Codes and Conventions of the Horror Genre

• Killer vs Victim - victim is usally portrayed as weak and defenseless, whilst killer is shown as being clever and strong. The effect this has on the audience is it makes them feel helpless and they believe the victim will get killed.
• Links to Good vs Evil - victim = good, villain = evil. Victim (good) usually triumphs.
• Horror invokes fear which is what grips the audience and makes them want to find out how the film ends. Usually, they fear the killer will kill the victim very painfully, and/or that the killer will escape and attack more people - again, the fear being who will the next victims be?
• Fear of the unknown - often, the killer's backstory is not revealed at the beginning of the film, so the audience must wait to watch it all to find out. Usually, the audience do not specifically discover why the killer is the way they are/their intentions.
• Lighting: Low key - cannot see who is in the room, and if there is someone is it the killer? This, again, invites fear as the audience are scared of who is it and what they will do. Or, the lights go out just as the killer is about to attack, or at the most tense part of the film. Or, there is a perfect strobe of light hitting the dead victim's face or killer's face so it is visible to the audience.
• Setting: Secluded area - (e.g. woodlands, derelict building, graveyard) so the victim seems even weaker as there in no one around to help them.
• POVs from the killer's perspective - used to tell the audience the killer is near. Or, from victim's perspective as they are trying to escape - emphasizes how frantic they are.
• Victim falls over - emphasizes their helplessness, how they are weaker than the killer (who rarely falls over)
• Lots of blood, death, pain - unnerves the audience and make them feel scared.
• Fake scare - when the killer is getting closer, the victim, for example, is in a room and the door slams shut randomly.
• Pathetic fallacy - usually a storm, lots of rain and thunder.
• Camera: High angles - used often to belittle the victim, make them appear smaller and weaker
• Low angles - make the villain appear bigger, stronger, more dominant.
• Panning - used to exaggerate the killer's speed, or the victim's attempt to escape.
• Supernatural elements - vampires, werewolves, ghosts etc,  make the film more scary as it adds complexity and fear of the unknown
• Killer - kills because of revenge/jealousy/mentally ill/obsession
• Victim - innocent, hard-working, simple life, family-oriented, loving.
• Non-diegetic sounds - killer's footsteps off-screen, screaming off-screen (eg from another victim in another room)
• Diegetic sounds - victim panting, squelching, blood-dripping, screaming