...Edward Scissorhands directed by Tim Burton is a classic horror theme inspired by the story of Frankenstein, where an evil creature enters into a peaceful community and disrupts the calm. Burton, however, changes the horror genre and on many occasions turns the audience upside down by presenting a mixture of horror, comedy, romance and fairytale. Even before watching the film, a person knows that it is not a complete horror. The advance publicity for Edward Scissorhands used the phrase 'the story of an unfinished gentle man' and posters showed a picture of a gloomily dark Edward with a butterfly resting on one of the sharp blades constituting his hands. Contrasting images such as these show the idea of a mixture of the romance and horror genres. Even without seeing publicity material, the choice of teen favorites Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder for lead roles suggests that this is a film aimed at the teenage kids. A close look at the opening sequence of Edward Scissorhands shows many of the conventions associated with the horror genre but these are offset by elements of comedy and romance. As the credits roll, the music, the graphics (names white on black, making jagged scissor shapes) and the colures of black and white show the relationship with the horror genre. We then see visual images associated with the conventional 'haunted house' (huge door closing, cobwebs, strange gadgets) yet the music becomes lighter, more frivolous and on closer inspection some of the gadgets look...
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...Explore the genre conventions in the two main texts you have studied so far. I will be writing about the two texts that I am studying (The Avengers Assemble and Sightseers). The first text, Sightseers, has the hybrid genre of black comedy, comedy, crime and thriller, whilst also touching on horror at points (the murders). The Avengers Assemble has a hybrid genre of sci-fi, action and fantasy. I will be looking at the parts of these movies that are typical of the genres that they are categorised in. The first text I will explore is Sightseers. In black comedies and crime, the iconography and location is often rural countryside; so Sightseers is challenging the conventions of the crime genre – often held in places associated more with ‘gangsters’, e.g. council estates, rougher areas (perhaps more populated) as opposed to the peaceful nature of the countryside. The choice of a caravan park adds a feeling of tranquillity and isn't an immediate location that springs to mind when it comes to thinking about the crime genre - so Ben Wheatley, the director, who has directed black comedies in the past, will have wanted to challenge the conventions of these movies. The comedy aspect is explored within quite a few scenes, the jokey comments that Tina is making to her mum at the beginning of the movie (where she repeats 'mum' several times, which is becomes quite humorous). The sort of humour used does challenge the conventions of a comedy as there are no out and out jokes, but some of...
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...Horror Genre Teresa Gann ENG 225 Introduction to Film Instructor John Thorburn July 4, 2016 Horror Genre Genre theory is used in film studies to assist in the facilitation of the film category. A genre is a type or category (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). A genre is dependent on the factors varying in story lines and what the audience are expecting. The theory creates shortcuts in the description of the film. A genre theory is useful and efficient in shortening academic works. Horror films seek elicit emotions that is a negative reaction from viewers by playing on the viewer’s primal fear. The horror films often deal with the fears of the viewer, nightmares, revulsion and unknown terrors. The plots of this genre include evil forces, personage or event, into the world we live in. The elements of the story include werewolves, ghosts, demons, serial killers, cannibals, evil witches, monsters, vampires, vicious animals, gore, and extraterrestrials. Genre helps the viewers decide what kind of films they enjoy watching. I will be discussing a summary of the movie Saw, what genre the movie is and what other sub-genres exist in this movie. One film that fits into the genre of horror is Saw. This film was made in 2004 and was directed by James Wan. The stars in the film were Danny Glover, Cary Elwes, and Leigh Whannell. This movie is about a .psychopathic killer who is set on teaching his victims the value of life by...
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...Media studies Rohan Taneja The task My brief was to create a 2-3 minute opening sequence for a horror film and produce a storyboard. I decided about doing a horror film sequence because I love watching horror films due to the thrill it gives me. Therefore the chance to make a part of a horror film was an opportunity and challenge which I wanted to take on. My assignment implicated me to research my target audience, creating a storyboard and producing the opening sequence. I set out to make an opening sequence that would create tension for the audience and grip them to watch the whole movie to find out what happens next. For the sub-genre, I did my research on the internet and looked at various different websites including Internet Movie Database (IMDB) and the British board of film classification (BBFC). I also looked at movie reviews on BBC and several newspaper websites which included the Guardian and The Times. I also researched into the age ratings of the film. My research showed that the most popular sub genres were action horror, science fiction horror and slasher horror. I already knew from experience as an avid film watcher that an opening sequence needs to capture its target audience and make them want to see the whole movie. Watching these films like ATM (2012), Scream (1997) and Texas Chainsaw massacre (2003) gave me an excellent understanding of the conventions of opening sequences and the use of mise-en-scene elements. In these movies the opening creates a...
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...Gothic Horror is a term used to depict fictitious work that has incorporated a lot of horror scenes as well as elements of the unreal world, exploring the conflict between good and evil and dealing with the supernatural in some sort of way. The episodic novel Dracula written by Bram Stoker in 1897 and the movie Blade by Stephen Norrington created in 1998 bring to the fore many conventions relating to the Gothic Horror genre despite their vastly different contexts. Gothic elements of imprisonment, death and blood are clearly represented through each of the texts. Stoker and Norrington present these conventions through a variety of literary and film techniques, paying particular attention to character and setting to explore the elements of the genre. Through these interactions, the audience can feel a sense of Gothic Horror in which the composers of the two texts aim to convey. The setting is a prominent aspect of Stoker’s novel, as it creates the mood and atmosphere and affects the characters of the novel. The castle in Dracula is the main setting that the reader is introduced to and sets the journey on a mysterious, evil and suspenseful road. Jonathan believes that “the castle is a veritable prison” and he is the prisoner. Dracula’s castle is situated in a rural location, said to be the superstitious west were all the mythical creatures from vampires, ghosts, witches and wolves are found. To reinforce the concept of imprisonment, all the doors in the castle are locked and Jonathan...
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...haunted by something supernatural. In the brief you had certain topics you could pick to do your production on and I picked the secret because it sounded like it was something to do with horror so I picked it as I was planning to do a production which was based on something like dark drama or horror. In addition to this I chose to do a magazine article to promote my movie. The genre for my opening sequence is horror based. In my opening sequence there are a number of conventions that would signify that it is a horror related movie. First off the film title “Deception” would reveal straight away to my audience that my film is somewhat horror related because it is quite a typical horror film name (one word which is often dark, e.g. insidious, saw…). The film also has a dark atmosphere which helps the target audience identify the genre. The film is uncomfortable throughout which is effective because you want the audience to feel on edge and to anticipate what is going to happen next. My movie is horror so the audience type for my independent film is simply people who like horror films or dark films. My production suits the independent film genre because compared to a big blockbuster film it wasn’t expensive too shoot (it cost me nothing) and it was quite a simple and straight forward production. My movie also suits the independent film genre and audience because compared to big blockbuster films which have a lot of producers in my independent film there is only one producer. In my opening...
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...I am analysing the film Alien (1979) and whether the trailer conforms or challenges the stereotypical conventions of the genres of sci-fi and horror. Conventions are all the things that make a film a particular genre. A horror film would have things like blood and gore, death, killer, victim or psychopaths for example. A sci-fi film would include things like space exploration, aliens, space ships, and good vs. evil or futuristic things. But it can always be argued because this movie is a Hybrid as it contains horror and sci-fi. When the film was released in was age rated at 18 because of the violence and gore, but compared to today standards it would have been lowered to an age rating of 15. During the trailer there are a few scenes where you see a ginger cat in a close up shot; this scene does not fall into sci-fi or horror. There are rather a few scenes in the trailer which conforms into sci-fi and horror like space suits, space ships and...
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...What Aspects Of Your Chosen Horror Film Make It Horrific? In the following essay I will focus on the horror genre as well as horror aspects from the film, "An American Werewolf In London," (D. John Landis 1981). Whilst "An American Werewolf..." isn't one of the most horrific films made, and is at heart a black comedy, it still includes a lot of codes and conventions of the horror genre which makes it not only a horrific film, but one of the most memorable werewolf films in movie history. Using special effects and filled with bloody gore, "An American Werewolf" still looks as horrifyingly real as it did 27 years ago. Opening on the eerie Yorkshire moors, "An American Werewolf" centers around two American backpackers who are attacked by a werewolf after leaving a small village in the middle of nowhere. Having been warned by mysterious locals not to leave the road or go onto the moors, the two ignore the warnings and pay for it when one of them is killed and the other bitten by the wolf. In these opening fifteen minutes, the follows many codes and conventions used throughout the horror/monster genre. The first convention is the gothic setting of the opening that is the yorkshire moors. Typically of the horror genre, the setting is shown to be damp, cold, dark and full of mist. Preying on the audience's fears of being alone in the middle of the wilderness the film displays the truly horrific nature of isolation. Like any typical horror film, the setting for the...
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...Media Bibliography 1. The perfect scary movie. TV Documentary. Visual Voodoo, [29TH September 2014] 2. Exploring the media, 3. IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080761/?ref_=nv_sr_2 [29TH September 2014] 4. IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103919/?ref_=nv_sr_1 [29TH September 2014] 5. IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087800/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 [29TH September 2014] 6. Stephen Price ed. The horror film [29TH September 2014] 7. Michelle Le Blanc and Colin Odell, Horror films [29th September 2014] 8. RetroSlashers: http://retroslashers.net/friday-the-13th-1980-review/ [2nd October 2014 Analysis of genre in horror films looking at 3 films In this essay, I will be doing research on horror films, but looking at a specific part under ‘approaching the media’, which is genre and looking at three objectives to complete this: * How genre is represented * How the genre concept works in Teen Slasher films * The key genre conventions used in films. The three films that would help me conduct this research and meet my aims are Candyman, Friday the 13th and a nightmare on Elm Street. By looking at these films, I would be able to see whether all the elements that come under genre is applied e.g. iconography, setting etc. The creation of horror films was done to make people scared and frightened but also tap into our hidden fears. This could be done by looking at the most common thing that scare people. For example, The fly, David...
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...GENRE: HORROR A genre is used in order to categorize a media text along with those others which share the same elements, components or ideology. With the help of genre people can easily put a label and identify the kind of product they need. The genre that I have chosen to carry out my research on is ‘Horror’. The reason behind my selection being that I find movies and programs that come under this genre quite interesting than those of other genres. These texts hold suspense, thrill and curiosity in the mind of the viewers that makes it different. These movies are mostly based on stories from the past which help captivate the viewers. Though it is presented in a terrifying way; it still manages to entertain the viewers with its element of mystery, fantasy and curiosity that it creates. Horror films go back as far as the onset of films themselves, over a 100 years ago. From our earliest days, we use our vivid imaginations to see ghosts in shadowy shapes, to be emotionally connected to the unknown and to fear things that are improbable. The earliest horror films were Gothic in style i.e. the meaning that they were usually set in spooky old mansions, castles, or fog-shrouded, dark and shadowy locales. Their main characters have included "unknown," human, supernatural or grotesque creatures, ranging from vampires, demented madmen, devils, unfriendly ghosts, monsters, mad scientists etc. Horror film today also carry almost the same characters that haunt the innocent. Taking...
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...Oppressive and repressive social institutions, value systems and codes of behaviour are central to the horror, science-fiction and fantasy genres. Focusing on 1-2 examples of your choice, consider how these genres mediate the ‘problem’ of the social. How significant is ideology, as well as genre theory, to your case-study? This essay will explore the ways in which the horror genre perpetuates repressive and oppressive social institutions, value systems and codes of behaviour surrounding the homosexual subject. It will be suggested that the generic conventions of horror films sustain repressive understandings of the normative order which position the homosexual subject as a threatening ‘other’. This essay will offer the opinion that it is through these representations that the horror genre produces the ideological figure of the ‘monstrous homosexual’. The discourses and ideologies explored will primarily be those relating to coding of the homosexual subject as predator and paedophile. This essay will engage with genre theory in order to demonstrate how narrative repetition in the horror genre mediates the homosexual subject as a disruption to the social order which must be eliminated in order to restore the heteronormative order. The methodology of genre theory will first be outlined, and the generic conventions of the horror film will be explored. The methodology of discourse analysis will also be employed in order to expose the ideologies at play in the case study. This essay...
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...A famous scene from one of the first notable horror films, Nosferatu (1922) Horror is a film genre seeking to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's primal fears. Horror films often feature scenes that startle the viewer; the macabre and the supernatural are frequent themes. Thus they may overlap with the fantasy, supernatural, and thriller genres.[1] Horror films often deal with the viewer's nightmares, hidden fears, revulsions and terror of the unknown. Plots within the horror genre often involve the intrusion of an evil force, event, or personage, commonly of supernatural origin, into the everyday world. Prevalent elements include ghosts, aliens, vampires, werewolves, curses, satanism, demons, gore, torture, vicious animals, monsters, zombies, cannibals, and serial killers. Conversely, movies about the supernatural are not necessarily always horrific.[2] Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 1890s–1920s 1.2 1930s–1940s 1.3 1950s–1960s 1.4 1970s–1980s 1.5 1990s 1.6 2000s 2 Sub-genres 3 Influences 3.1 Influences on society 3.2 Influences internationally 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links [edit]History [edit]1890s–1920s See also: List of horror films of the 1890s, List of horror films of the 1900s, List of horror films of the 1910s, and List of horror films of the 1920s Lon Chaney, Sr. in The Phantom of the Opera The first depictions of supernatural events appear in several of the silent shorts...
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...flashbacks, the actors and actresses, the characters, the use of costume, makeup and lighting. Similarities can also be seen through the themes and genres including, German Expression and fantasy. Burton incorporates characters in his films that no one would encounter in real life, such as you would never find a ghost who wants to marry a human in real life or someone who is able to chop hedges with his scissorhands. His films are characteristically quirky and unusual, however somehow making it relatable and identifiable which make them so popular with the audience. One style that Tim Burton’s films are strongly influenced is the German Expressionism codes and conventions. This foreign film style is an artistic genre that originated in Europe in the 1920s and is broadly defined as the rejection of Western conventions (Darsa, 2013). The artist’s impression of reality is widely distorted for emotional effect. The elements of this particular film style may involve lighting that employs extreme contrasts of light and dark therefore making dramatic shadows in the film. The film style also concentrates on mirrors, glass and other reflective surfaces. German Expressionist film also gave human characteristics and human behaviour to nonhuman objects. Distorted...
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...In previous chapters of Philosophy of Horror, author Noel Carroll seeks to understand horror as an artistic concept, exploring its philosophy, narrative conventions, and role as a genre. In doing so, Carroll identifies many fundamental emotional states and narrative requirements, including the use of a monster, and the feeling of dread and disgust. With the use of terror as entertainment, Carroll leads his discussion to the chapter “Why Horror,” where he seeks to explain the paradox of horror where audiences are “attracted to what is repulsive,” developing a balance between the two moral feelings (160). While many other genres instil positive emotional states, like comedy and laughter, it is worth exploring how a genre like horror functions...
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...is filled with monsters such as the Cerberus, the Minotaur, Medusa, the Hydra, the Sirens, Cyclops, Scylla and Charybdis, to name just a few. Every culture has a set of stories dealing with the unknown and unexplained, tales that chill, provoke and keep the listener wondering "what if..?" Horror films are the present-day version of the epic poems and ballads told round the fires of our ancestors. Horror movies of the 1970s reflect the grim mood of the decade. After the optimism of the 1960s, with its sexual and cultural revolutions, and the moon landings, the seventies was something of a disappointment. By 1970, the party was over; the Beatles split, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix died, while John Kennedy, his brother Robert, and Martin Luther King were all felled by an assassin’s bullet. These tragedies seemed to be just the first domino to fall, for then came Nixon, Nam, oil strikes, Watergate, and when society goes bad, horror films tend to get a resurgence, as a result of this turmoil, the 1970s marked a return to the big budget, respectable horror film, dealing with contemporary societal issues, addressing genuine psychological fears. It was within these times that horror was once again considered a dead genre. Much like the Western movies were...
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