Research Into Horror

'Horror as a theme'

In my opinion, horror is something of intense and profound fear. It is intended to or has the ability to frighten its viewers, sending a chill down an individuals spine or inducing feelings os horror and terror. As a fan of horror movies myself, I feel if the movie did not have elements of supernaturalness, fear and maybe consisting of thriller, then the film would not be worth watching or do credit to the film genre 'Horror'. Horror movies have always been a popular genre in film and theatre and has greatly competed with other film genres such as 'Comedy' and also 'Romance'. Some of the most popular horror movies include 'The Exorcist', 'The Ring', and also 'Chuckie'. However these are all quite recent productions. During research, I found out that horror films date back to the 1890's with the first depictions of supernatural events appearing in George Melies' 'Le Manoir du diable', in english meaning the haunted castle. (Click here for link to film outline)

In order for my film production to be of good standard, I will first need to ensure that I personally thoroughly understand the concept of horror and what it means to me and others. Below is a spider gram which I made. I included all words which I associated with horror/movies and which I could incorporate into my own horror production.

'What Horror means to me'

(Common elements of horror)

(Click Image Below)

Words which I associated with horror included: Vampire, Ghost, Massacre, Black, Scream, Children. These are all words which I found were common elements in recent horror movies such as the ring which features an evil child who has been living in a well for many years and also Let me in, another horror movie which the storyline includes a female child who is also a vampire.

Above: Child in 'The Ring' & Child in 'Let me in'

'What Horror Means to others'

I decided that I would also have to collect some qualitative data, and find out what horror meant to other people than myself. I felt this will be beneficial to do prior to the starting of my film production as I am not making the film trailer or poster for myself. My trailer and poster will need to appeal to audiences of different ages and genders. Therefore I decided to ask some of my friends and family some questions based on horror, which I felt would assist me and also steer my thoughts, when I have to decide the concept of my movie.

Q1:) When you watch a horror film/trailer, what do want or expect to get from it?

Answer:) Well, when I watch horror trailers, the main thing I look for is for it to be able to scare me. I enjoy the thrill I get from watching it and not knowing what is going to happen next. Erm, when I watch horror trailers I want to find myself sitting there afterwards with a urge to go and watch the film.

- Monique Joseph, 17

Q2:) What effects or characteristics of a horror movie trailer appeals to you?

Answer:) Sound. Sound is important as the theme tune of a film trailer can affect the viewer and change their mood. Like, for example if there is a quiet atmosphere or a scene where there is no sound and suddenly we hear a BANG, it is likely to shock the viewer. I like things like that.

- Hollie Bowden, 19

Q3:) How far do film posters motivate you to go and watch a film?

Answer:) Quite a lot really. But I think its more the word of mouth. For instance if I've heard a lot of people talking about a certain film and giving good feedback about it, I would want to and probably would go and watch it. But film posters are also important, because it promotes the film and there are a few films which I have seen on the sides of buses for example and thought 'Yeah, I'm gonna watch that, that looks good!'

- George P. Miller, 16

Q4:) Do you read/buy film magazines? If yes why and what attracts you to read/buy it?

Answer:) I do sometimes but not as much as I buy music magazines. I buy film magazines because I want to read film reviews and see what films out there are good or suit my taste in film for example if there is a good review about a film which specializes in the comedy genre then I would go and watch it. Erm, what attracts me to buying it in the first place? I would say the cover page and the stars it features how well it sells the stories and articles inside it, because nobody wants to buy a boring looking magazine.

- Karl Nelson, 20

'What I learnt from this'...

From asking these questions, I have learnt that horror movie trailers are incomplete is they are missing the 'thrill-factor'. As the whole purpose of a film trailer is to make the viewer want to see the movie, it will be essential that my horror movie trailer stands out from previous horror trailers and includes elements such as dramatic sound and other effects such as echoes and overlapping sound in order to engage the viewer and make them want to see the movie. It never occurred to me how important sound was, however by Holly's response I was able to conclude that sound is just as important as what is physically going on, on the screen, especially in the horror genre. From this primary research I also concluded that film posters are important in terms of promotion. There are many ways of promoting movies such as on buses, billboards and also through the internet. Film posters also help to create brand awareness as if people repeatedly see your film poster in many places, they will begin to get familiar with the style and also theme of your film making it more recognizable and increasing the chances of them going to see your film. Karl's response was useful as it helped me to understand how important the cover of film magazines are in attracting people to buy or read the magazine. This will be important when I am designing my own film magazine cover as I will need to ensure that it appeals to readers of all types and looks interesting enough to attract readers to it.