Slasher Theory

Even though the Slasher genre is seen to be ‘the most disreputable form of the horror film’ 3 major characters from the Slasher genre, (Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Pinhead) are seen as the defining characters of horror.

Many date the beginning of the Slasher genre to the shower scene in Psycho. The main characters in Slasher films are usually the vulnerable female,  the masked killer and the weapon ( usually a knife as this means closer contact with the killer and victim. )

Most Slasher films are repeated cycles of killings, with a strong sense of voyeurism and p.o.v shots putting the audience in either the killer or victim.

Women in Slasher films are repeatedly killed and sexualised, apparently in conformance to the monsters attempt at repressing the dangerous sexuality they exhibit.  However the final girl is usually desexualised by being unavailable for relationships.

The Exorcist Analysis

Famous Horror film Directors

Friedrich Wilhelm "F. W." Murnau (December 28, 1888 – March 11, 1931)  - Nosferatu

 Munrau was on of the most influential German film directors of the silent era and one of the main individuals in the expressionist movement in German cinemas. His most well known film was Nosferatu, and adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Nosferatu was the begging of the horror film genre, and has received a cult following, being in the 'top 100 films of all time.'







Tod Browning - (12 July 1880 – 6 October 1962) - Dracula
Browning was an American motion picture actor, director andscreenwriter. He is known for directing Dracula,  the cult classic Freaks (1932), and classic silent film collaborations with Lon Chaney, Browning directed many movies in a wide range of genres.








James Whale - Frankenstein
James Whale (22 July 1889 – 29 May 1957) was an English film director, theatre director and actor. He is best remembered for his work in the horror film genre, having directed such classics as Frankenstein (1931), The Old Dark House (1932), The Invisible Man (1933) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Whale directed over a dozen films in other genres, including what is considered the definitive film version of the musical Show Boat (1936). He became increasingly disenchanted with his association with horror, but many of his non-horror films have fallen into obscurity.

Development of Monsters in Horror Films + How they Reflect Society's Fears

Regulations in the Film Industry

Victims in Horror Films

In past and present horror films the victims have been nearly all female, with a few more males in recent horror films. This insinuates that males are more powerful than females, which relates to Laura Mulvey's theory which puts forward the idea that film and cinematography are inadvertently structured upon the ideas of patriarchy. 

Villains in Horror Films

Here is a timeline of famous villains in horror films. You can see that over time that the villains have become fairly normal compared to the zombies and vampires that were common in earlier films. This may be because nowadays a villain is scarier because of the fact that it could be any ordinary person ( e.g: your next door neighbor.) 
Common themes throughout all the villains are:
- masked killers
-children
- supernatural (vampires, werewovles)

- psychological 

Semantic and Syntactic Features of Horror Films

Here is a selection of images showing both Semantic and Syntactic elements in horror films. On the left (Semantic) features typical iconography (what we would expect to see in horror films) and on the right (Syntactic) shows typical narratives and ideology of horror films.   

Genre Theory

Here is a diagram illustrating the theoretical model of the process of genre. It shows the way in which the text, audience and industry all rely upon each other.

Horror Questionnare Analysis

Horror Questionnare

Here is the questionnaire that I issued to the public to find out what they would like to see from a new horror film + its products.

What gender are you?

Male             Female

How old are you?

15 – 18        19 – 25         26 – 30            31+

How often do you watch horror films? (Please Circle)

Daily               Weekly               Monthly               Yearly                Never

 What is your favourite sub genre of horror films? (Please circle 1 or more)

Slasher            Crime            Thriller           Japanese Horror          Comedy Horror    

Psychological Horror            Supernatural              Apocalyptic                    Gore      

 Please give a reason(s).

 What do you look for in Horror Films? (E.g.: Vampires, Zombies, Gore)

 What is your favourite horror film?

 Please give a reason(s).

What is your least favourite film?

 Please give a reason(s)?

Where do you watch horror films?

Cinema             DVD      Online        TV       Other (please state)__________________

 Do you regularly go on horror film’s websites?

Yes                     No         (please state why/why not)_________________________

 What features do you like on websites? (E.g. free downloads, games)

 Are you influenced by posters advertising horror films?

 What is the last horror film website you visited?

 Please give a reason(s)?

 Would you like to be able to view the trailer on the website?

Yes            No

 Do you think the poster and website should have the same colour scheme?

Yes           No

Do you think the main image on a horror film poster should also be the main image on the website?

Yes          No

 How long do you think the horror film trailer should run for?

30secs – 1min         1min – 2mins        2mins – 3mins       3mins+

Thank you for your time