Another convention that has been surfacing over the past 30 years is using children as the antagonists. Children are normally seen as vulnerable innocent and cute. Using them in horror films is seen as freaky and uncanny. This has been used in films such as “The exorcist” and “Halloween”.
• Another convention is how the character often dies after sex. This is because the director is using religion to show that they have sinned. It’s trying to show that death is being used as a punishment. The same concept is used with drugs.
• The antagonist having a mask is also a common convention in horror films. It is partly used to hide the characters face to show dramatic irony and partly used to make us feel uncanny. If the mask is something innocent like a clown it can be made freaky in this situation. This has been used in films such as “Halloween” and the “Saw series”.