Undertake primary and secondary research in audience

demographics for horror films and present this as a

report.
Age - All films, especially within the horror genre, upon release have a
certificate from the British Board of Film Classification. This certificate
determines what age the film is deemed suitable for. The content in a film
can affect it's film certificate.
Within the horror genre, violence, dangerous behavior, strong language,
extreme horror, blood and gore and on occasion drug use and scenes of
sexual nature, are recurring topics. Because of this age certifications range
between 12 (12A), 15, 18 and R18. It is rare for a film to be R18 rated but
the films with this certificate are usually banned or legally-restricted. Most
horror films usually have certificates 15 or 18.
Target audiences for horror films are usually aimed at viewers between 15-25
years of age, this is because the plot and themes appeal more to the
younger generation. Reasons for this are the fact that this age range are
more likely to be "thrill seekers" than that of any other age. Also because of
other media products such as video games and television shows, audiences
within this age range are likely to be less susceptible to being put off by the
extreme violence and unnatural images. This is called desensitization.
Gender - Horror films are suitable for both genders and both are often part
of desired target audience, however the genre does appeal more to the male
demographic than women. This is because the extreme violence and threat
of danger is more appealing to males than females, again because the male
demographic or more likely to play violent video games than women. On the
other hand not all women are put off by some of the content included in the
genre. Females also enjoy the suspense and threat of extreme violence in
horror films. A possible factor as to why the genre is more male orientated
would be that women are more maternal than men, meaning that seeing a
child that is either in danger or portrayed to be evil can sometimes be more
disturbing to them than it would be to a male viewer.
Social class - Horror films are usually aimed at audiences within classes E
-C1. This is because the working class are more likely to be satisfied with
these types of film than audiences of a higher social classification. Audiences
in group B or above, watching a horror film are more likely to watch a
subgenre film rather than mainstream genre because of the level of

satisfaction they would receive and because subgenres would be more likely
to appeal to their particular film tastes.
Groups of audiences - The types of audiences that the horror genre
attacks are groups of friends,families and couples. This is because watching
a horror film with friends, family members or a boyfriend/girlfriend, offers the
viewer comfort and the feeling of protection. For example, "Safety in
numbers". Viewing horror films with another/group also acts as a good
conversation starter.
Over all the demographic for horror films would be both females and males
ranging between 15-25 years of age, in social classes E through to C1. One
of the main reasons for this would be because audiences within these
demographics are considered most likely to visit cinemas in order to watch
these products.

Primary research
For my primary research I asked my close relatives and friends a simple
question regarding whether or not they watch horror films and then to
explain their answer. (Ages 18 - 63) Their answers were as follows;
1) "Do you like the horror genre? Please explain your answer".
Grandfather (63 years of age): "No I don't. It's not something that really
interests me, I prefer fantasy and action films. I like films superheroes. I think
one of the main reasons I don't watch them is because most of the plots
revolve around evil entities and spirits. I think because I believe in life after
death, not necessarily in a religious way, it makes me feel a bit
uncomfortable. It's a spiritual thing".
Grandmother (62 years of age): " Definitely not. They tend to give me
nightmares so I try and avoid them at all costs. I don't like all the blood and
guts that you usually see through out the film, it's all a bit too gory for me".
Mother (41 years of age): "The horror genre is definitely my favorite. I like
the suspense and jump scares, the films that have you sitting on the edge of
your seat from start to finish. I think my favorite type of horror film are films
like Insidious, Annabelle or The Conjuring. I believe in ghosts and spirits, not
so much demons but that's probably why they appeal to me so much.
Although sometimes they can really frighten me, I still like the experience.

Films that are based on true stories or events are the best films though,
they're more realistic and make you think that it could actually happen."
Partner (19 years of age): " I love horror films, it is definitely my favorite
genre. I think the thing I like about them most is the plots behind them and
the antagonists. I think for me the scariest antagonists in horror films are evil
entities like demons and ghosts. For example the grudge. Those types of
characters and plot lines are the ones that stick with you after the film, the
ones that still frighten you days later or the ones that you catch yourself
thinking about whenever something mysterious or creepy happens to you. I
mean yes you can get that affect with other films but not to that intensity".
Best friend (19 years of age): " Horror films aren't my favorite but I am
partial to them on occasion. The tend to really frighten me to the point where
I can't sleep at night because they're playing on my mind. I tend to watch
film like The Dark Knight because I like the action and the characters. If a
horror film has an actor that I like in it I might watch it, if like my friends want
me to watch it with them or if I have been told repeatedly that I would be
missing out if I didn't watch the film. Other than that I tend to avoid them".

Secondary research.
In terms of comparison, for my secondary research I took to internet forums
and IMDB to look at the films statistics and other viewers opinions.
Annabelle was a horror film produced by The Warner Brothers and released
on October 10th 2014. It's genre was classified as horror/mystery and was
certified as a 15 due to it's content. By the 12th December 2014 the film had
grossed $84,263,837 in the USA.
The film had numerous reviews, most positive and was rated 5.4/10 by IMBD.

IMBD users, ranging

between 18 - 25,debated this film at length, discussing the plot, effects and links to
other films, however something that was quite clear was that the younger
generation enjoyed it more than anyone else. Although most agreed that The
Conjuring was better, they all said that they did like the film and would watch it
again. They mentioned that the film was a lot better than the reviews they had
originally read.
19 year old, Rotten Tomatoes user rates Annabelle with 3 stars. She said that
although The Conjuring was better, it still had all the conventions of a typical horror
film making it passable. She went on to say that some of the shot and the way they
were edited together was effective and the use of the Annabelle doll made the film
a lot creepy but again the film was too clich.
YouTuber Chris Stuckmann (age 27) is famous for his film reviews. His recent review
on Annabelle wasn't exactly positive but wasn't negative either. During the video he
mentions how Annabelle was directed by James Wan, the same director of Insidious
and The Conjuring. After watching and enjoying both of these film upon their
releases his thinking was if I like these 2 movies then it's likely that I will like
Annabelle. After further explanation he mentions that although he was disappointed
by the film he would watch again. He points out that Annabelle is the prequel to The
Conjuring but isn't nearly as frightening and the plot of the film is too clich. The
only scene that he really enjoyed was the elevator scene in which the main actress
is trying to escape what every entity is pretending to be her baby.
Comparing all the secondary research, it is obvious that they younger generation
enjoyed this film more than any other audience. However it did also prove that this
film did reach a broader audience than it's original target of 15 -25. A couple of
recurring themes within each person's answer were the fact that they preferred The
Conjuring and felt that the plot and plot aspects were to clich to make it a good
watch, on the other hand the still enjoyed it as horror movie.

When comparing the primary and secondary research, my findings are similar. The
younger generation enjoy this genre more but it does reach older audiences. One
of the biggest similarities between both types of research is that even though they
considered other films to be better, they did enjoy it and would watch it again.