Research - Horror Genre

The Horror Genre

 

After my film genre research I decided to use the horror genre for my 2 minute film opening, for me to appreciate the concept of this genre, my research involved me understanding how such films convey there opening scene. Furthermore how they have influenced popular culture and how they have changed over the years. I also looked at how the genre has adapted to various special effects and technology that is available today, and how current horror cinema compares to the older horror movies. Comparing for example, how they were able to portray horror without the use of sophisticated technology. This helped me to recognise what is required for horror films, as well as understanding how I want my audience to react and the emotions that I want them to feel.

I had looked into the first notable horror movie called Nosferatu (a silent movie) which was directed by a German called F.W. Monroe. Nosferatu, titled as a symphony of horror was the first unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stokers Count Dracula. Monroe had introduced a few alternative ideas to that of Bram Stokers story; for example the counts name became Orlok, as well as introducing the idea that sunlight is a hostile element to vampires. This is a concept that has been repeated in many vampire movies since Nosferatu. At the end of the movie the count dies due to sunlight exposure.

Another aspect of the horror genre is often the ending may involve a twist, either a positive or negative outcome. However the effects in Nosferatu are quite tacky and bordering on ‘cheesy’, but the director made good use of the effects available at the time. For example he used negative exposure, stop motion animation effects and he also sped up the film reel for a comical effect. For a 1922 film these effects can be considered as inventive.

In comparison I chose to study a current movie title called ‘Drag me to Hell’. This was directed by Sam Raimi. The narrative involves a young woman called Christina Brown working as a bank loan officer; it seems almost cliché that she is young, pretty and blonde. And this seems to be an aspect that Sam Raimi intends to play with; he intends to give the impression that she is the one that will be the threatened victim. The story also contains a moral edge, the girls fate lies on herself; does she choose her own gain over another? Thus the introduction of Sylvia Ganush, an unassuming old woman, who is made to appear feeble, is refused a bank loan by Christina Brown. The old woman is desperate and clearly her fate of requiring an extension on her mortgage rests completely on Christina; who refuses Sylvia, even though she feels that her consciousness tells her to give the old lady the extension, and yet she takes the decision not to as she fears that her career is at stake otherwise. Sylvia Ganush after feeling that she has been publicly humiliated by Christina suddenly turns on her. Here the momentum of the movie changes; although the movie is a post 2000 movie, a time in which horror cinema had taken on a more subtle and less gory facet, in terms of reaching out to audiences. Instead here Raimi applies a much used technique often utilized in older movies, where there is a calm in the atmosphere and then suddenly Sylvia leaps at Christina her face twisted and clearly the use of CGI, has been used to create the effect of demonic sharper teeth and claw like hands. This jarring shift, used to shock and unsettle the audience goes back to popular horror B-Movie stylization, from the seventies and eighties. Such as ‘Evil Dead’, ‘Amityville Horror’ and ‘An American Werewolf in Paris’. The story then continues to Brown being cursed by an ancient spell that will take her to hell in 3 days unless she breaks the curse. There are many classic elements of horror in ‘Drag me to Hell’, the portrayal of an ominous demonic presence throughout the film, when the demon appears it is beyond anyone’s ability for Brown to escape it, and other such elements of a build-up of tension, close-up shots of gore. In comparison to older horror movies, although there are many classic and almost cliché elements used, the film was still refreshing and highly effective in conveying itself as a horror. As well as the sense that there were parts in which the scenes almost took on a comedic effect, the dark humor is common particularly when Christine must offer a sacrifice to the demon. A scene in which she is cautiously wielding a knife and searching for her much loved kitten, or another notable scene in which the old gypsy witch Ganush, attacks Brown in her car. She tries to bite Brown; however her false teeth have fallen out and is gnawing on Browns chin with her gums. In comparison to classic titles such as Nosferatu, Hitchcock’s Psycho and the Fly. ‘Drag me to hell’ does have better special effects, the image resolution appears to be clearer, the storyline is easier to follow, and although it is not as notable as Nosferatu, I believe it is certainly a modern classic in its own right. Both movies have been stark contrasts in how horror can be expressed to an audience, and have given me a sense of what to use in my filming approach for the opening scene of my movie.