HORROR CONVENTIONS
Iconography - Iconography is the pictures/images the audience universally recognise with a certain genre. Some examples of famous iconography are:
Halloween mask, Psycho (shower scene, 'Here's Johnny', Frankenstein (bolts through the neck)
Props - An essential part of the horror genre. Props include, candles, weapons, daggers, blood etc. All these props make the genre and the world of the movie more realistic.
Style - Style includes the different shot types, editing, atmosphere created etc.
This is emphasises by Dark and shadowy figures (as seen from many horror movies)
POV shots, fast cuts, creepy music, climatic moment, sense of fear etc
Settings - Dark places, haunted houses, ally ways, castles and mountains, isolated places
A good example of a setting is 'Psycho.' Most of the movie is set in the hotel and the isolated house a few yards away from it. The hotel is just off a motorway, away from any sort of foodstores, restaurants etc, and has hardly ever any reservations- so little that there is no need to even have a registration book! - An ideal place for a murder to take place!
Characters - A serial killer, or just a killer. An innocent young child who always seems to be left home alone, devils, vampires, detectives, monster, human heroes, bazare creatures, women as the vulnerable victims.
Emotional pleasures are essential to make a movie successful. The audience need to feel involved in the movie and the actions. Themes include: fear, isolation, traps, death, gore, pursuit etc.