Staab's Social: October 2022

Genre " Horror" Research

What is horror?

The official definition of horror is an intense feeling of fear, shock, and disgust. Although this may not sound appealing to some people, it creates a rush in you and is one of the most popular movie genres out there. The usual target audience for horror films is between the ages of 15-25. The key focus of a horror novel, horror film, or horror TV show is to elicit a sense of dread in the reader through frightening images, themes, and situations. The horror genre dates back to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, where horror stories explored themes relating to death, spirits, demons and even the after life. many techniques like tracking shots, close-ups, loud sounds, and jump-scares.

Production Techniques

The techniques that cinematographers use to make you jump and squeal uncontrollably have been used for decades and knowing them might prepare you for your next horror movie encounter. Horror movie techniques are made for more engaging aspects for truly horrifying graphic scenery. That is the whole point of the horror genre, to push bounds of terror as realistic as possible.

Jump Scares

The most well known technique used in this genre is of course the "jump scare". This is not only a way to get your blood flowing, but to also simply wake the senses. These jump scares are meant to make the viewer cling to their seats and to make them anxious by making them believe there will be another one coming. This ties to another technique which is making the audience anticipate the worst. examples of these moments are when you see a ball bouncing down the stairwell all on it's own, This makes the viewer anticipate the worst which is about to happen.

Sound

Sound is a major technique used in horror movies. Scary sounds and music are used to build tension and create a general sense of dread and unrest. Things like string and guitar instruments are used in situations like this because they create the most suspenseful feeling. Foley sounds are also used in situations like this because they create a more emphasized and louder sound giving the audience a bigger scare.

Mise-En-Scene

Mise-En-Scene is the representation of the film, which often refers to the most important aspects of filmmaking which includes costume design, location scouting, makeup, set design and even movie props. For example, typically, in horror films, the setting is in a dark, rural location or somewhere deserted where nobody would be. Most places are abandoned and isolated. This creates a mystery and suspicion throughout the film. Without this technique, the audience won't get the full horror experience.

Horror Marketing

There are many marketing strategies used to promote the horror genre in today's world. Many films get released during the month of October. This is done for a specific reason. The month of October is typically associated with halloween. So since everybody is in the halloween mood, people typically want to watch halloween movies. The recent movie "Smile" used an interesting marketing strategy. They sent out actors to very populated places wearing a yellow t-shirt with the word "smile" written on it and they just stared with a grin reaching both ends of their face. This was done at a baseball game and the camera was in clear sight of the actor and the actor just stared and stared the entire time. Horror movies use many different techniques to to market their movies and they are done strategically.

Get Out (2017)

The movie "Get Out" (2017) features Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) going on a trip to meet his girl friend Rose's (Allison Williams) parents for the first time. When he gets there At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries leads him to a truth that he never could have imagined. This movie uses many techniques like jump scares, close-ups, and sound. This movie also uses many mind tricks which creates suspense for the viewers.

The Shining (1980)

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who is plagued by psychic premonitions. As Jack's writing goes nowhere and Danny's visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers the hotel's dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorizing his family. This movie uses many techniques like tracking shots, close-ups, loud sounds, and jump-scares.

Some Movies To Consider

"Nope" (2022)