Research and Planning - Horror Genre Standards

1. Horror films often exhibit the theory that if left alone, adolescents will form into cliques of psychopaths and lemming victims. In these horror films, adults are seen as dangerously skeptical fools, jaded by their own several experiences with psychotic peers.
2. Horror films often exploit the dangerously slippery path into damnation modern youth exhibits; Having intercourse, preparing to have intercourse, kissing, experimenting with herbs, taking part in interracial activities (such as dancing), being mean to others, etc...
3. Horror movies effectively signify that the overpopulation of police are really useless and the underpopulation of virgins are the most useful.
4. The typical killer in horror is an expression of the dangers of a bad childhood, including spending too much time with relatives, being pushed around by even bigger psychopaths, or having a conservative Christian upbringing.
5. Often, horror movie villains will live in a totally secluded environment. This is not necessarily to provide a cheap way to explain away absence of authorities, but to heighten the fear of the killer, who doesn't even need food to survive all on his own.
6. Fear of the unknown and forbidden is employed in horror films. When characters stay on the ground floor of a place, things are usually all right. However when going upstairs or downstairs, danger is ever present. Bad things also occur in forbidden rooms such as the bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen.
7. Horror uses a sense of hypochondria to toy with the viewer. Knowing a pencil in the side can instantly kill, being whacked into a tree will split your skull open, or that tripping and falling can cause a broken leg, brings a sense of sheer terror to the viewer that more realistic wounds cannot.
8. Horror films exemplify the real dangers of those ugly, filthy people who live alone. Hillbillies are never good, taken to rape and incest because they can't get any chicks to fuck like normal civilized beings, taken to cannibalism because hunting is a lost art, and taken to witchcraft for revenge because they are all stupid and cannot understand forgiveness or the right to a fair trial.
9. Horror films show that all technology is evil; cars never start the first time, and weapons are useless. Not to mention the fact that even more evil technologies such as computers, televisions, and washing machines are all instruments of the devil. Inversely, in some cases the killer is seen as a sort of messiah, delivering humanity from the evils of technology; The killer never uses wicked things such as guns, except for impalement, and can always catch up with evil cars!
10. The villain of a horror movie never really dies. This is not truly to exploit the fear of an "invincible killer", but to exploit the fear of more scary movies!
11. A sense of foreshadowing may be used with characterization.

Research and Planning - Checklist #2

Research

• Soundtrack research (non copyright music)
• Costume and location research
• Actors and props photos
• Audience Research (typical audience member and similar films)
• Uploaded YouTube videos of teaser trailers and titles analysed in detail
• Upload YouTube videos of similar genre films analysed in detail
• Institution research (Paramount etc)
• Certificate research
• Font research for magazine/poster etc
• Film Magazines researched and analysed
• Teaser posters researched and analysed

Planning

• Own film idea brainstorm
• Own film treatment
• Shot lists
• Questionnaire (and feedback)
• Photos etc of filming
• Diary of filming/editing etc with photos and screen grabs
• Mood board
• Storyboard - prezi
• Script
• Practice titles created and uploaded

Research and Planning - Typical Vulnerable Young Teen Characters In A Horror Film

As I have done similarly with the villian character on the post below I thought it would be a good idea to do research into the typical, vulnerable teen character that you would find in a horror film, to get to know what kind of character we are going to need to include in our teaser trailer.

• The typical vulnerable young teen in a horror film usually plays one of the main parts in this type of genre, as usually the film is based around a vulnerable girl and a villain etc. This main character in some horror films could be an attractive young girl who is the queen bee, being all centre of attention it's all about 'me me me', has the typical joc boyfriend, and will normally have two best friends however, she picks on the 'nerd', 'geek's at school and they get nasty revenge which goes too far.  

• However, in some horror films this maybe different and the typical vulnerable young teen isn't the most popular girl in school, she is just a sweet innocent young girl living her day to day life. This character will usually be, pretty, slim, popular with the boys, vulnerable, trustworthy towards others.

• This character usually goes through a lot during the film, and it is always 50/50 whether they will die or not but most of the time they manage to survive and defend themselves, it is usually very unlikely that they die in this genre, it would usually be their friends or family that get hurt and die.

Below are some typical protagonists in horror films;

Research and Planning - Typical Villian Characters In A Horror Film

I thought it would be a good idea to do research into the typical, villian characters that you would find in a horror film, to get to know what kind of character we are going to need to include in our teaser trailer.

• A horror film can't be a horror film without a 'killer' of some sort. The typical killer in horror is an expression of the dangers of a bad childhood, including spending too much time with relatives, being pushed around by even bigger psychopaths, or having a conservations Christian upbringing and finally simply acting paranoid due to an overprotective serial killer boyfriend. 

• Often, horror movie villains will live in a totally secluded environment. This is not necessarily to provide a cheap way to explain away absence of authorities, but to heighten the fear of the killer, who doesn't even need food to survive all on his own.
   
• Often in horror movies the villain will try to disquise himself from everyone, some films it maybe that we think someone is the killer throughout the film until we find out at the end that it is someone completely different. Villians tend to stick to themselves and not really get involved with other crowds of people as they see themselves and different from everybody else 'loner'.

• The protagonist maybe smart, dumb, thick, possibly pretty and usually a nerd. They can easily drift from popular to unpopular, this makes them more realistic and more relateable to the audience.

 

Below are some typical protagonists in horror movies: