Conventions of A Horror Film - Monday, 3 October 2011

In horror films their are various different main conventions that are commonly used throughout most horror films. A convention is an accept way of doing something, conventions can be general such as interviewee quotes in a print article. However they can also be genre specific, below I will talk about different conventions you may expect to see in horror films.One main convention is one that has been used in such films as The Hills Have Eyes or even on a more childish note, in Scooby Doo, this convention is called Secluded Location. It is when a person or group of people are out in the middle of no where, with no help for miles and you just know something is destined to go wrong.

A second convention is when the character forgets about threat, in any good horror film there is always a danager, maybe in the form of death, curse or even worse, and usually the character knows about this danager, but they somehow manage to put it out of their mind and forget about it.
The third convention is one that at times is very over-used, it is the Power Cut method, during the scariest and least convinient point of any film, the power will cut and they victim will be left, scared, in danger and without sight. This convention probably originated from before there was electricity and a gust of wind would blow out all the candles.
A fourth convention, Phone Lines Are Cut. It’s been used in such films as When A Stranger Calls. The murderer, the one person you dont want to be near you, will remove all phones so that the victim is unable to attract attention of any authorities of anyone in general. Usually, whenever there is a phone within view, it will be cut by the killers or bad guy. More modern conventions and takes on this original convention are the in mobile phones, batteries may be taken out or even run out, or they may be out of service and unable to contact anyone.

Another convention is the famous, or rather, infamous Someone Investigates A Strange Noise. It is an extremely overused, yet so farfetched convention that it’s a shock we are even scared by it anymore. For example, you have witnessed all of your friends corpses, you’ve heard screams from the dark woods, yet the character for some reason beknown to the audience still ventures into the dark woods where the killer lurks.
Some Runs Upstairs Instead of Outside, this convention is used in many famous horror films. It is the most frustrating and bizzare to watch, the victim will run straight past a number of exits and potential get aways as they make their way up stairs to the ‘safety’ of there bedroom. Where they are now trapped by the killer, with only a thin sheet of wood between them.
Leading on from the convention above, is Victim Cowers In Front Of A Window Or Door, once they have ran into their ‘safe’ room they will then tremble with fear up against the door, where the killers hand will inevitabley come flying through the door, or better still an axe or some form of weapon . Or another way this convention is used, the victim will look out the window see nothing, turn back to grab their belonings, turn back to go out the window where they will be greated with the face of the killers. This convention has all the right ingredients to make a great scare, but usually, never does.
Another Convention is The Fake Scare, its an ancient convention that has been used in horror films for close to a year. They usually vary the size and form of the scare put usually they are put in their to make the viewer jump, tension will arise, the potential victim will be walking through the woods, scared for there life, music will takeover, a creepy melody, and suddenly someone jumps out and comes running towards them, the victim will shreek with fear, only to then notice is was their friend trying to scare them, a good twist of this is for the friend who is pulling the prank to then be explicitilly shot or brutally killed, drop to the floor, leaving the killer stood tall over there dead body, infront of the original potential victim. This convention is very easy to pull of and if pull off correctly can be very effective, if not it can make the director look very ameuter and the movie look very poorly made.
We’ve all done it, done something simply because we’ve been told not ‘WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT PRESS THIS RED BUTTON’ yet they always seem to press it through temptation and curiousity. And its the same in horror films, a young girl will be told never to go into The Haunted Mansion alone but somehow, she will always find herself make her way into the mansion.

The next convention has been used in many famous films including the likes of Jaws, Halloween and Scream. It is most commonly used in most ‘Slasher’ films, it is a convention where someone within the film is killed within the first 5 minutes. It helps unnerve the audience and set the correct base for a good horror film if pulled off correctly.
X Years before/later, this convention is when there will be a subtitle or over writing text or even anologue within the movie saying ’15 Years Later’. It will then cut to scenes of 15 years prior and show how scenes and happenings from them are linked with happenings of the present. It has been used in films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer and Halloween.
Another convention is The Short Cut, the potential victim will refuse to take the well lit, heavily occupied and public streets and lets face it, safer root home, but go for the quicker, pitch black, secluded back root home where they may have been advised to go by the creepy old man, we all know what happens next.
A few other conventions are, The Victim Inexplicably Falls Over when they can least afford too, There Vechile Will Fail To Start Up, and The Stormy Night scene which targets potential child hood fears of thunder, lighting and maybe even rain.