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The evolution of the horror genre
The evolution of the horror genre
The evolution of the horror genre
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Aesthetics of horror Looking at the horror genre, it is noticeable one of the most favoured genres of film worldwide and it continues to grow as more and more horror films come out each year. Many people are drawn to horror and seem to get some sort of satisfaction from the appeal of this genre. There has been the question of what draws an audience to this genre, and the answer can be straight forward, we crave disclosure of the things we do not know and the things that may never be real in our lifetime or ever. Horror is also a different take on the art of film and many different messages can be portrayed in many different ways within this genre such as a serial killer or a demon, this can arise the interest of the audience as a horror film …show more content…
(https://blogs.uoregon.edu/conor/2015/05/10/aesthetics-of-horror-research/, accessed 29 March 2018). So looking at the horror genre as a whole, we see that the aesthetics is generally very dark and the colours used within horror films are very plain and also generally dark, this can also be affected by the sub-genre, for example taking a slasher horror into consideration, brighter colours can be used, especially red , because of all the blood involved within this sub-genre. The tone is also brighter since most directors involved with this sub-genre of horror want the audience to see every gruesome detail in the violence that is taking place as this will get a emotional response from the audience. With the Babadook we see that it is very dark throughout most of the film, and the film is filled with white, grey and black as these colours contrast, but still leave a mainly darker look than what other colours would. These colours work exceptionally well, because the film is about a book, with white pages and black text and that includes drawings within the book that are …show more content…
The shots also develop from slow paced and smooth to very fast paced with quick cuts and more jump cuts which makes the tension and emotion rise within the audience increasingly throughout the film, which a good horror should do, because a film that does not engage an audience emotionally is a failed film and this especially matters with horror as it has to be a very emotive genre (R, Mckee.
Too many horror films provide scares and screams throughout their respective cinemas. Not many viewers follow what kind of model the films follow to appease their viewers. However, after reading film theorist Carol Clover’s novel, watching one of the films she associates in the novel “Halloween”, and also watching the movie “Nightmare on Elm Street” I say almost every “slasher” or horror film follows a model similar to Clover’s. The model is a female is featured as a primary character and that females tend to always overcome a situation at some point throughout the film.
Burton widely used these techniques in one of his films, Edward Scissorhands, Edwards’s cloths are all black and he is notably pale. Edward could be seen as being gothic whereas the environment around him are colorful, bright, and alive. When Edward and Peg arrive at Peg’s house for the first time you can see that Edward stands out significantly from the houses and the other people around him. This makes the reader feel that Edwards been secluded from the Excitement and emotions of the outside world. In another one of Burton’s films, Corpse Bride, Burton uses a lot of greyness in the first portion of the film for instance the opening scene of the film has no color but grey and darker shades of grey. Burton, by using only grey color creates a sense of perpetual loneliness or a sense that there is no happiness in the world that the characters live in. Overall Burton’s use of color supports the darker part of his style by frequently using out of place colors that are typically darker colors in this case In Edward Scissorhands Edward having gothic like cloths compared to the bright surroundings is a great example of his dark use of
The horror genre of film captives the frightfulness of individual fear, horror is the only genre that is meant captive the terror of the audience. The horror- the genre has been around well over one hundred- years there has been an extension of different types of horror and how the audience perceives horror. Many would even argue that horror films often reflect the fear of society in that certain time period. The evolution of horror reflects the evolution of society’s fear. American in 1929 face the stock market crash-inducing The Great Depression.
The Importance of Aesthetic Distance in American Horror Movies What then do we make of American horror movies? In the canon of horror pictures they almost always come second in respect to foreign horror movies and any American horror film that is considered to be artful is the one with the most aesthetic distance. Upscale slashers like Johnathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs (1991) or David Fincher's Seven (1995) are both gruesome and bloody borrowing many of the same shock techniques as their lower budget counterparts (for example, Russell Mulchahy's Sevenish thriller Resurrection (1999)), both focus on the body and its violation, either through sexual means or violent means, and both feature villains who fit easily into Carol Clover's
The first stage of the genre cycle is called the primitive stage. During this stage of the cycle, the genre of horror is very new. Filmmakers are trying to decide what makes a horror film a horror film, while audience are figuring out what they should expect every time they see this kind of film. For example, Todd Browning’s Dracula is the basic, stripped down blueprint for many monster-horror films today. It features the “bad guy” accompanied by the “good guy”. After several horrifying events, Van Helsing kills the vampire, Dracula, and good prevails, again. Thus, establishing that in horror films no matter how grue...
Horror films are designed to frighten the audience and engage them in their worst fears, while captivating and entertaining at the same time. Horror films often center on the darker side of life, on what is forbidden and strange. These films play with society’s fears, its nightmare’s and vulnerability, the terror of the unknown, the fear of death, the loss of identity, and the fear of sexuality. Horror films are generally set in spooky old mansions, fog-ridden areas, or dark locales with unknown human, supernatural or grotesque creatures lurking about. These creatures can range from vampires, madmen, devils, unfriendly ghosts, monsters, mad scientists, demons, zombies, evil spirits, satanic villains, the possessed, werewolves and freaks to the unseen and even the mere presence of evil.
People are addicted to the synthetic feeling of being terrified. Modern day horror films are very different from the first horror films which date back to the late nineteenth century, but the goal of shocking the audience is still the same. Over the course of its existence, the horror industry has had to innovate new ways to keep its viewers on the edge of their seats. Horror films are frightening films created solely to ignite anxiety and panic within the viewers. Dread and alarm summon deep fears by captivating the audience with a shocking, terrifying, and unpredictable finale that leaves the viewer stunned.
Along with the gothic themes, there are also some , but not many, colors shown(Perno). The character of Edward Scissorhands was based off of a drawing Burton created when he was younger, with the name stated along with the artwork. People may notice Burton works with Depp in almost all of his movies. This movie was the first collaboration between the two out of eight(“25 cutting facts about Edward Scissorhands.”). The story itself is seen through the main character, Edward’s, eyes(“Ten Things You Might Not Know About Edward Scissorhands.”). That is the only reason there is so much color, for example, in the town(Perno). In all of Burton’s other movies, it is seen through the eyes of an outside character or an outside force, such as a character not acknowledged. The studio wanted the ending to be more upbeat at first, but after a while, they let Burton have the darker ending he wanted(17 Things We Learned From the ‘Edward Scissorhands’
Horror movies attempt to make the audience experience fear, dread, disgust or terror. The plots often involve the supernatural and fantasy world giving the audience the reassurance that what is being seen is not truly existing. Horror movie plots are often than not, predictable. Horror movies will show gruesome and graphic violence. Many times, this will include close up shots of horrifying deaths and relentless tortures in an attempt to compel an audience to express emotions such as disgust and fright. Also, the way horror movies are promoted and advertised is a difference. In trailers and movie covers the backgrounds are often red or a dark color as such. It suggests danger and advocates violence. A horror movie is scarier in that exact moment and
Imagine that you are directing a horror film. What aspects would you include or manipulate in your film to make it more terrifying? Think about aspects such as the script, setting, lighting, and so on. If i were creating a horror film, the attitude and key things that i would add would be more intensifying sounds, dark angels and random, intimidating scenes. Some lighting that i could add would be dark nights with wind and moving trees that make long dark shadows upon houses, and then a random do running past.
The horror genre has been known for years upon years. Many beloved classics come from this thrilling genre; Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolf man are prime examples of this. To many the horror genre might seem pointless or insane but, to others the shock, excitement, and chill that comes from this genre is remarkable. The authors who tell these stories and bring them to life have a truly complex mind. Take Edgar Allan Poe the author of Tell tale heart a unique short story narration told through the mind of a psychopathic narrator who cleverly kills an old man, but confesses due to guilt.
The final element of horror I would touch is silence. Silence is a very important and impactful, in horror movies, it created tension and expectation, great for classic sound scares. Silence is not only a horror element but a technique used in many genre for impactful moments. Chion explains the meaning of silence in his book Audio-Vision “In a well-known aphorism Bresson reminded us that the sound film made silence possible. This statement illuminates a paradox: it was necessary to have sounds and voices so that the interruption of them could probe more deeply into this thing called silence.”
A horror movie “makes people think, what if it was reality?” said by a thrill seeker person who was waiting to watch a horror movie. Experts also cite more various reasons about why people enjoy watching scary movies. For the thrill of it and also because it seems real for thrill seekers; these are some secretes reveled to show why thrill seekers enjoy horror movies. Feeling the sense of evil and being curious about understanding humanity’s dark side makes horror movies a perfect way of enjoying these feelings, and relieving the tension of curiosity about violent, blood and terrorism. Moreover, experts said that not only desirability to blood and fear could consider as an attraction to whose ...
Almost everyone has a favorite genre of film, but how everyone defines their favorite genre can differ greatly. Horror is one of the genres where its definition can be perceived differently by many people. Like all other genres, horror does have rules and traditions that must be included in order for a film to be considered a horror film. These rules and traditions include a protagonist, an antagonist, an escape or escape attempt of some sort, and very influential audio and visual effects.
Joanne Cantor once quoted, "No doubt, there's something really powerful that brings people to watch these things (horror), because it's not logical; most people like to experience pleasant emotions. " Many people enjoy horror, but not many people know why. There are actually a handful of reasons as to why people enjoy horrifying material. For example, people rubberneck whenever they come past an accident to observe the horrific scenery when they are driving. People enjoy horror to show that they could handle their fear, the enjoyment of adrenaline and thrill, and using circumstances given in a film or movie in their survival situation.