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Horror as a genre typically works against the audiences instincts to imply fear.

This is usually done through sound scape like sharp noises and silence.
Furthermore, darkness, the fear of the unknown. In addition, one character tends
to turn evil and would act/look different to normal, whether its sucking blood like
the twilight series or a turning into a devil like the series Crazy head.
The common age that the horror genre attracts tends to be people aged 15-25.
In that, period youngsters like to experiment and try new things and experiment
with different emotion and feelings. Therefore if the here of a film that is scary
they are more up for the challenge and want to be thrilled. Furthermore, the
younger audience not easily put off by violence and unnatural images. Whereas
the older audience generally would.
The Horror genre typically attracts male gender, due to the gore, violence and
thrill of the films. Therefore, Horror films attract more to boys as they seek the
adrenaline.
To conclude Horror films are aimed at the working class because these films can
be relatively low budget to get a reaction from the audience. However higher
class people tend to watch sub-genre horrors that are not so scary but they do
have romance and a little extra to reach the high levels of satisfaction they seek.
When it comes to groups of audiences it will tend to be a group of young friends
that want to watch a horror film late at night however in other cases it will be
first dates. This is because the horror will make couples scared together so they
comfort each other.

Scenes like this one in The Ring, The girls


face is covered to emotionally disturb the
audience with the fear of the unknown. The
audience has minimal information to who
the girl is standing there. In addition, the
fact she is in a dark empty room makes the
audience feel they are alone too.
Another example that meets these typical codes
and conventions is this scene in paranormal
activity. Yet again, the setting is dark to fight the
dears of the unknown. However, instead of her face
covered her eyes are blacked out to take away a
persons identity. In paranormal activity, this is
done to show someone possessed. Another thing that
feature in this screen shot is the fact the women is running toward the camera in
order to cause the audience to panic as she is getting close. One of the last
stereotypical things used in the horror genre is when the antagonist walk slowly
toward the camera in a closed space in order elicit the fear of claustrophobia and
in a nightmarishly slow pace, drawing out the tension.
When horror films first came out, they were distributed in the cinema and
nowhere else, so if you wanted to watch a horror you could not watch it and get
scared in your own comfort of your home. In a way, the cinema allowed more
pressure to watch the horror all the way through with no comforts in your house
like being able to pause and fast-forward something scary. However, in the 21 st
Century films are distributed through a wide source of platforms. For example,
you can know watch any film Steamed online with Netflix where they have
10,000s of films including Horrors. You also have films live on Tv at night or On
demand where you can watch anytime of the day. This means you can access
these films anytime you like with a wide choice of sub horror genres so if you
preferred one with romance like twilight.
Other than the distribution methods that have changed over time, the Horror
genre itself has changed. During the 1920s the first horror films like Dracula and
Frankenstein the storyline was very simple. For example, Frankenstein was a
simple scary protagonist that was produced and needed to be killed. Now
audiences have changed and they want more in a horror and more of a storyline
and produce a thrill. For example The Ring released in 2002 was about a
mysterious video tape that would cause death to anyone in a week of viewing it.
The audience are also participating in the narrative because they are watching
the horror film too. The whole storyline is that twisted that it makes people fear
to be in their own homes and makes their own comfort zone a place where they
would rather not be. For Horrors to know get a response like this shows how they
can affect people subconsciously.

Throughout a typical horror


film the first 10 minutes is the
most important part. This is
when the characters are
introduced. Typically while this
happens an event will occur (a
Catalyst that will get the story
going) and an overall the
central question will be put in
the views mind that the
issue/situation needs to be
resolved before the end of the
film. Turning points will then be used to change the direction of the story and
raise the tension. Finally the climax will happen and will be a big finish to the
horror film and the anti protagonist and protagonist meets. This the final part
where everything comes together unless there is an open end for a sequel.

A famous horror that took this narrative like many others at the time was the
exorcist. This film started off with a 12 year old girl and her mother when the
catalyst of the story is when the mother starts hearing sounds and closes the
window in the girls room before leaving her to sleep. The turning points of the
film was where her worried mother seeks medical help due to the girl acting odd
and making weird noises and even levitating. This climax of the film is when the
priest comes to perform the exorcism and she floats above the bed and the
demon ends up going into another persons body and making them jump out a
window and committing suicide. So as usual the good guy dies. This film was
made in 1973 and since then there have been other approaches to a typical
horror narrative. However we still see the same sort of structure. Such as
paranormal activity (2007), Similar to the exorcist at the start of the film
unnatural events happen and paranormal activity happens at night in their
home. Then at the very end you see the women kill her husband and look at the
camera with an evil face. After that a message is shown to say that the body of
the husband was found however she appears off the radar.
So similar to the exorcist the good guy gets killed however with paranormal
activity it as an open ending for the rest of the sequel. This film had such a low
budget of $15,000 and
remains the most successful
film ever made in terms of
gross profit at $89,318,792.
Therefore this the simple
narrative in this horror show
how the simple narratives
used at the start of the
horror genre can be still so
successful today. Although
saying that more and more
horrors today are made with a larger budget with more special effects to produce
more of a thrilling film. However in terms of narrative they still follow the codes
and conventions and storyline.
Horror is very different to many other forms of media due to the representation
of genders. In horror films women actors and characters are given much more of
a substantial role than men. In some horror films the women is often the hero.
For example the horror film called Halloween (1978) has the main character as a
female which is the last to survive. There are no sexual representations like the
typical media and she acts rather more masculine. Males are normally
represented to be aggressive however as horrors have progressed there are now
the more calm of the characters and are actually normal throughout like
paranormal activity. Therefore gender is put in a much more respected way and
women are represented much more active rather than passive.
To conclude, the horror genre has developed dramatically in some areas.
However codes and conventions have always been along the same lines. In
terms of gender the way it has come along from Dracula, where the male hero
will save the day, to the male being the one needing to be saved and the women
being the hero in the film Halloween. Also the horror genre has developed in the
way it has shown to be more violent with its high budget films and special
effects, whereas before it was simple literature and low budget films like Dracula
and Frankenstein .
Research
Medium: Film
Genre: Horror
Who Watches them?
The common age that the horror genre attracts tends to be people aged 15-25.
In that, period youngsters like to experiment and try new things and experiment
with different emotion and feelings. Therefore if the here of a film that is scary
they are more up for the challenge and want to be thrilled. Furthermore, the
younger audience not easily put off by violence and unnatural images. Whereas
the older audience generally would.
The Horror genre typically attracts male gender, due to the gore, violence and
thrill of the films. Therefore, Horror films attract more to boys as they seek the
adrenaline.
To conclude Horror films are aimed at the working class because these films can
be relatively low budget to get a reaction from the audience. However higher
class people tend to watch sub-genre horrors that are not so scary but they do
have romance and a little extra to reach the high levels of satisfaction they seek.
When it comes to groups of audiences it will tend to be a group of young friends
that want to watch a horror film late at night however in other cases it will be
first dates. This is because the horror will make couples scared together so they
comfort each other.
Source:
https://www.slideshare.net/mattmosey1/my-target-audiance
Slide Share ( Horror Movie Target Audience)
https://www.slideshare.net/Beccihammond/the-representations-of-gender-in-
horror-films-essay
https://www.google.co.uk/search?
q=paranormal+activity+budget&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi
zsf2A35DTAhULK8AKHXP8CPsQ_AUICigD&biw=673&bih=618#imgrc=sMfphdjIQa
TBLM:
Paranormal activity budget
http://mentalfloss.com/article/68552/20-most-profitable-movies-all-time-based-
return-investment

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