Dissecting the horror genre
Horror movies are one of many movie genres. They often are more prominent during October with the yearly occurrence of Halloween, the spookiest time of the year. Horror movies draw in all types of people looking for a thrill. The sense of dread as you slowly pull the covers over your eyes to protect them from the oncoming mayhem. The target audience is generally people ages 13 and older.
Textbook signs of a horror movie include: suspense, a villain or malevolent force, gore, violence, and the trademark jump scares. Horror movies often rely on actions over dialogue in advancing the story. The horror genre is designed to elicit fear and unease in the audience. Horror movies aren't usually known for their deep or meaningful stories rather than their most memorable scenes that burned into viewers' memories from fear. Often times, the piece may focus on an antagonist or malevolent force picking off characters from a group as they desperately try to survive.
Characteristics of a horror movie in terms of production include: unsettling music scores, darkly lit scenes, shots in which the character is unaware of something the audience can see, violent attacks, and jump scares. Music scores in horror are used to give the audience a sense of unease to let them know something is wrong or about to happen. The malevolent force in the piece may be accompanied by its own music score whenever it is about to enter the scene. Darkly lit scenes are typical as it leaves not only the character in confusion and uncertainty but also the audience. One of the most important parts of a horror movie, is when the audience sees something the character can not. It can elicit a sense of panic and fear in the audience. For example, in the film "Psycho", there is a scene in which a women calmly enters a relaxing shower. However, she is oblivious to the oncoming danger. The audience sees an approaching figure and almost wants to call out to the character to turn around. Arguably the most iconic part of horror films, is jump scares. Jump scares refer to when the audience is startled by a sudden sound or action. It is simplest ways for horror movies to establish their genre.
The marketing of horror movies is something that generally is targeted to those 13 or older. Horror movie trailers will introduce the concept of the malevolent force or villain of the film without directly showing it usually. This creates a sense of curiosity for people to question what exactly is it. To further reinforce the feeling of curiosity, a trailer may show a band of characters struggling to survive followed by a compilation of the deaths of some of them. This has the audience wondering "Who survives the movie?" and attend to place their bets on the most likely survivor. While horror movies can be release at any time, the majority of them release during the months surrendering Halloween. This is almost a form of fear mongering as holiday is well known to be considered the spookiest time of the year.
Some modern depictions of horror have divulged from the cliché characteristics of the genre while maintaining their roots. The renowned film "It" based off of Stephen King's horror novel was not only a horror film but also a coming of age film. It featured a murderous clownlike entity to act as the malevolent force with the kids of the town residing in it being his victims. The main characters of the movie are a oddly put together group of kids who fight against the odds to survive and overcome their fears. The film offered jump scares, suspense, gore, and other characteristics of horror.
A classic film that encapsulates the essence of horror is "The Shining". This piece follows a family who reside in a hotel as the father attempts to overcome his writer's block. However, they begin to notice peculiar things about the hotel and the father begins to slowly lose his sanity. The movie is a sort of slow-burn as you become aware of the evil of the hotel through the multiple experiences the characters go through in the film. Countless scenes involve a paranormal entity with malicious intent. In the peak of the climax, the father becomes unhinged and begins acting violently.
Other horror movies:
The Invisible Man https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1051906/
Get Out https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052448/
Doctor Sleep https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5606664/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Us https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6857112/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Halloween https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502407/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2
A Quiet Place https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6644200/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
