How is Horror so Horrifying?
In the season of Halloween, horror is a very common consumed genre. Directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, and Stephen King help create the purpose of fear or disgust as seen in most horror content.
When consuming this genre, many emotions can be felt and chemicals such as adrenaline and dopamine can be released. This happens because this genre replicates how we would feel in certain situations. Especially during Halloween, people love to experience the terror seen within to further connect with the holiday.
Content:
Horror usually consists of a person or group being targeted by an antagonist(s). These antagonists are most commonly killers, paranormal activity, monsters, etc.
EX: In Halloween II, a serial killer named Michael Myers is seen killing multiple people throughout the film.
Suspense is another essential part of the horror genre. It is the moment the consumer is waiting for something bad to happen, which helps set the mood. This makes the consumer build fear, which is needed in horror. Many horror movies use music to help build the suspense. Others show a character making a crazy decision such as going down to the basement, as seen in many films. Both of which create a feeling in the consumer that they are experiencing the situation that is being put in front of them.
EX: In A Quiet Place, two people go down a basement, only to be followed by a creature.
Fear is another crucial role in the horror genre. This makes the audience scared and left thinking about the content. The antagonist pursues what the viewers and protagonist fear, which further helps connect the audience into the film and make them feel as if they are experiencing this in real life.
EX: A Nightmare on Elm Street shows the fear in the protagonist through the antagonist.
Production Techniques:
Lighting is a common technique used to help the audience experience more horror. Some lighting used to do so are uplighting, spotlighting, and shadows. Lighting helps with creating the atmosphere and mood of a film, while also making imagination come into play for the audience.
EX: Lighting used in Psycho makes the viewer use their imagination.
Sound is another important element in production techniques of the horror genre. It can help by characterizing people or moments in the movie. It also helps create mood and suspense. Sound can be seen getting higher or lower before events such as jump scares, killings, etc.
EX: In Friday the 13th, the main antagonist has a specific sound played before he kills.
Genre Marketing:
The target audience of horror films the most are between 15-25. This is because of young people's crave for fear. Also, men enjoy horror more than women. This is due to the violence within the movies having more appeal for them.
Horror movies market their movies usually with the cover having red or black in it. Also, common horror objects such as blood, skulls, and the moon can be seen across many cover art. The main antagonist is usually on the cover too, grabbing the attention of someone that may want to see a horror film.
Samples:
The film It (2017) shows a clown as the antagonist haunting young children. Many lighting, sound, and other techniques are used to help build the suspension and fear between the clown and the protagonist.
Get out (2017) shows the protagonist experiencing a creepy experience with his girlfriend. He goes to her house only to find out that her and her family are racist and try forcing him to become a slave. Throughout this film, many techniques were used to help categorize it into horror. One of which is the tea cup that the mom used. This would put the protagonist into a trance, as seen throughout the movie.
Consider these movies:
