horror conventions

The films Jeepers Creepers directed by Victor Salva and Nightmare On Elm Street directed by Samuel Bayer are both classified as being in the horror genre. Directors use specific Narrative conventions such as the soundtrack, special effects and the monster itself to create suspense and fear within the film. Horror films have progressed over time to offer more conventions to make the films more thrilling to the audience.

The sound track played in the film Nightmare on Elm Street differs only slightly to Jeepers Creepers. In horror films the sound track tends to include suspense building music, supernatural sounds, evil laughter and silence followed by a loud noise to give the audience a fright. A soundtrack is made up of a combination of different elements such as dialogue, music and sound effects. It is the audio portion of a film. The use of the sound track causing different reactions to the audience depending on the element of the soundtrack, for example the use of sound effects causes the viewers to feel more involved in the film. It can conjure up emotions depending on the beat and lyrics within the music. In both films a violin plays to build suspense ominously and it suddenly cuts out to aid with giving the watchers a fright. No music plays when something mundane and not frightening is happening there is an example of this in Nightmare on Elm Street when the main characters are talking at school. In nightmare on Elm Street the background music is minimalistic compared to Jeepers creepers, the tempo increase to a fast beat when something suspenseful is about to happen. The beat sporadically symbolises a human heart beat this causes the viewer to feel uneasy. String instruments, howls scraping noises and the villains laugh are heard in the background of both films this causes a negative anxious feeling throughout the audience. Both films have a theme song which is played when the monster approaches, the nightmare on elm street theme song is sung by creepy children this illustrates fear in a way that adults singing it could not achieve. Silence followed by a loud noise causes the audience to get a fright there is an example of this in Jeepers creepers when a loud car horn is blared at the beginning of the movie giving watchers a fright even before the monster appears. The use of joyful music at the end of both films seems out of place but also gives an element of fear that it is not over and the villain has won.

Another convention often used in horror films is special effects. Special effects are the creation of illusions through the use of trick photography, various different types of equipment and models. The use of special effects has an impact on the audience that creates a sense of reality, when the special effects are well created the audience becomes more absorbed in the film, this heightens their fear, angst and emotions toward the characters. This is used in Nightmare on Elm Street to create an alternate reality of a state of dreaming, an example of this is when Freddy is coming out of the wall behind the girl sitting on her bed. Again there is a strong focus on the blades of his hand to show malicious intent. Levitation is used as an effect to show the supernatural side of the film. The extensive use of blood is also a special effect this symbolises the brutal nature of Freddy. The use of makeup makes Freddy appear burned and disfigured this makes him appear threatening. The director uses dark lighting in Nightmare on Elm street, he also uses lots of shadows this creates a sense of unknowing.

The use of a monster in Horror films gives the audience something to focus their fear and angst on. The Villain in horror movies is usually presented as an entity that cannot be easily defeated. The monster makes the viewers blood run cold. It keeps them transfixed and interested in the movie itself, the question of will good triumph and conquer this creature keeps the audience watching. Unexplained noises and a monster so inhumane it is totally unpredictable give the audience a thrill well after the film has concluded. The monster in horror films makes the audience think about their own fears which leaves a lingering thought while watching the film and gives a sense of unease. In both films the monster is first exposed as a hazy shadowy silhouette to build suspense and fear that you are not quite sure as to what it looks like, the not knowing keeps the viewers on the edge of their seats. In the film Nightmare on Elm Street the first part of the villain that is revealed is the blades on the monsters hand, this shows his murderous intent. The Monster in Nightmare on Elm Street comes in your dreams this plays on the fear that he is unavoidable because sleep is a necessity. Making the villain inescapable creates a sense of doom among the audience. The monster on Nightmare on Elm Street was shown as a burned, disfigured man with knives on his hands. His Striped sweater symbolises the Pied Piper coming to claim your children and his fedora hat shows that he was a caretaker before he became a monster. This is a contrast to the villain in jeepers creepers who is portrayed as a supernatural entirety who never started off human. The villain in horror films generally has hidden motives, is relentless and bloodthirsty. There is always an intriguing mystery that relates the victims to the villain. The setting of where the monster chooses to harass his victims gives different connotations to the audience. In Jeepers creepers the main characters are on a Highway in the middle of nowhere with help miles away, this gives the audience a sense of isolation. “i don’t know what’s real anymore’, this quote from Nightmare on Elm street illustrates how the villain has made the victims lose touch with reality.

The themes portrayed in these films are revenge, nightmares, insanity, vision and supernatural entirety these are illustrated by the use of conventions. The horror genre has progressed throughout the century and the conventions used have also changed, they have become more complex and realistic to make the film be perceived as more terrifying to the viewer. The growing popularity has left people considering the wider implications of viewers witnessing such gruesome films. Do these grisly scenes leave us immune to violence in the real world or more likely to commit ghastly acts due to the monkey see monkey do theory? Many people believe that horror films are a threat to society because it normalises violence, we become used to seeing something gruesome that it no longer has an effect on us and so film makers have to upgrade their conventions and make them more graphic to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. The brutality seen in films has definitely increased over the past century but the sexual explicitness has also increased. We may not know the definite effects that media has over society but we do know that it is constantly changing and as are the tightness of age restrictions to certain films.