An Introduction to Horror Films

What Makes a Horror

Film?
As with all genres the label is a
loose generalisation designed to
characterise visual or thematic
elements that typify a product in
the mind of the consumer.

These include the structure,

the monster, the thrill and
the relationship of the film
to the viewer.

show you
The Horror Films
Structure
Basic structure = Order, Chaos & Reconstruction
Purpose = Show a society (or microcosm thereof) dealing with
catastrophic change, usually inflicted by a monster
Opening Act = Depicts an ordered society unaware of impending
disruption, e.g.
Normal Town= Halloween, Gremlins, A Nightmare on Elm Street
Isolated Group = The Thing, Evil Dead, Alien
Individual = Carrie, The Exorcist, Rosemarys Baby
Monster = Threatens stability, is the chaotic element that breaks
down the social order. The core of the film that establishes it as
horror
Reconstruction = A return to stable (not necessarily good) form.
The process of reconstruction provides the genres basic narrative
drive

Its Alive! Its Alive!

Sub-Genres & Horror
Themes
Horror is a malleable genre, often merging with Sci-Fi,
Thriller, & Fantasy
making it difficult to categorise or properly genrify.

What normally defines the horror film is the presence of

a monster.
There are many kinds of monsters & sub-genres but they
generally fall into one or more of four categories,
although each of these is subject to cross-fertilisation &
amalgamation.

Natural
Nature represents primal fear. Its chaotic,
unpredictable & violent. Mans insignificance in the
universe is epitomised by futile attempts at
controlling its forces.
The ecological horror film shows the effects of the
planet on humankind, either as punishment for
meddling (The Host, Tremors), the primitive attacking
the modern (Jaws, Grizzly) or man as insignificant to
the greater purpose of natures cycle (Volcano, Long
Weekend)
This sub-genre often crosses with the scientific
monster (Piranha, Jurassic Park).
Resolution is often achieved by scientific means (The

Supernatural
The supernatural monster is usually a fantastical bogeyman
that cannot rationally exist. This monster often attacks both
the body and the soul.
Many supernatural creatures are based on religious
mythologies and folklore. Associated with these are prescribed
methods of dispatch, although the cinematic form will often
expand, develop or defy them.

Supernatural monsters, because of their unfathomable &

enigmatic nature, also allow the filmmaker to let their
imagination run riot, creating terrors outside our waking
reality (Hellraiser, The Grudge, Drag Me To Hell).

The psychotic killer is based in the real world. Subgenres from the thriller to the slasher have relied on
the evil or madness of a vicious perpetrator to elicit
their thrills.
Sometimes they are given an excuse or a reason for
their actions; abuse at the hands of the father
(Peeping Tom), a frightening Oedipal complex (Maniac,
Psycho), or noisy neighbours (Driller Killer).
Occasionally there is no obvious motive for a killers
crimes (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer).
Stories can be taken from the news (Wolf Creek) or
claim to
be based on true events to provide extra chills (Texas
Chainsaw Massacre). Sometimes the psychotic killer is
crossed with the supernatural
creating such memorable
horror icons as Michael
Myers, Freddy Krueger &
Jason Voorhees.

Psychologi
cal

Scientific
A popular staple of the genre is the
mad scientist, with a brilliant mind
yet fanatically driven, blinkered vision
that can lead to all kinds of evil,
accidental or intentional.

Frankensteins monster is a product of mans

obsessive determination to create life from dead flesh,
but who is really the monster, creation or creator?
Scientific horror movies often reflect contemporary
fears, such as radiation & the atom bomb (Them!,
Godzilla) or biological terrorist attack (28 Days later).

These films often explore the ethical

considerations of using science for
evil as well as good.; science is often
to blame when things go awry yet is frequently
called upon to save the day.

The world is so different in the

daylight. But at night, your
fantasies get out of hand - The
Mechanics of the Scares
As with all movies,
horror films have a
specific language
that the audience
subconsciously
knows how to
read.
Horrors main aim
is to elicit fear,
terror or an
unnerving sense of
unease & there
are many

Firstly, show nothing

at all. This lets the
viewers
imagination run riot,
can be cheaper on
the effects budget &
can help lower the
certification (Curse
of the Cat People,
The Haunting).
However, the
audience will
eventually expect
some gratification

surprise & suspense by reference to a hypothetical

scenario involving a bomb under a table in a
restaurant. In one film the audience are unaware of
the bomb, in the other they are not; In the first case
we have been given the 10 seconds of surprise at the
moment of the explosion. In the second we have
provided them with 10 minutes of suspense. The
conclusion is that wherever possible the public must
be informed.
Tension plays somewhere between suspense
& shock & is important in the horror genre;
the equivalent of misdirection in a magic
trick. Tension is created by giving the
audience a hint of what could happen, but
not letting on when & how.

Shock provides a quick adrenaline rush & is usually preceded by

tension, although it doesnt necessarily have to be (Final Destination).
Red herrings, however, are almost obligatory and form an important
tool in the horror filmmakers repertoire of scare tactics.

Movies dont create psychos, they just make them more

creative The Viewers Relationship to the Horror Film
The complex relationships between the viewer & screen
provides a variety of conflicts that form the tone & emphasis
of a film. This isnt exclusive to horror, but the
way in
which various viewpoints are mixed dictates the overall feel of
a piece and
marks the film as horrific.
Key to the success lies with the directors ability to appeal to
an
audiences emotional response rather than
a logical one the medium is
inherently
artificial so that the viewers suspension of disbelief is vital if
the film is to have resonance. The 3 modes of
audience relationship to the screen
in the
horror film: Voyeur, Victim & Violator.

The privileged spectator watches

the acts of terror from a
detached viewpoint. The
enjoyment lies in the spectacle
or the relaying of the story.
Linked with voyeurism is
scopophilic desire &, conversely,
helplessness that derives from
being outside narrative
intervention.

Voyeur

However, the detached viewpoint can result in a

disinterested perspective, which allows the audience
the luxury of viewing the film at an aesthetic level,
removing any personal attachment to the characters.

Empathy with the character & experiencing

the action from their viewpoint occasionally
makes the viewer the surrogate victim of
the horror. While the advantaged viewpoint
leaves the spectator helpless, there is at
least no direct threat to them, but from the
victims POV this is not the case.

In TCM when Sally regains

consciousness we watch (as she
does) the ogling faces of the
cannibal family who have captured
her. In a sense we have become her
for that moment.

Victi
m

Violator
The camera as a killer is a popular component of the horror
film from Peeping Tom to Halloween & Wolfen. The viewer
sees as the killer does & becomes implicated in the
perpetration of the atrocity. It has been argued that this
type of viewing somehow encourages the spectator to align
with the killers way of thinking.
Associating with the killer through POV can create
paradoxical reactions & meanings for the viewer; on one
hand empathetic thrills on the other revulsion at being
complicit in the violent act themselves. This technique is
also commonly used to help hide the identity of the killer.

Censors tend to do what only

psychotics do: They confuse reality
with illusion Censorship & The
Scary Movie
The Hays Code (a

The history of
the horror film is
tied up with
censorship.
Horror is
considered
lowbrow
entertainment &
calls have
always existed
for the
establishment to
curtail excesses
or impose a

code of morality
designed to curtail the
decadent excesses of
Hollywood at a time of
authoritarian
Puritanism) was
implemented in 1934
& effectively restricted
depictions of sex &
violence. Compare the
difference in tone
between Frankenstein
(1931) with its sequel
Bride of Frankenstein
(1935).

The collapse of the American studio

system in the late 1960s heralded a new
era of unbridled sex & violence in the US.
The breakdown of censorship guidelines
allowed not only for a greater degree of
exploitation and viscera but also allowed
filmmakers to criticise the political
process.
The emergence of the counterculture
movement coupled with international &
domestic turmoil provided the impetus
for a slew of horror films that used this
new found freedom to critique the
situation in a way that would reach
people not normally exposed to political
allegory.
The links between political subversion &
the horror film are strong, providing an

In Britain, the 1980s saw notorious

the Video Nasties furore. At the start
of the home video boom there was no
regulated form of censorship for home
viewing & a moral panic was
unleashed by the tabloid press
outraged by the availability of such
titles as Cannibal Ferox & SS
Experiment Camp. Following a series
of trials the decision was made to
censor videos in a far stricter way than
cinema through the Video Recordings
Act 1984; this resulted in nearly two
decades of limited and mangled
content for the horror aficionado.
The situation has now changed
although there are still restrictions
that apply to various territories. The
result is a world where anything goes
and everything is denied. Somewhere.

You cant
kill the
Boogeym
an
Repetition
,
Remakes,
Recycling
&
Reinventi
on

A prominent
aspect of any
genre film is the
familiarity of the
concept, the
repetition of
ideas that
provide a shorthand for
audience tastes.
Cinema is a
commercial artform so proven
storylines
inevitably
generate
imitations and
sequels. What is
unusual about

There are 3 elements to the horror film franchise based

around the popularity of the original film.

Sequel: If a film is popular, continue the story

but make it bigger, louder & with more thrills.
When audiences go to see a sequel they are
essentially looking to re-live the pleasures they
experienced the first time around. However,
the law of diminishing returns usually comes
into play sooner rather than later.

Reinvention: Purists
would disagree, but it
makes sound business
sense to rejuvenate
past successes. Horror
films are most popular
with 15-24 year olds,
so if a story works,
why not make it again,
but update it for the
next generation? A
popular story can
easily accommodate a

Remake: Many older horror films now

find themselves sexed-up for modern
audiences with state-of-the-art gore FX
& pounding soundtrack. Things become
confusing when these films spawn their
own sequels. Is the Hills Have Eyes 2
(2007) a remake of The Hills Have Eyes
2 (1985) or a sequel to The Hills Have
Eyes (2006) which was a remake of The
Hills Have Eyes (1977)? Does it matter
in an era of post-modernity?

Foreign Remake: Many classic horror

films that were popular in their native
country have been remade by
Hollywood to appeal to an Englishspeaking audience who either cant
be bothered to read subtitles or are
unaware of the originals existence
(The Ring, The Grudge.)
Sometimes Hollywood studios will
even hire the original director to helm
the remake (The Vanishing,
Nightwatch) although the results
rarely match up to the original,
chiefly because a great deal of the
culturally specific nuances that made
the original what it was have been
lost in translation.

Audience turnover combined with

the joy of the familiar has ensured
that we will continue to get
repetition, remakes & reinvention.

From a marketing perspective, even if the

audience has not seen the original film, the
familiarity of the titles & characters means