Gothic
Gothic horror has the style
of the classic horror films from the 1920’s. The monsters in gothic films tend
to be the more traditional non-human monsters. Things like werewolves, vampires
and headless horsemen are common sights in gothic horrors and in the end are
traditionally dispatched by the handsome hero. These films are usually set in
old mansions and in dark scary forests where the monster resides.
Other conventions of the
gothic horror include gothic style clothing, mist or graveyards and castles.
The men are usually the heroes and the women are usually portrayed as damsels
in distress.
Here are some examples of Gothic horror
I would not choose to do this
sub-genre because I think it would require too many props to make it feel like
gothic horror. Creating the monster would also be challenging and since gothic
horrors are usually set in olden times, getting authentic enough looking
costumes for the actors would also be a problem.
Psychological
Psychological horror first
appeared in the 1960’s with the famous film ‘Psycho’. These kinds of films are
said to be for a more intelligent audience and generally have less victims than
other genre. The villain is usually a mentally disturbed individual, even
though on the outside they appear to be a normal member of society. For these
villains, it’s not about killing their victim. They infiltrate their minds and
create the fear slowly so the victim is mentally tortured to the point of
appearing crazy.
Here are some examples of psychological horror
Zombie
In zombie horror films, one
convention you always see is some kind of experiment going wrong or the spread
of a disease. This somehow ends up causing a zombie epidemic and the survivors
spend most of the film finding refuge and a way of escaping whilst fighting for
their lives. In the end, only a handful of people manage to escape whilst the
ones that failed were captured and usually devoured or turned into zombies
themselves. These kinds of films can be set in both crowded towns and more
remote places like farm villages.
Here are some examples of zombie horror
I enjoy zombie films, however
I wouldn't choose to do this sub-genre because I don’t think we would be able
to find enough actors to play zombies and even if we did, we couldn't acquire
enough make up for all of them. Another problem we would face is that in zombie
films, there are a lot more locations where the film is set, so finding places
to film would also be difficult.
Slasher
Slasher horrors are usually
based around the plot of an insane killer hunting down his victims (usually
mostly women). It is a convention that the killer in slashers always wears a
mask. This makes the killer appear less human and sometimes, only the final
victim that survives get’s to find out his identity. Another convention unique
to slashers is the final girl. The final girl is the last person to survive and
escape from the killer. She looks and acts quite differently from the other
girls. Whist the other girls are quite sexually open and scantily dressed, the
final girl is usually a virgin and wears more practical clothes and when the
other girls get attacked by the killer, they submit almost straight away, whist
the final girl will fight back against the killer.
Another common convention of
slashers is that the weapon used by the villain is almost always a knife or
some sort of blade. This way, the victim can’t die instantly and the killer
enjoys their agony. It also makes these films the goriest. Finally, these kinds
of films are usually set in more remote locations like farms, campsites or
small towns.
Here are some examples of slasher horror
I would not choose this
sub-genre because I don’t think I would be able to find enough actors. It
would also be harder work with more people. Another problem with filming the
trailer would be that we would need the set to be big enough for things like
chase scenes and places for hiding. It would be hard to find a place like that
that would also allow us to film in it.
Supernatural (my choice)
Supernatural horrors I think
are the genre that is most common in cinemas these days. This may be because
of the fact that in supernatural horrors, the villain is not always mortal or
even visible to the characters. The plots to supernatural films are usually
about demons, spirits and curses. Common conventions of supernatural horrors
are characters like mediums and priests that are called in to help the main
characters find a solution to the problem. Another common convention that is
unique to the genre is demonic or possessed children. This fear of children
came from the effects of the drug thalidomide that caused horrible birth
defects in babies when mothers took it for morning sickness. In these films,
things like paranormal occurrences are also common. So things like inanimate
objects moving and faces that suddenly appear and disappear are a common sight.
Here are some examples of supernatural horror
For this project, I have
chosen to do a promotional pack for a supernatural horror. These films don’t
really need a lot of actors and since these kinds of films can be set from
places like a normal house to abandoned theme parks, finding a filming location
will be a lot easier. Most characters will not need a lot of make up and with
some imagination, creating paranormal occurrences and moments of tension can also be achieved.
