Horror Film Essay

Horror Film Essay

Ever since the advent of celluloid films, horror movies have always held a fascination for viewers. Just why do people pay good money to be scared out of their wits? Apart from its entertainment value, horror movie's satisfy certain primordial needs in man. Through watching horror movies, one is able to come to grips with one's personal demons, fear of death and other irrational phobias. These films are often unsettling and relies solely on scaring the audience through a portrayal of their worst fears and nightmares. Horror films usually focus on the arrival of an evil force, person, or event. They usually include mythical creatures such as ghosts, vampires, and zombies.
Horror movies force us to confront our many fears and phobias, but mostly our fear of the dark. Even their titles reflect this: 'Night of the Living Dead, Fright Night, Dracula, Prince of Darkness, Dark Waters.' Because movies, by their very nature, must be viewed in the dark, this is an element that is highly exploited and capitalized upon by movie-makers. Traditionally, Horror films incorporate a large amount of violence and gore into the plot. Though it has its own style, Horror film often overlaps into Fantasy, Thriller, and Science-Fiction genres. 

Comedy Horror: Comedy-Horror combines comedy with traditional horror movie themes and characters. Because of the subject matter, Comedy-Horror films can cross over into the Black Comedy sub-genre. Their aim is to scare the audience, but also provide comical outlets that let the audience laugh at their fear.
Examples: Beetlejuice, Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead.
Teen Horror: Teen-Horrors  revolve completely around a teenager or a group of teenagers. Typically, these movies have a large cast and a clear hero or heroine. Teen-Horror films often play upon traditional teenage issues, such as dating and prom, and turn them into suspenseful and thrilling situations.
Examples: I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream, Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Monster Horror: A Monster film centres on a struggle between human beings and a monster(s). The monster is usually portrayed as the villain. Although these movies commonly fall into the Horror genre, Monster films have a long tradition within Science-Fiction and Fantasy film as well.
Examples: Aliens, Godzilla, Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Cinematic Techniques used in Horror Films:

Close-ups - Horror films use close up shots to heighten emotions. The atmosphere makes the audience feel closer to the character which increases fear.

Low-Level Lighting - Creates a creepy, mysterious atmosphere as darkness is usually associated with evil. Darkness also makes people feel more vulnerable and threatened as they are not able to see as much, creating the fear of the unknown. Scary shadow's are often used as well to create fear. 68

Synchronous Sounds - This is a common feature used in horror films for it exaggerates noises to create a tense atmosphere and scare the audience.

Non-Diegetic Music - This is probably one of the most important features of a horror film. It is used to create suspense and to change the mood or emotion in a scene. Horror films use high pitch sounds like violins because it sounds like a cry for help.