Thursday, 26 June 2014

Forms & Conventions of the Horror Genre

I have decided to produce a short five minute horror film, rather than a trailer for this project, as after doing research and making notes on both trailers and short films, I feel that I would be able to showcase my skills more effectively with a short film. This means that I will; like most other short horror films, gradually build up tension as the film develops and also use a wide range of techniques commonly used in horror films such as fade outs and low key lighting. As well as this, there are many other forms and conventions used throughout Horror films, to create an uneasy and unsettling atmosphere for the audience and I will be searching and exploring these throughout the research I am carrying out, in order to make the audience feel uncomfortable and on edge from the start of the film.

After researching a range of genres, I decided the genre for my 5 minute film would be horror, as I enjoy watching these types of films and I am interested in how and what techniques film makers use in order to make the audience feel tense or afraid. The following are the list of the short films I will be analysing;


  • Luna
  • Dollface
  • Porcelain Rising
  • Victim


Horror is a genre that strives to elicit the emotions of fear, panic, alarm, and dread for the audience. The films are almost always unsettling and often feature scenes that startle the viewer through a portrayal of their fears and nightmares. These films often rely on scaring the audience through the means of macabre and the supernatural; ghosts, vampires and zombies. As well as having its own style, the Horror genre frequently overlaps into Fantasy, Thriller and Science-Fiction genres. 

1 comment: