Sunday, 3 November 2013
Horror Magazine Analyses
‘Empire’ is a British film magazine that
publishes monthly releases and is published by Bauer Media, the leading
magazine publisher in the UK. With almost 25 years of the magazine, it still
has a healthy circulation of 167,748 in the last half of 2012 and has a
readership of over 5 times that. The magazine itself has many features which
have become a staple to the magazines content layout and which its readers have
become accustomed to, such as classic scenes from a film, top 10’s and news on
DVD news and releases. The magazine knows the target audience and therefore
includes many interviews with a range of actors/actresses, directors and writers
to gain an in-depth knowledge of films for their readers.
On the cover of the magazine is the main protagonist,
Hellboy from the 2008 action/adventure film ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’ which
was made in the USA. Although this film is categorised as a fantasy adventure
film, the comics and inspiration for the director came from a sub-genre of
horror- Lovecraftian horror which involves the supernatural, extra-terrestrials
and other unknown and unexplained characters which feature in many other horror
films. Hellboy is a half-human demon who has the appearance of the devil and
his appearance is well suited to a horror genre with red skin and horns,
to suit the stereotypical appearance of the devil. Acting as a hero throughout
the film, his appearance contrasts the usual appearance of a human, attractive
male to save people around him and works well as the cover star for Empire
magazine.
The colours used on this magazine cover are very traditional
for this genre as reds and dark oranges represent a number of features such as
blood and flesh, demons, the devil and fire. The colour red has a number of
negative connotations such as aggression, anger, fear, rebellion, violence and
brutality whereas orange tones such as amber and burnt orange represent tension
and aggression. The red shade of Hellboy is quite bright and the backlighting
of the photo is a usual look for a horror film picture as darkness creates a
sense of suspense and mystery. The black background does convey this message
and acts as a contrast for the bright picture and masthead.
The masthead of the ‘Empire’ sign on fire is an interesting
and original idea that uses the iconic logo and adds an element of the film it
is promoting. With the effects on the masthead, not only does the fire give a
reader who doesn’t know the film an indication to the themes of the film but
also highlights the lettering which is normally simple red lettering against
the black background to make the masthead stand out and more eye-catching to
someone walking past the magazine. Being one of the leading film dedicated
magazines, the look and masthead of the magazine are instantly recognisable so
the main picture of Hellboy can overlap without the readers not knowing what
the magazine is.
The typeface used for Empire magazine is quite simplistic
and stylish and with the sans serifsand doesn't look too over complicated or
over-the-top. The masthead in the typeface EF Kaffeesatz Schwarz, is quite bold
to stand out enough from ordinary lettering and has an unusual look to
traditional typefaces. The white text is effective as it stands out well
against both black and red although the gold font is harder to read on the red
background but acts as a good link between the text and the colour of the
bracelet on Hellboy. Although the gold writing doesn’t stand out against
Hellboy’s body, the used of dramatic lighting to create shade combines the red
with black that creates a spotlight-effect for the writing.
The layout is quite traditional for an average magazine with
the masthead positioned in the centre at the top of the page with the photo in
the centre with direct eye-contact to the reader. The smaller paragraphs are
positioned to the left on the page in the blank space and the barcode is in the
bottom left hand corner. This cover uses the similar template in which Empire
uses for all of its magazine covers and incorporates the feel of a horror theme
with the use of colour and effects on the typography.
‘Fangoria’ magazine is a specialised horror-based magazine
which produces an average of 10 issues annually. Since the first publication in
1979, it has explored the commercial and independent film industry that produce
many sub-genres such as slasher, splatter and exploitation films. The magazine
has a circulation figure of 150,000 per issue and its website has over 3
million hits every month. The magazine was originally thought as a fantasy film
based magazine but before launch, the direction was soon changed to the
increasing popularity of horror films of several sub-genres. With its
increasing popularity of horror-fans looking for in depth content on their
favourite films, Fangoria started to sponsor horror conventions in 1985 to
attract a further audience and in 1991, started the ‘Chainsaw Awards’ in which
the readers voted in various horror categories although the ceremony ended in
1996.
On the cover for this issue is Nina Sayers, portrayed by
Natalie Portman in the 2010 psychological thriller/horror Black Swan. The movie consists
of the story of Nina and her preparation and final performance of the Swan
Queen to which she starts to experience unusual visions and traumas as she
challenges the roles of the Black Swan and the Swan Queen as well as her
competition, Lily played by Mila Kunis. The film itself has many aspects of
horror such as disturbing visions and clues of insanity in addition to stabbing
with bits of broken glass and various scenes with blood. The appearance of Nina
is when she turns into the Black Swan with feathers through her skin and red
bloodshot eyes to which the unique appearance works well with the unusual
magazine.
The colours used are quite bright and innocent compared to a
normal Fangoria cover which is usually covered in blood and flesh. The white, black
and red contrast with each other well and brings the attention straight to the
eyes, down to the lips and further down to the title of the film which all use
a similar colour. Normally, a white background wouldn’t be used if the main
image was the same colour but the outline of her head and hair act as a barrier
so the audience can clearly see the definition of her face. The colours from the masthead also fit with
the image that gives a finished look.
The Fangoria masthead fits in very well with the genre as
the typography used is quite sharp and has a classical look to it. Although the
masthead doesn’t have any special effects like the Empire sign with the fire,
it does have a slight bevel to create a dimensional effect on the lettering and
a very dark block shadow to make it stand out against the white background. It
has a recognisable and eye-catching look to it so the audience will be able to
identify it easily.
The typeface used on the Fangoria cover is quite simple and
again has sans serifs on the lettering to keep it easy to read from a distance.
By using this on the title of the main film and the other titles that are
included in the magazine, it gives a contrasting look to the masthead which is
detailed and the title “Darren Aronofsky’s Dance of Death” again has a
different look. This uses a blue/purple tone that shows up against the white
clearly and has a horror-like effect with the serifs which has similarities to
the masthead.
The layout is quite simple and works well as the face of the
woman is the clear feature that the audience need to focus on. The film strip
with the other photos is at the bottom of the page so the audience know that
it’s a different feature, making it more understandable at a first glance. The
‘Black Swan’ title is positioned in the centre as this is most likely area that
the audience’s eyes will be drawn to as the other titles on either side in the
red, black and dark blue almost act like
a boarder for the portrait. Fangoria does tend to keep the masthead at the top
center position but changes the positioning of the film reel, portrait of the
main article and other text around to keep the magazine looking fresh and
different each issue as there is only 10 issues annually.
‘Fangoria’ magazine is a specialised horror-based magazine which produces an average of 10 issues annually. Since the first publication in 1979, it has explored the commercial and independent film industry that produce many sub-genres such as slasher, splatter and exploitation films. The magazine has a circulation figure of 150,000 per issue and its website has over 3 million hits every month. The magazine was originally thought as a fantasy film based magazine but before launch, the direction was soon changed to the increasing popularity of horror films of several sub-genres. With its increasing popularity of horror-fans looking for in depth content on their favourite films, Fangoria started to sponsor horror conventions in 1985 to attract a further audience and in 1991, started the ‘Chainsaw Awards’ in which the readers voted in various horror categories although the ceremony ended in 1996.
On this issue is the character Alessa from Silent Hill: Revelation
which is the 2012 French Canadian/US film directed by Micheal J.Bassett. The
movie tells the story of Heather Mason, portrayed by Adelaide Clemens who is
running away with her father from the cult in Silent Hill who is after her as
she is the good side of Alessa’s split soul. The girl on the cover is the dark
Alessa who is a devil like creature and made from the revenge of the good
Alessa after she was burnt alive by the Cult who believed she was a witch. She
has a very pale complexion and black eyes which work very well for a horror villain
but plays on the innocence of being a child to confuse the viewer. The photo doesn’t portray her in a ‘bad’ way
as she looks quite still and has a slight head tilt to the camera but her appearance
alone is enough to tell the audience that she isn’t a normal human which adds
complexity to the characters appearance.
Compared to the Black Swan cover, this one is a lot dark and eerie with the contrasting pale skin and black eyes and hair. The only bright colour on the portrait is the red around her eyes to look more demon-like and scary which works against the pale skin. The white title again ties in with skin and stands out against the dark blue and discoloured white dress although it would have stood out more if the title had been on the hair to create a contrast that would have been easier to read. In this issue, the masthead had changed from red to blue while the use of orange, red and yellow stand out against the dark photo but don’t go well together considering it is a horror magazine and the shades are quite bright.
The Fangoria masthead is more modernised in this issue as it
uses blue and white which looks neat and appealing for a normal magazine but
the original red and black Fangoria gives a more clear representation of the genre
it is reporting. The blue tones in the masthead bring out the continuing tones
in the photo, especially within the white. Unlike the previous masthead, it
doesn’t have any bevels or shadows which make the lettering look quite flat on
the page.
This issue has many different types of typefaces that make
it easier to see the different sections but altogether doesn’t work that well
on the page as it doesn’t look very orderly. The Silent Hill title has a
cracked effect that is a well-used font in the horror genre and has a
‘weathered’ look to it which suits the nature of the film. The subheading above
the masthead uses two different types of font to emphasise that more features
are in the magazine while the text in the left hand corner uses a shaky,
handwritten style of font along with the ‘Hammer Horror’ in a solid, block font
that has a more traditional feel to get across the genre.
The layout again uses a boarder effect with the film reel
while the masthead and title act as a top and bottom boarder for the main photo
feature that emphasis the character. By using the black hair to frame the face
and shoulders, it adds almost a silhouette effect to background therefore
making the face stand out as well as making it look centered.
Horror Poster Analyses
‘The Return’ is a Psychological thriller/horror made in 2006
from the USA. The main focus of the poster is the distorted eye which although
isn’t proven to be the victim, highly indicates it is a female with the smudged
eyeliner and mascara. The handprint in the middle of the eye looks like it is
reaching out to the audience to perhaps show that someone or something is
trapped.
Being a psychological based film, it is understandable why
there isn’t a picture of a killer as the culprit is hidden as a more spiritual
based figure. The designer of the poster accurately makes the eye the centre
piece as it is associated that that eyes are a window to the soul, which is connected
to the plot of the story.
The 2 dominant colours of the poster are black and white,
although there are some light shades of blue incorporated to make the poster
look more chilling and disturbing. The colour turquoise is supposed to
represent communication and clarity of mind, which highly links with the story
of the previous victim trying to communicate with the main character. Black has
a connotation of being secretive and adding a sense of mystery that is a key
factor to the film and many other horror films however white suggests youth and
purity and links with the early stages of the character who had visions and
self-mutilated as a child, which is supposed to be an innocent time in a
person’s life.
The font used on the poster for the tagline and the name of
the lead actress has san serifs which indicate an old style of lettering
whereas the title of the film is a new, more modern font which gives a clue to
the clash of both the past and present. The size of the font is quite small so
all the focus will be on the eye while the colours are in keep with the colour
scheme to maintain a contrast between the light and dark tones of the poster.
The positioning of the text is symmetrical to fit the positioning of the eye
and the symmetrical shape of an eye.
The tagline of the film “The past never dies. It kills.”
This shows that the film is a collision of both the past and present and that
events that happened in the characters past are back to ‘haunt her’, indicating
a supernatural or spiritual character which also acts as another victim but
also a cause to some of the victims traumas. By saying “It kills”, it also
indicates that the previous victim of the killer is seeking revenge which she
eventually does through the main character.
The target audience for this film would be mainly male as it
possesses almost all of the qualities that are included for a horror film,
which is aimed at the male genre. With the main character being a young, vulnerable
female actress she is seen as a sexual connotation which heightens the appeal
to men yet the film still appeals to a large female audience as the film
involves psychology and mystery to even out any ‘gore’ and blood.
‘Shutter’ was made in 2008 from the USA and is a Horror
thriller and is a remake of the original film with the same name from Thailand
made 4 years before. Even through the photos have a low opacity and are hard to
see clearly, the pictures of both victims are in the photos in their everyday
lives. The pictures don’t make the
victims look scared or endangered and seem to be the lives before the film
started as in the centre there is a picture of their wedding day. These
pictures tell the audience how much of an effect the spirit/killer affected
their relationship and how happy they were before until the events of the film
started.
The image of the main killer is very dark and blurry to
maintain a sense of mystery to the character and to keep the audience
interested in the unknown identity. The face dominates the page, with the black
hair blending to look like an old photograph which leaves little room for
features and detail which makes the killer look frightening with the non-human
face elements. Although their isn’t necessarily a mask, the black eyes and
mouth which have a similar look as if they had been made in graffiti paint that
makes the look quite iconic and recognisable.
The colours, like in a majority of horror films are black
and white however the poster does feature so lighter colours on the photos and
a combination of green and yellows to represent the production of a photography
processing. In the centre of the page to the left of the killer, it has shades
of red to show the exposure used within the photo as do the cracks and lines in
the image.
The font used on the poster is very traditional and ordinary and has visual similarities to the ‘FrankRuehl’ typeface with serifs and a difference in width on the curves of the letters. Although the writing at the top may cover more space on the page, the positioning of the title is just below the centre where your eyes are instantly attracted to by the killer, meaning the title doesn’t have to cover up a large space and attract the attention s this would look too overbearing with the large image. The type colour also contrasts with the darkness of the image and doesn’t need to be really bold as the black and white balance out altogether quite evenly while the blemishes of dark give the lettering a distorted and decaying look, suiting the genre of the film.
The tagline of
“The most terrifying images are the ones that are real” gives an indication,
along with the title of the film that it heavily involves cameras and
photographs and also gives a clue into the psychological aspect of the film and
that it’s not just a graphic film with extremities of gore and related content.
By saying “the ones that are real” also gives an indication that it may not
just be a ghost or supernatural figure and rather a monster/killer.
I think the
main target for this film would be men and it does have some disturbing
situations and topics in the film where a female audience may be perceived as
‘too sensitive’ for. One of the main female characters, Rachel Taylor who plays
Jane Shaw also fits in with the sexual connotations for a female character
which further appeals to the male audience.
‘The House of Wax’ made in the USA in
2005 is a horror film and is a remake of the original film which was made in
1953. The poster uses a woman covered in wax as the main feature with wax
dripping to attract your eyes down to the tagline and title. The victim has a
few sexual connotations through being young and pretty, long hair which hangs
to the side of the page and bare shoulders to give the illusion that she is
naked or not wearing many clothes. Although there aren’t any emotions or facial
expressions, you can clearly see that she’s in danger by being covered in wax
and has her eyes shut to show that she is either dead or unconscious.
With the
poster being dominated by the picture of the victim, the killer is left a
mystery but the use of wax as a weapon gives a clue into the killer’s character
and gives hints to the killer’s motives.
This poster
does differ slightly from many other horror film posters by using green and
yellow instead of white but still in keeping with the genre by using black. The
black background adds a sense of mystery and eeriness to it as the audience
can’t see what or who is in the background. The colour green is often used to
represent extra-terrestrials and the rotting/decaying objects which connects to
the story by ‘preserving’ the victims in wax to use in which the killers used
to make wax sculptures. The dark tones and shades of the colours will
automatically attract a more male audience as they are more masculine compared
to light, softer feminine colours for a female audience.
The font
used for the main title of the film is quite ordinary and doesn’t have any
elements which make it stand out, however with the yellow glow; it does look
very similar to a sign for attractions, such as a waxwork museum and being
positioned in the middle, directly under the picture accentuates this. The
other text for the actor’s names and the tagline has a more traditional look
and doesn’t distract from the main photo of the woman covered in wax. With the
text being in a brown/beige colour, it surprisingly contrasts well with the
black background and balances the poster well with the text at the bottom of
the page.
The tagline
of “Prey. Slay. Display” connects to the killer and gives the audience a hint
of what they do to the victims and what the film will revolve around. It shows
that the victims could be watched or stalked and the killers are planning to
‘prey’ on them like an animal and then killing them through the use of “slay”.
By using the work “display” already gives the audience an indication that these
are not ‘normal’ killers and have alternative motives for the deaths which
involves wax from the picture, which is shown to be correct in the plot of the
film.
This film
would be attracted to a majority male audience through the use of deformed
killers and many sexual connotations through the actresses. The main picture
which is also female is also more likely to attract a male audience as she fits
into the main stereotype of women in horror films of being attractive,
vulnerable and needing someone to save her.
Friday, 4 October 2013
Narrative Theories in relation to Halloween and The Crazies
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| Todorov's theory |
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| Myers stalks Laurie at the beginning of the film. |
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| Dr Loomis fits the role as the aider in Propp's theory. |
Vladimir Propp had another theory relating to the characters
rather than the actual narrative of the story. Propp was a Russian critic who
studied hundreds of fold tales to compare structures and character types to
which he came up with 8 main roles and 31 narrative functions. These 8
character roles are; the villain, the hero, the donor, the helper, the
princess, the princess’s father, the dispatcher and the false hero to which can
be compared to all kinds of different narratives. In Halloween, the main
character Laurie would be the hero and Myers would be the villain. Dr Samuel
Loomis is the aider as he helps Laurie fight off Myers at the end of the film
although the other characters such as Annie and Lynda in the film are quite
unclear as they don’t fit into one of the eight categories although the
policeman could fit the false hero character loosely and the children could be
seen as the princess role in some ways. The overall film doesn't tend to fit
with the normal theories that would be used in classic Hollywood films as it doesn't have a start or ending that the audience would expect such as the
villain escaping into the darkness at the end of the film.
The binary opposition theory by Claude Levi-Strauss refers to the sets of opposites in a narrative structure. One of the most well-known and used binary oppositions is good and evil as they are opposite values on the scale and is used in all horror films. Halloween fits with this theory as it is clearly demonstrated that Laurie and Dr Loomis is the good and Myers is the evil as well as Laurie fitting with the present, known and normal oppositions where Myers fitting the opposites of past, unknown and strange.
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| Laurie is portrayed as the good character whereas Michael is seen as the evil side in relation to Levi-Strauss' theory. |
Bordwell and Thompson have a very clear and precise
definition of narrative of it being “a chain of events in a cause-effect
relationship, occurring in time and space”. This is quite similar to Todorov’s
narrative theory by having one situation to which a series of events will occur
and the pattern of cause and effect will finally create a new situation and the
end. By using the phrase “time and space” means to not only demonstrate or at
least suggest to the audience the time and location but also how quickly the
events take place which can manipulated through flashbacks, replays, slow
motion and jump cuts. In relation to Halloween, the film does fit the theory in
some aspects by the use of manipulation of time and the chain of cause and
effects through the deaths of the friends does lead to a new situation but on
that the audience didn't anticipate.
At the start of the film, there is a
flashback to 1963 where Michael Myers killed his sister and then flashes
forward 15 years on where he has later escaped from the metal institution as it
gives the audience a more clear indication to what actually happened while
keeping it interesting as they obviously couldn't use real time to portray the
story. The whole story from Michael's escape only happens through Halloween
night but it does feel a lot longer when watching the film as so much happens
in the film and the progression from a longer period of time is given a jump
cut to keep the main action in the film and leave out the things that don’t
have reference to story or would bore the audience. For example, you don’t see
the whole night of Laurie babysitting as it would bore the audience and isn't as relevant to the story as the death of one of the friends in the car so it
cuts from one house with the friend to the other house with Laurie babysitting
to keep the audience interested and tense as Laurie becomes more uncomfortable
and uneasy.
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| Michael Myers after he had killed his sister when he was a child |
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Does The Crazies follow the ‘Classic Hollywood
Narrative’?
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| The false 'happy ending' for David and Judy |
Although ‘The Crazies’ doesn't conventionally fit the
narrative type, it can be argued that the film does fit Todorvo’s theory of equilibriums.
At the start of the film, everything
seems quite normal which is the clear equilibrium until the events at the baseball
game where it starts to become a lot more dysfunctional. When the infection starts
to come into full effect, this is the disequilibrium and at the end when David
and Judy escape the truck and walk through the fields on the way to Cedar
Rapids can be seen as the new equilibrium. During the credits however shows a
news report of Ogden Marsh as well as a government radar preparing to unleash
the infection on Cedar Rapids, creating a false happy ending.
·
How many of Propp’s character types are evident
in the film?
In The Crazies there are 7 character types that are
portrayed by the characters, the only one left out is the princesses father as all
the characters are adults although it could be said that Davis loosely fits
this type as he is protecting his unborn baby as well as Judy. Many of the
other character types are a lot more obvious such as;
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| David and Judy |
- The Villain – The Crazies and the government who invented the virus.
- The Hero – David and Judy (Also Becca when her and Judy are contained)
- The Donor – Russell
- The Helper – Judy
- The Princess – Judy
- The False Hero – Russell
- The Dispatcher - Russell
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| Russell who fits the false hero, donor and dispatcher character types |
List 5 examples of binary oppositions in The
Crazies.
Here are many binary oppositions seen within the film, the
most obvious being Infected vs. Healthy as well as Good vs. Evil through the
good civilians and evil crazies as well as the evil government who plotted the
infection. The Normal vs. Strange, Humans vs. Aliens and Known vs. Unknown are
also apparent as David and Judy fit into normal, known humans whereas the
crazies have transformed into strange, unknown aliens although it is unclear
where the government would fit into the binary oppositions. Although they are
villains, they are also human, known and normal just like the heroes except they’re
on the side of the Crazies by turning normal people into them but also shooting
them so they could be considered as a different category of evil.
·
Identify the three durations and give an idea of
how long they are.
The first 10 to 15 minutes of the film are quite normal and
you get to see the characters in their typical, suburban life although there
are some strange occurrences that start to happen such as the shooting at the
baseball game and the man setting his house on fire with his family still in.
Although around 80 minutes of the film were devoted to the Crazies and the
spread of the infection while the characters try to survive, this was about 2
days in real time which was the clear period of the infection. The last 2
minutes where David and Judy were safe after the explosion of Ogden Marsh did
not have a indicated time although with the government planning to repeat the
same process in the neighbouring town – the time when they were safe was
probably around a few days.
·
Give two examples of events that cause events
later in the film but which occur before the film starts.
The invention of the infection and the decision of the government
to infect Odgen Marsh is not explained at any point of the film as it occurred before
the start of the film which only shows the start of the infection spreading
during the beginning. Another aspect of the film that was kept vague was the
plane crash that happened before the film.
Although David and Russell go to investigate the plane which is
underneath the lake, not much more is said after which suggests that this had
something to do with the infection.
·
List two events from the 92 minute film that
happened in another time or space from the ones we see.
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| The goverment SUV scene wheer Russell spikes the tyres |
Russell’s actions are often indicated but never properly
explained throughout the film as he makes several escape attempts that aren't
seen on-screen. The first attempt is when the military have separated David, Judy
and Russell. While Judy is sedated and taken to the infected area and David is
evacuated but later escapes back to his office at Ogden Marsh, Russell manages
to escape back to meet David at the office. He explains to David that some of
the people “made a run for it” which he only would have known about if he was
one who managed to escape at that time. The second attempt is revealed later on
in the film where David, Russell and Judy are walking to Cedar Rapids and find
Russell’s old car. While a government SUV is driving past, Russell (who at this
point is becoming increasing angry and showing signs of being infected) throws
a spike strip so they can use the vehicle to which he says “A funny thing
happened on the way to Cedar Rapids. Bastards spiked my tires” that suggests he
previously tried to escape but got caught by the government.
Sunday, 29 September 2013
The History of Horror
The genre of horror has an extensive history of over 100
years and continues to be very popular to this day. From its roots in
literature to the modern gore and video nasties, the genre has managed to
reinvent itself multiple times to keep up to date with the evolution of
technology and the almost limitless boundaries of its audience to which it has
become one of the most classic and well favoured genres of all time.
The starting point of the horror genre was horror literature
and the 3 main 19th century classic tales of ‘Frankenstein’, ‘Dracula’ and
‘Jekyll and Hyde’. Although these three are the most popular of the gothic
movement, the first gothic novel was 'The Castle of Otranto' by Horace Walpole
which was written in 1764. Towards the end of the 18th century, codes and
conventions started to form for the horror genre as more writers started to
form their stories in a similar fashion which reflected in the early 19th
century as strong emotions were reflected in them. During this early time of the
genre, horror was marketed a predominantly female audience and reflected this
by using female protagonists although these often expressed masculine traits
with also seen in the modern horror films. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, who
was married to Percy Shelley, an early romantic poet published the story
anonymously in London in 1818. 5 years later, Shelley released the second
edition of the story in France where she was credited after the success of the
stage play by Richard Brinsley Peake and was adapted into a film in 1910.
Due
to creation of artificial life by Dr Frankenstein, the tale raised controversy
within the Religion vs. Science argument
as it was seen by many as Dr Frankenstein ‘playing God’, especially in many
Christian dominated countries. One of the scenes in the film adaption caused
outrage with parents as Frankenstein’s monster throws a girl in the lake while
playing to which she drowned. This scene was particularly controversial and
some states in the US censored it from the film. Dracula was written by Bram
Stoker in 1897 and has since been adapted into many film adaptations such as
‘The Wife of Dracula’ and ‘Son of Dracula’. The novel is told through letters
and diary entries by the protagonist and tells the story of a solicitor
travelling to Transylvania to provide legal support for Dracula and soon
realises he has become a prisoner in the castle by Count Dracula. This story
scared its audience as the vampires were used to distance the audience from
reality however, as they could transform into bats made it more realistic and
relatable for the viewers. The last of the three iconic stories, Dr Jekyll and
Mr Hyde was written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and was published
in 1886 and is often referred to the shorter name ‘Jekyll and Hyde’. The story
told is of Gabriel John Utterson, a London lawyer who investigates his old
friend, Dr Henry Jekyll and the strange occurrences with the evil Edward Hyde.
With the case of Dr Jekyyl, he has a good and an evil personality which has
influenced the phrase of 'Jekyyl and Hyde’ which means someone who has two
vastly different personalities from one situation to the next.
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| An iconic still from Nosferatu |
This later developed into the Silent Era and German Expressionism in the 1910's and 1920's which explored both action and comedy although the film makers also explored darker themes with the supernatural and psychology while experimenting with the new technology and photographic trickery. The audience at the time was extremely interested in ghosts and magic lantern shows which could be shown through the development on cameras and various filming equipment to tell interesting and bizarre tales which would thrill their audience that had never been done before. One of the first silent horrors was 'Le Manoir du Diable' in 1896 by Georges Méliès, who was to become one of the leading filmmakers of his generation and combining the use of magic and illusion into his work. This supernatural clip saw the introduction of the horror iconography by including bats, caldrons, ghosts and trolls. German expressionism was an arts movement of film, painting and architecture during the 1920’s which later expanding to Europe and one of its most famous films from this movement was ‘The Cabinet of Dr Caligari’ by Robert Wiene.
After a two decades of silent movies, sound started to become very
popular in the horror genre and had a huge impact on the genre and how it uses
sound to suit the mood of the film. As this was a new concept to the film
makers at the time, many of them struggled to adapt to the new technology to
add sound which could build up the tension or magnify a certain sound for the
audience. During this period, the films had developed into fairy tales and had
very dreamlike effects to add another dimension to the literary classics that
they was basing them on, however this had a significant impact as horror films
became more popular and mainstream to the wider public which reflected in the
figures. To escape the reality of a fore coming war and the Depression, 80
million people visited the cinema on a weekly basis that lead to an increase in
the amount of horror films being made at the time. Films such as James Whale’s
‘Frankenstein’ and Tod Browning’s ‘Dracula’ were extremely popular as they
combined serious elements along with excitement to thrill the audience as well
as some films combining horror with the sci-fi genre such as ‘The Invisible Man’.
Through the 1940’s, Britain along with many other countries
were feeling the effects of World War 2 which was effectively used within the
film industry with animals such as wolves and cats. Hitler and his ideologies
were portrayed through wolves as Adolf Hitler was a translation of ‘noble wolf’
is Old German and many of the Nazi Party HQ’s were named after several wolves.
‘The Wolf Man’ was a very popular film at the time as not only did it include
wolves to signify the Nazi’s, the screenwriters own issues were reflected in
the film through the characters fleeing America. Later on, cats representing
frustrated women who had lost their jobs to the men who and returned from the
war became dominate which an example of this is ‘Cat People’ released in 1942.
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| Christopher Lee as Dracula |
Throughout the 60’s and 70’s; ghosts, zombies, Satanism and
families became a hit as these films dealt with contemporary society issues and
psychological fears such as children and childbirth through big budget movies.
One of the most popular films of all time, ‘The Exorcist’ featured both
children and Satanism as the movement wanted to suggested that the enemy is a
lot closer to home than what was portrayed in the past as well as the existence
of the Devil. Ghost stories had also become quite popular as it leads the main
character through the unclear line of sanity and insanity with the paranormal.
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| A still of the killer from Halloween |
With the popularity of VHS tapes, videos nasties became
popular in the 1980’s as they could be released straight to tape instead of
being shown in the cinemas due to the low budget of these types of films. It could be said they caused controversy as
they didn’t have any regulations on them and could be watched by anyone in the
home and often did not have a age certificate set by BBFC that lead to panic in
the media of what children and teenagers were watching. A total of 39 films
were banned in the UK and were named ‘Video nasties’ as in 1984, the government
passed the Videos Recording Act that meant they had to regulate the films
released and sold but this soon directed to a more underground film industry.
These controversial films such as ‘Child’s Play 3’ have often been connected
with real life cases, such as the murder of James Bulger.
Monday, 23 September 2013
Key Conventions of Horror
The horror
genre is a well favoured and respected by its audience as it manages to stick
to conventions quite strictly but many films still manage to appear fresh and brand
new, even if it has evolved from older stories or has been remade. The setting
in a horror film is very important as it sets the scene of the film as well as
easing the audience into the plot. The settings tend to be small communities or
places which are very isolated from the outside world, favouring rural and
suburban areas to inner city as it creates more opportunities for the villain/killer
to capture the victim when they are vulnerable. Many films set in small
communities have also been based around the people harbouring a secret or keeping
life simple to maintain good or what they conceive to be good which harms
anyone who tries to change it. These places will often have a dark and eerie
past which catches up on its victims such as abandoned buildings or lunatic asylums
at night as the daytime is seen as ‘safe’ and is more likely to have people
around to help the victim. Homes are usually seen as the safest place for
anyone as it is familiar territory and is away from strangers although houses in
horror all seem to be on many levels, with attics and basements which often
have something dark hiding where it can’t be seen. More recurring themes found
in horror settings are religious and medical institutions which hold demons and
possessed objects which can later affect the characters as well as dreams and
the unconscious mind.
The
technical code to horror films is very unique as it needs to catch the audience’s
attention with action but leave enough mystery to keep the audience guessing throughout.
The camerawork used is very expressive such as high and low angles and canted
camerawork to disorientate the audience, rather than natural angles that would
make it look quite boring and ordinary. Extreme close ups and POV shots are
also used as it brings attention to the characters and how important they are
to the story, whether that be from a first or third person perspective. The
close ups make it easier for the audience to see the terror on the characters
face where POV’s make it subjective although this can often raise questions
about the audience identification on who is the victim, protagonist or the
final girl. Sound is extremely important as ambient sounds create atmosphere
such as footsteps and high heartbeats which make the audience more aware of the
characters emotions.
The horror genre is one of the best identifiable genres for its iconography. Black and red have connotations with evil and danger, as well as blood and darkness. The lighting used is very non-naturalistic to create a high contrast and shadows which are a common theme in the horror genre as you often don’t know what is lurking behind the shadows. Many other common objects include weapons, masks, blood and icons from the supernatural and religion sectors as well as childhood toys and dolls which bring the darkness of the horror with the innocence of a child so the audience are confused about what they are watching. These childhood items are often accompanied with children’s songs and nursery rhymes, which can seem very spooky and unnerving to the viewers.
Horror films
tend to have a similar narrative structure which is often a classic Hollywood
structure which is when the hero has survived by has learnt a lesson or has had
to change somewhat but an interesting ending to some films has been left ambiguous
or hasn’t had closure which the audience expects as it suggests that the
monster is more powerful in other mystical ways or to lead the film on to a
sequel. Slasher films tend to follow an even stricter formula to which a
childhood psychotic event creates a killer who returns on a anniversary to kill
immature, immoral teenagers that often leaves one masculine and determined
female to survive as the ‘final girl’.
The
character types often fit a pattern or formula so the audience can concentrate
on the story than have to think about which character is good and bad. The main
protagonist is often the victim or the hero while the monsters have a hidden secret
or are made psychotic by an earlier event or situation. Teenagers are often the
victims while children are used as secondary characters and the people who are
put in place to protect such as the police are not in contact or don’t believe
the victim.
Themes can
be unclear within the horror genre but there always is a good vs evil is almost
every film. Hidden evil and science that has gotten out of control have become
recurring theme within recent years and the consequences have often been
unexpected or unusual.
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