Genre Analysis

The killer in horror films look the same almost all the time. For example, they are always dark and mysterious and majority of them are always wearing masks. In films like, 'Halloween', 'Scream' and 'Friday the 13th' are just some of the horror movies that include knives as a murder weapon. Most other films include different weapons such as a chainsaw (Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Other films don't even use weapons, for example in 'The Conjuring' doesn't incluse any weapons, also you don't see anyone die, they tell you about people dying but you don't in fact see people getting killed. In other films such as 'Final Destination' it involves many different deaths, for example, 2 people die in a roller coaster crash.  

Most horror films are set in an old fashioned house, which always looks rather spooky. Films like 'Friday the 13th' and 'Cabin in the Woods' are set in the middle of the woods and in a cabin. However, you get some movies that are in houses that are more modern than you would expect, for example 'Insidious' and 'Sinister' are set in modern houses, this could suggest that not all horror movies need to be set in a mysterious house. Other horror films are not even set in houses, for example some horror films such as 'Grave Encounters' is set in an old asylum this is showing all places can be scary. 

The majority of horror films relate to each other. For example, most of the time it is always about paranormal activity around their house, or a killer on the lose. Majority of horror films include teenagers or groups of teenagers and they stumble across a killer or they are in a haunted house. Horror movies will always include more than one teenager\adult that come across a mysterious house or a killer and most will include police, or ghost hunters.

I think the most common theme in horror movies would be deaths, I think they use death a lot because it scares people the most. The other common theme I think would be paranormal, I think its common because it entertains the audience because of it being jumpy. It's a good thing that is actually scares the audience because then it is a successful horror film.

The structure of horror films are quite similar. The always tend to start off slow and letting the audience know about all the characters and the surroundings. A little bit into the movie they will notice some kind of problem for example, in 'Insidious' a little boy doesn't wake up and doctors don't know what it is, when actually he is lost in another world. Some horror films such as 'The Conjuring' uses flashbacks, I think they use flashbacks because it makes the films more dramatic. In 'The Conjuring' it shows the two ghost hunters lives and introduces you to a doll called Annabelle which is based on a true story.

Not many horror films tend to use actual music, they often use just sounds which are used in the jumpy parts of the films because it will make the audience jump twice as much as they would to if there wasn't any sound. In films like 'Sinister' and 'Insidious' it is all silent but then when the demon comes on the screen it plays a loud bang which is giving it effect. The sounds are very hard to shock the audience.

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Opening Titles

Detailed Analysis of Opening Sequences

Edward Scissorhands - The film Edward Scissorhands’ opening titles are showing you round the castle that Edward lives in and shows you various inventions that will come up during the movie. The music fits the film very well I think because the music sounds like you’re in a fantasy, which is relevant to the film due to it being a fantasy film. At the beginning of the titles it will show you the director and then shows you the name of the film and this is showing people at the beginning that this is a Tim Burton film (the director).  Also when the title of the film comes up it will begin to separate which is laying it out as though they are scissors, which is giving it out that the film is about scissors.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - In the opening titles for Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street it is all dark and mysterious and it is all computer generated. While going through all the peoples names it will show you images that are about the film such as; the barber chair, tray of pies etc. At the beginning it also does a pan shot of old London and it raining and sometimes you will get glances of rain drops that are actually blood so it will give away that this film has something to do with blood and also that the film is most likely going to be gory.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 - In the opening sequence for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 it begins with a white screen and the production name in an old fashioned red font which could resemble blood, after about 3 seconds it changed to a more pure font, like a modern white font, which is like cold. This would suggest that the girl in the film had pumping blood round her body but now she is a vampire she has turned cold. Also during the opening sequence it shows different long shots of the nature around the little town the film is based on, and all of them are white but then turn into blood, this could do this because she is hungry for blood so its went from all white and pure to red and evil.

Ready or Not Rough Cut No.3

Ready or Not Rough Cut No.2

History of Horror Genre