Research- Conventions In Horror Films

Examples of conventions and how they are used in Horror films:

• A small groups of friends go to a isolated forest- This is an easy place for a killer to kill its victims without easily getting caught. When you see friends camping in a forest of a log cabin you automatically know that msot if not all of the friends will be killed by somthing in the forest.

Examples of types of those films are: Friday the 13th (2009), Cabin in the Woods (2012),
The Blair Witch Project (1999)

• Power being cut is another another typical horror film convention there is no power cut at any time only when the character is in the house alone at night whent the killer is around. The killer usually turns the power off as they magically know how to do this.

• No phone signal or dead battery is a over used convention where just as the character needs to call for help the phone is  dead and character never thinks to keep the phone charged or charge the phone if they can which in most occasions they can but dont ever think to or they have signal in their house when they were making calls ealier in the film in the same loaction but when they really need to call someone they cant. Or are in silly places like a forest when its very unlikely they will ever get singal there.

• When the character is running away from the killer 90% they will trip anything from a very small branch, rock or literally nothing. The character always manages to fall over as they are being chased.

• Killed in first few mins is quite common the film will begin the after a minute or so a character will have been killed. This leaves the mystery of who killed the characters.

Examples of this is: Dead Wood (2007), Darkeness Falls 2003, Halloween

• Unknown killer a common convention where the audience know there is murders taking place and see the character die but dont see who does it. It creates a sense of mystery where the audience start guessing who it can be like the caretaker the head teacher the dead daughter back fro revenge the audience guess all thse people before the killer is finally revealed.

Examples of this convention are: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

• Its typical that the car would brake down not in a busy town where help is all around but in a quite deserted road or town where the killer is around.

• Another convention nearly always used is when there is a female and male character quite young and usually a couple the man is always shown as strong and the female week.