Horror is a film genre looking to evoke a negative emotion reaction from viewers by playing on their fears.

Thriller is a genre that uses suspense, tension and excitement as its main elements.

Codes and Conventions of a Horror Films

Blood

Close-up shots; this makes emphasize on the object or shows the characters emotion.

Unprotected/trapped victim

Love interest

Bad weather. Eg; thunder, lightning or/and rain.

Some kind of chase between the victim and the killer

Codes and Conventions of Thriller Genre

Suspense/Tension

Quick cutting between shots.

In Psycho shower scene there are extremely quick cuts between shots of the women in the shower and the murderer.

Flashbacks

Shadows

Settings

Often in horror films they use settings that can make the character of the victim more venerable to the killer/enemy.

In the Blair Witch Project (1999) the characters are on their own camping in a forest for the majority of the film, making them secluded from civilisation and any possible help.

In the movie The Shining, the family look after a hotel on their own high up in the mountain. As the father is the enemy in this film, this leaves the mother and son helpless as they are so far away from others.

Another famous setting for horror films are cabins, this again leaves them venerable and secluded.

Props

Props are a big part of horror as they can give clues, protect and kill characters. Props can build character in the cast. In horror weapons are a big part of the killers identity and can really make the image of the killer complete.

In the film Scream, one huge prop are the phones as this is where the killer makes all his communication. A lot of the characters fear is when they are on the phone. This prop hides the identity of the killer as that is the main plot to the film, not knowing who the killer is.

In Nightmare on Elm Street, the main prop is probably the killers, Freddy Krueger, glove of knives as that is his signature weapon and what he is well known for.

Likewise with the character Jason from Friday the 13th, his hockey mask has given him a famous identity and what is associated to his character.

CastThe character of the victim in horrors are often teenagers, as in society now teenagers seen to be troublesome and do bad things. In horrors the storyline is sometimes that the teenager (victim) has done something bad therefore get punished by getting killed. There is almost always a back story to why the victim has been chosen.

Nightmare on Elm Street

Scream

Carrie

Cabin in the Woods