J.R. Own Images Related to Supernatural/Psychological Horror

Own Images Related to Supernatural/Psychological Horror

Image 1 XLS (Extra Long Shot)

Image 2 LS (Long Shot)

Image 3 LS (Long Shot)

Image 4 MLS (Mid Long Short)

J.R. Horror Opening Analysis - The Woman in Black (2012)

Analyzing an Opening Sequence

The Woman in Black 

A young lawyer travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals. 

Director:

 James Watkins

Writers:

 Susan Hill (novel), Jane Goldman (screenplay)

Stars:

 Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer, Ciarán Hinds |See full cast and crew

(IMDb)

Genre

The film, 'The Woman in Black' is put into the category of being a Supernatural Horror/Psychological Thriller, both sub-genres of horror. Straight away in the opening of the film we are able to identify as an audience that this film fulfills its genre. The sinister setting that the three girls are located in creates an unnerving tension, in addition to the sound used in the background that portrays to us that their presence in the room ins unwelcome. Which implies that their is an element of supernatural activity happening in this film opening. At the end of the clip we see the figure of a female dressed in black, which connotes that she is the 'woman in black' to which the film is based upon or around. This supports the audience expectations of the film that she (The Woman in Black) will be the sinister, supernatural character in the film. However it still remains a mystery as the woman's facial features remain hidden which creates tension in the opening. Furthermore we see that the three girls have more camera time that the 'mysterious woman', which could challenges the audience expectations for the film meaning that they are the main characters that we are to focus on. 


Form and Style of Opening 

• The opening of this film has a very supernatural feel to it. The grey colour grading that occurs in the opening really gives us as an audience a sketchy feel to the film, which supports the residual ideology we have on ghosts (supernatural horror). 
• Foreboding is defiantly introduced to the audience in this opening, and the main contributor to that is the sound used. The dark sinister sound that is used to signify the presence of something that draws the attentions of the three girls, gives the audience apprehension to what will happen next in the clip. To support this the nursery rhyme themed song played lightly in the background also creates tension due to the sound slowly increasing as the opening continues. 
• Once again we are shown as an audience the significance of the 'unknown' character in the corner of the room due to the noise that draws the attention of all three girls in the opening. This gives the character more authority in the scene as we see all the other characters give them their attention almost automatically in response to the sound that conveys their presence in the scene.  
• In the opening the font is introduced to us among a cloudy mysterious background, this supports the supernatural element to the film. In addition to this we see various faded images appear in the background giving the audience more clues about what the plot of the film is about and why the opening has significance on the film. 
• Various production houses are mentioned in the opening credits, such as; 'Hammer Film/Exclusive Media Group, Alliance Films and The UKFC' all in which appear in text from the 'fog like' background. 

Film Language - Telling the Story 

Props are used as a visual signifier to the audience, for example the dolls and the china tea set show us the innocence naivety and vulnerability of the three girls in the scene. This supports a residual ideology in our society that young girls are weak and exposed to all types of threat. Furthermore costume also supports this idea showing that the girls are lacking wisdom as they are all dressed in little 'doll type dresses' which connotes that they are unprotected against the 'dark presence' in the room. Non-verbal language further reinforces the idea that supernatural figure has importance within the opening of the film. This is shown by the three girls faces when the A very significant camera angle is the one looking down on the three girls playing. This bird eye view or the POV (point of view) of the unknown character shows that they have superiority over the other characters due to the fact that the camera is angles down upon them showing they have less significance, supporting the idea that the unseen character is the antagonist in the film. Camera work in the clip is also very symmetrical throughout the clip, in my opinion i believe this shows the audience that the anonymous character has great power and even possibly beauty, as the symmetry may connote this. The camera has a various number of different sizes throughout this opening, some to signify the importance of an individual character and then others to set the scene, long shots shows the significance of the setting that the three girls are in, in the opening of the film. Another important shot in the scene is the close up shot of the little girl crushing the china cup, which implies that something bad is about to happen, fulling the audience with anticipation. 

Narrative     

The narrative in this extract is constructed around the three girls, because they are given shot prevalence in the scene. Therefore due to this the audience are then connected with his emotions and reactions. The three young girls that we are positioned with present a theme of vulnerability and weakness, supporting a dominant ideology that children are vulnerable. Tension through the scene is maintained by the sound used. This sound helps build the tension up to the climax at the end of the scene, the children's music in alliance with the dark depressing more sinister music being played maintains mystery in the scene which places the audience on the edges of their seats as they wait for the climax about to happen.

Ideology & Representation


The opening scene from Woman in black reinforces the stereotypes concerning young females, supporting a dominant ideology that young females are weak and vulnerable. This vulnerability is particularly highlighted in the birds eye shot of the three girls playing, showing that an unknown (who we don't see) has more power than them as the camera angle shows this through its height connoting that it has more dominance in the scene. The representation of the young girls used used through mise-en-scene, it shows the three girls playing with dolls and toys connoting that they are all young and naive, possibly even unaware of what to is about to come. 

Media Audiences 

The target audience for this film would most likely be the core audience of horror films, which range from 12 - 29 year old males. However due to the fact that the scene focuses on the little girls virtually anyone can relate to their own experiences as a child and relate it  back to this film. Therefore due to points like these i believe that the target audience is more 12 - 50 (both sex's), 12 due to the age rating and up to 50 as anyone past that age is generally information poor and will not have easy access to this media content.   

H.C. Analysing a sequence from 'Poltergeist' (Hooper, 1982)

Genre:

• Poltergeist (Hooper, 1982) is a supernatural horror film. It conforms to the audiences expectations of a supernatural horror, as it is suspenseful. From the point where the clown disappears, the audience is left waiting in confusion to see when and where it will re-appear. The film's title is also used to convey the supernatural element of this production, as 'Poltergeist' is the technical name for a ghost. 

Form and style/ Film language used in opening:

• Hooper has created a suspenseful passage, in parallel with the conventions of supernatural horror. A series of film techniques are exploited to give this sequence a sense of foreboding.
• Key aspects of mise - en - scene are considered to help create tension. Firstly, the audience is positioned with the little boy in shot, as we follow him in his bed. Character blocking is then used, placing the boy and the clown face to face, so that the boy is head on with his fears. This draws the audience in, as we can relate to fear.
• Another convention of mise en scene considered to develop a sense of foreboding is lighting. The boy has light exposed on his face, which makes us recognise him, where as the clown is kept in the shadows with only partial lighting showing some of its features. This alienates the audience, conforming to the conventions of supernatural horror, as we are exposed to the unknown.
• The boy's actions also develop tension in the sequence. He attempts to cover the clown by throwing a jacket over the clown. This adds to the sense of foreboding as it reveals the child's fear and vulnerability. 
• Camera and editing are used together to construct meaning in this sequence. As the boy gets in his bed and notices the clown, we cut from shots between him an the clown, establishing the two characters involved.
• The sequence then continues with the lighting establishing the boy as the protagonist and the clown as the antagonist, as previously mentioned. Throughout the sequence, the camera is positioned so that the boy is given prevalence. This develops the sense of foreboding for numerous reasons. As the boy lies down, we follow him. This allows Hooper to advance the scene. When the boy sits back up the clown has disappeared. This is chilling, as it makes the audience aware that something out of the ordinary is taking place here, elevating the suspense in the sequence. As the boy checks around his bed for the clown, the camera follows him thanks to the cuts selected and filming techniques where the camera is lowered and raised. These promote the focus to be on the boy's action, allowing for the clown to sneak up, out of shot, and creating a jump.

Narrative and ideological discourse:

• The narrative is constructed around the boy. The audience identifies with him as he is given prevalence in the shot. Because of this we connect with his emotions and his reactions. The use of a young boy in the sequence faced with an antagonist, presents a theme of vulnerability in isolation. 
• Throughout the sequence, the exposition of the young boy and his fearful behaviour towards the antagnoist construct dominant ideologies about this character. Because he is just a child, the stereotype presented is that he is defenseless and weak. Furthermore, the clown antagonist is given hegemonic status over the young boy as it shows now emotion and is completely sterile, in contrast with the boy who clearly displays fear.

Media audiences:

• The target audience for this film would most likely be the core audience of horror films, which range from 15 to 29 year old males. However it could also be aimed at parents, as it contacts with their worst fears, the loss of a child. The preferred reading for this text would most likely be that it is impossible to protect children from hidden dangers in life. This is why it is so effective at scaring people, as it plays with concepts of the unknown.

T.M. The Ring (2002, Verbinski) Opening Sequence Analysis

The Ring (2002, Verbinski) Opening Sequence Analysis

Genre

•  The American adaptation of ‘The Ring’ is in the subgenre physiological horror.
• The movie also includes elements of supernatural, suspense, thriller and mystery, which are evident during the opening sequence; for example its conventional increase of built tension through the use of silence and the audiences’ expectation of impending doom.

Form and Style of Opening

• The scene opens with an establishing shot with very low key lighting. Although the dark tone is stereotypically chilling, the homely environment allows the audience to have a false sense of comfort and protection. This technique then allows suspense to be constructed because the audience have a sense of foreboding due to the knowledge that an inevitable scare is expected, however it cannot be anticipated when the shock is coming.

Film Language- telling the story

• The two characters clothing suggests innocence and vulnerability from their school uniform. Ideologically easy targets for potential antagonists within a horror film. 
• The location of the opening scene is set at the protagonists’ home, which encourages the audience to feel relaxed, due to the reassuring environment. However the lack of white noise, accompanied by just dialogue and rain then emphasizes the intended enhanced sounds such as the ringing of the phone, unsettling the audience and creating tension.
• As tension builds with in the scene, the shot variation increases, finalized with an extreme close up; showing exaggeration of the female protagonists facial expressions, which conventionally portrays a feeling of dread and fear. 

Narrative 

• The audience are positioned with the two female protagonists, Katie, in particular. She is given screen prevalence, and we experience occurrences through Katie, such as the discovery of the mysterious video tape and the liquid running from under the upstairs door. 
• The tension during these scenes are maintained through the numerous false foreboding stock situations, for example Katie's scare on her friend by clutching her neck, as well as the ring of the phone, resulting in the call being from her mother. This constantly puts the audience on edge  due to the unpredictability of when the unavoidable horrors will arise. 

Representation & Ideology 

• The opening scene represents the two protagonists as stereotypical females within the horror film genre. The ideological discourse of women being vulnerable and powerless holds true during this film from the supernatural force which is menacing the teenagers. 
• The teenagers activities are represented as a very residual ideology, for example the girls both sit on the bed and tease each other with horror stories whilst discussing their promiscuity. 
• Their topics of conversation are again, a dominant stereotype of teenagers as the impression is given that the characters live a hedonistic lifestyle. For instance 'Me and Josh saw it last weekend.' 'I thought you were with your parents!' 

Media Audiences   

• The specific target audience for a psychological horror films tend to be male teenagers because of their curiosity and daring nature, resulting in wanting to watch this genre of movie due to their mystery and adrenaline factor. However The Ring generated an audience of mostly females. This was likely due to the female lead (Naomi Watts) in the movie which may have alienated men. 

Group. Initial ideas for Horror task

Group 5 discussion summary

• During discussion we all agreed that we were most excited by the supernatural horror sub-genre, for its suspenseful nature.
•  We are all chilled by the idea of ghosts or godly beings, no matter how hardened we are to horror.
•  Through our research we have taken some inspiration from poltergeist (Hooper, 1982, Woman in Black (Watkins, 2012)and Insidious (Wan, 2011).
• So far we are interested in brining this sub-genre into the modern world, with the incorporation of technology, eluding to the dark nature of the age of the internet.

T.M. Comedy horror analysis

H.C. Supernatural horror

J.R. Psychological Horror/Thriller

H.C. The History of Horror

Why are stories that 'aim to scare their audience' so popular?

Horror films and stories that aim to scare are popular for one simple reason; they bring to life the things we do not encounter. The audience experience what is known as visceral pleasure. Whether curled up tight on the sofa, clawing at the cusions or sweating nervously in your cinema seat, films that scare allow us to recieve a thrill that is as close to real life as possible.

What insight can the study of horror monsters give?

Horror monsters give us an in depth analysis of anxieties, concerns and fears of contempary culture. The stories in which horror monsters are involved in also represent views and stereotypes from a certain period in time. Monsters can take several different forms according to genre and the film maker's vision, obvious examples include zombies, vampires and supernatural beings. However all are selected with intention to convey attitudes and ideologies within the film.

What did Nosferatu (1922), one of the earliest horror films use the vampire as a metaphor for?

In Nosferatu, the Vampire is used as a metaphor to present the harsh reality that post world war one Germany faced. The Vampire is an 'invader' that claims its victims through a bite. This symbolises the devastation that was present in Germany after world war one, as the vampires bite results in death or infection which was a reflection of the extreme poverty as a result of the treaty of versailles and the very real death that occured from a flu pandemic. The vampire therefore is a metaphor for infiltration and infection. 

Readings of horror based upon socio/cultural contexts of the decade and the development of the genre.

Post world war two films featured a focus on monsters that invaded and infected much like the concept formed in Nosferatu. These ideas were explored largely because of the extreme horror that the world had witnessed in war and so horror films soon began to echo horrific events like the hollocaust and mass slaughter.

The 1960's saw social change and this was reflected in the horor genre. Hitchcock's 'Psycho' (1960) depicts a monster that is a man who's family dynamics created an 'abnormal psychology'. The key points to take from this era are that the genre portrayed an unsettling realism, revealing to audiences the idea of the monster within. 

In the late sixties and early seventies, horror had hit challenging times. Real world horrors like the vietnam war, the assinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King and the development of media in the form of news meant that audiences were widely aware of brutal realities in life. Film makers therefore had to come up with new ways of scaring an audience to keep their attention and so the horror genre entered an age of violence. Slasher films like 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (Hooper, 1974)came about, featuring graphic horror and a more sadistic monster than audiences were used to. 

The eighties and ninties saw an overload of slasher films, replicating the same ideas. Audiences became familiar with the duplicated tricks and clichés and horror's popularity dipped a little. This brought about a change in attitude towards the genre and resulted in films such as 'Scream' (Craven, 1996) which were more self aware taking an ironic approach.

Contempary horror texts have seen the development of the torture-porn sub genre. These films and series feature extremely graphic scenes that push boundaries with the aim of scaring or repulsing the audience. 

Why according to Hendry is horror still relevant to audiences?

Horror has the ability to adapt itself to represent fears and concerns from any generation. This versatility is the reason for its success, as it can be manipulated to a specific culture at any given time. 

J.R. Why We Love Zombie Films

Horror Source 3 – Zombie Films

1. Read the BBC article - why are we so afraid of Zombie horror?  Summarize the article on your blog with related images.

A research project by the Open University's Stephanie Lay found a particular fear of "near-human" faces. It explains why blank eyes, automatons, masks and ventriloquists' dolls are common cinema devices to instill fear.  The research found that people were initially more receptive to robots which were made slightly human looking, but if they began to imitate humans too closely, people were repelled. For instance the empty eyes of a zombie figure in an otherwise human face are highly disconcerting causing an audience to become frightened. She says this uneasy reaction could be caused by the sudden disruption in how the human brain processes human faces, as it does not match their expectations of what they will see therefore they are then at unease at what they are seeing.

2. Read the pop mythology article - this is not an academic text, but a personal blog. However the author makes some interesting observations on audience appeal of Zombie films.  Make note of the key points on your blog with images.

·People love the Zombie Scenario because they believe they can survive it.  It has been presented to us in such a way that anyone can survive if they use their head and when necessary their fire axes and hunting rifles.

·It stands to reason that a huge part of the popularity of zombie stories is just, well, the all-out mayhem of the end of the world and being one of the super bad-ass skull crushers that can make it out there. For example the game ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops’ is a zombie game where people frequently play to get an adrenaline rush through the thought of a zombie apocalypse.

·Other end-of-world scenarios don’t provide the opportunity for anyone, old or young, of any race or creed, gender or hairstyle to survive the way slouching, moaning zombies allow us to.

·But the Zombie Apocalypse fantasy also presents an opportunity to be more honest with ourselves and recognize our own inanity. There’s nothing wrong with a little harmless fantasy, but when we start to actually wish the Zombie Apocalypse would really happen so that we don’t have to go back to our boring, humdrum lives, it’s time for a little reality check.

3. Watch the 'why do we love zombies' video - quite light heart, but worth embedding on blog and commenting on any key findings / observations.  Plus has lots of clips in montage

First ever zombie movie made in was 1968, and it was called ‘Night of the Living Dead’. The old vampire style horror movies have died down now therefore a new era of ‘zombie movies’ is now on a rise meaning in the last ten or so years many more zombie movies have been produced. It is becoming increasingly popular as people are able to relate to a zombie apocalypse and imagine themselves in that situation. However a zombie film would not be good if it weren't scary, therefore new TV series such as ‘The Walking Dead’ show that you are always vulnerable to zombies and that you are never safe, therefore zombies aren't a jumpy type of scary but a long term type of scary. This is why there is a huge attraction to zombie movies now days. 

T.M. Gender in Slasher Films

Horror Source 1-Gender in Slasher Films

When, and in what way were women repositioned within the horror genre?

Women are often presented as the weak and vulnerable character in the horror film genre.  25 horror movies were randomly selected from the most popular films across IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Netflix. 52 percent of all initial deaths were white women who were killed more than all three other gender-ethnicity categories combined. And nearly every single one of these cinematic sacrifices could be defined by their extreme position on the spectrum of promiscuity: the virgin or the promiscuous character.

What are the conventions of the 'stalk and slash' subgenre of horror?

Stalk and Slash subgenre are described as one that is inherently an American product and one that is intensely formulaic. These types of horror films generally follow similar plots consisting of a mixed sex group of teenagers who travel to a secluded location, where ideological teenage behaviours take place. Then the group experience one by one murders often from a mysterious, masked antagonist.

Who originally watched these films and why?

Teenage boys and young men were the core audience identified for watching slasher films. This demographic originally watched the films due to their frequent female nude scenes, as well as constant assault and murders.

Why does the author argue that the films were 'significant'?

The Slasher subgenre created two of contemporary horror cinema’s most enduring icons – the seemingly indestructible Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th series and Freddy Krueger from The Nightmare on Elm Street series. They were also significant as the narrative tended to have a sense of morality; the killer is punishing the group either for trespassing upon its territory or is avenging an earlier wrong perpetrated by the group or a group that they symbolically represent.

What is the concept of ' the final girl'?  

The final girl concept was constructed by Carol J. Clover. The concept was used in her film’ Her body, Himself.’ In which she used the final girl in order to describe the sole female survivor of numerous Slasher films. For Clover, The Final Girl repeatedly embodied a set of parameters that marked a female character out as ‘different’ from her peers: The Final Girl is:

·        Smarter and more conscientious than her friends

·        Intelligent, watchful, level-headed

·        Morally pure and therefore does not participate in drinking, drug-taking or sexual acts.