Kai Films: November 2021

Even though Halloween has already passed, I wanted to do a research post on one of my favorite film genres: Horror!

What is Horror?

According to Britannica, Horror is "a motion picture calculated to cause intense repugnance, fear, or dread. Horror films may incorporate incidents of physical violence and psychological terror." The genre has evolved over time, but common symbols such as clowns, knives, and blood unite many horror movies. Today, viewers and critics alike believe that horror films can easily be cheesy or poorly produced and executed, but when done right, movies under the horror genre are some of the most iconic pieces of a generation.

Who Enjoys Horror?

The target audience of Horror films are typically young adults and teenagers aged 15-25. However, the typically gory and gruesome visuals of horror films appeal more to male interests, although horror as a genre has never been associated with one gender over the others.

Conventions of Horror- Production Techniques

Horror films typically include low-key, dark, and mysterious lighting, as well as fast-paced camera cuts and editing techniques. Horror films will also include intense sound effects, especially during scenes of deaths or climaxes. These sound effects aid in developing fear and a more intense sentiment within the viewer, and go along with the visuals on-screen. Horror films will often use tight camera shots, aiding in creating a further sense of mystery, and often helping to focus on all the wrong details to create a more surprising and thrilling climax and ending.

Conventions of Horror- Content

In Horror films, there are many similar content techniques (over)used that make many of them reminiscent of one another. For example, jumpscares are often utilized to scare both the character and the viewers. Jumpscares are typically done by humans and in some cases, other supernatural creatures or figures. Horror films may also take longer periods of time to build up to a climax to heighten tension and create suspense throughout the movie. For example, in the movie, "The Witch", directed by Robert Eggers, a long build-up is used to maximize the intensity and thrill of the climax of the movie.

"The Witch" (2015)

Marketing Techniques for Horror Films

Typically, horror movies rely on eye-catching symbols when it comes to posters and advertisements, such as demonic eyes, blood, and dark and intense colors. For example, "The Nun" (2018), relies on an eye-catching and demonic image of a nun, but the poster is split into two parts: black and white. This easily captures an audience's attention, and clearly shows that the film is of the horror genre.

"The Nun" (2018)

Marketing for horror films often relies on shock factors to create hype about the release of the film. For example, before "It" (2017) was released, much hype was created based on reviews discussing the gruesome nature of the film, causing audiences to rush to theaters to watch the film. Additionally, the trailers also gave viewers an inside look into what seemed to be one of the most shocking and horrific movies to have hit theaters in a very long time.

"It" (2017)

Samples

The film, "Us" (2019), was very highly anticipated, especially after Director Jordan Peele's smash hit, "Get Out" (2017). The film features a woman, Adelaide Wilson (Lupita N'yongo), returning to her childhood vacation home with her family, where she quite literally, faces her demons. These masked, demon-like carbon copies of her family members have one goal in mind: to murder the normal/human versions of themselves. They haunt the protagonist's family and even go far enough to assassinate their best friends. The masked figures imitate their counterparts' every move, with the ultimate purpose of destroying them. This film relies on low-key lighting, foreshadowing, and tight camera cuts to create a suspenseful atmosphere and a thrilling plot, with underlying messages about the tension in race relations in the United States. This film features many typical characteristics of the horror genre, but ultimately delivers an extremely impactful message in a very subliminal way, leaving the viewer stunned after they finish watching it.

"A Quiet Place" (2018) is a horror-thriller that takes place in a world where sign language must be spoken because if noise is made, mysterious creatures will kill them. The protagonists, Evelyn and Lee Abbott (Emily Blunt and John Krasinski), seek to protect their children from the creatures, learning new methods of survival and making a new home for themselves as they raise their children, and even have new ones. This film relies heavily on tight camera cuts, minimal yet specific sound effects, and visual special effects to create a one-of-a-kind suspense that had viewers on the edge of their seats. This film embodies many elements of horror. Most obviously, the main antagonists are supernatural creatures that aim to kill the protagonists. There are jump scares and tight camera shots with quick editing cuts to maximize the suspense and thrill of the film. Many scenes contain gruesome visuals including what I consider to be the most silent yet intense birth-giving scene in cinema history. The setting is also dystopian in nature, and many factors in the plot are aimed against the protagonists.