Horror Trailers

We looked at a few Horror film trailers, for example, Psycho (1960) and The Shining (1980).


Psycho (1960)

This trailer is very long, but i think it builds up tension this way because you keep expecting for something to jump out or something. It is not very fast paced like more recent film trailers like 'The Hills Have Eyes' (2006).
Mise-en-scene: Old sinister house, a typical characteristic of the horror genre.
Sound: Happy music, going against the conventions of a horror film.
Cinematography: Basically tracking the old man through the house. Although this does not follow the conventions of a typical horror, it is still effective due to the fact that you expect something to happen all the time. There is a twist at the end when he opens the shower curtains and the lady screams. It is effective because it is what the audience have been waiting for to happen but you and it leaves them in suspense because it is the end of the trailer, making them want to see the film.
Editing: Very slow-paced editing, rejecting the typical conventions of fast-paced editing.

The Shining (1980)

This trailer is short but effective because it doesn't give anything away from the film. There is just one shot of some doors with red blood coming through and creepy music. It is simple but the fact that nothing happens makes the trailer more scary because you almost expect something to jump out at you the whole time.
Mise-en-scene: empty room with red doors, with red blood streaming through.
Sound: Creepy music that gets louder, building up tension.
Cinematography: One straightforward shot, rejecting the conventions of horror films having shots from different angles in order to build up tension.
Editing: Hardly any editing except for the fading to black at the end.

Horror Genre

What is a genre?

• Genres are defined by the film industry and recognised by the mass audience.
• Genres are located in a particular topic and structure.
• Genre films share Characteristics.
• Genre is a useful category because it bridges multiple concerns.
• Genres are trans-historical.

Why is it important?

Having a genre is important for both the audiences, producers and film distributors so that:

• Film distributors can target a specific audience.
• Audiences can decide to watch a film if it is a particular genre that they like.
• Film distributors know when and where to advertise films.e.g. for example showing a trailers in the cinema before a film with the same genre is shown.
• Producers know which actors to use because certain actors are better at acting in certain genres, for example Bruce Willis is usually in action films.

The three major types of genre are:

Major, Sub-genre, and Hybrid.

The key characteristics of horror films are:

• Screaming
• Sudden frights
• heavy breathing
• heartbeating
• dark, low-key lighting
• sense of mystery, uncertainty
• fast paced editing
• tension
• evil trying to conquer good
• sense of danger