Key Conventions of Horror

Setting:

A typical example of a horror setting would be somewhere with a peculiar history that has returned as an area of interest to the people involved, such as an abandoned house, or a mental health institute. Religious or medical institutions allow for ideas of possession, demons and psychosis. These may further allow for elements of dreams and the unconscious mind.

My own image, shot inside Hales Hospital, aka The Heckingham Institute.

People's homes are also often shown in horror films, usually with different levels along with cellars and/or attics. These may be seen or used as places for secrets and stories of the past to inhabit, to be discovered by the protagonists of the film. These different levels may also represent power, depending on how the scenes are filmed. Cellars and basements may connote our primitive instincts, while attics may represent our repressed terrors and fears.

Technical Code:

Camerawork is expressive rather than naturalistic, using strange high and low angles such as a canted angle to create disorientating effects, thus causing the audience to feel uncomfortable and uneasy. The camerawork also often uses depth of frame. An example of this would be a scene with a protagonist in the foreground, unaware of a monster, or killer, in the background.
 

Alice in Resident Evil: Apocalypse.

Editing can create unsettling jumps from long-shots to close-ups, as opposed to using a medium-shot. The editing pace may be used in order to create suspense; sudden increases in editing pace when there is no clear threat could lead the audience into believing that something is about to happen. Also, sound can be very important. Ambient sound creates a certain atmosphere by using sounds which are naturally occurring and which the audience would expect to hear in the scene. Other sounds, such as footsteps or heartbeats, may be high in the sound mix in order to enhance realism and drama.

Iconography:

Visual signifiers of the genre are apparent, often with connotations relating to the genre. An example of this would be the colours black and red which connote darkness, evil and danger. The iconography of childhood or innocence may include such things as dolls, playgrounds, clowns or even children's songs. Many horror films use well-known nursery rhymes, usually psycholigical-thrillers.

Narrative Structure:

The clear, unambiguous hero of the classic Hollywood narrative is somewhat problematic in many horror films. As a main protagonist, the "final girl" of many horror films is often a victim/hero, rather than a simple hero, and therefore provides a point of masochistic identification for the audience, which is more complex than many other genres.

The narratives of some sub-genres, such as the slasher, are very formulaic. A childhood psychotic event creates a killer who is likely to return to a past location or person, often on an anniversary, to kill again. Usually a group of stupid and "immoral" teenagers, with one virginal, slightly masculine female who survives; the "final girl".

Character Types:

Monsters or killers in horror films often have their own story, or hidden secret. It is also possible that they were made psychotic by an earlier event. Often, a group of stupid or "immoral" teens, which drink, do drugs, and/or have sex, are likely to be killed. In addition to this, people who refuse to believe are also likely to be killed.

Themes:

Binary oppositions are often used within horror films; natural vs. unnatural, good vs. evil, known vs. unknown. As well as these, some horror films may use science vs. nature, or science vs. religion oppositions. Often in these films, the side of science will be out of control.

 

A good example of this is Frankenstein. Some horror films will have a more spiritual theme, perhaps posing such questions as "what lies on the other side of death?".