Essay Report

Horror is a type of genre that has stemmed from creative

stories in books. Over the last ten years the use of Horror
has become more hugely popular, as it has boomed on
media platforms like films and gaming. Horrors have
become successful due to thrill that people get from
watching them, and the supernatural storylines that evoke
an emotional response from the audience. This technique
has allowed horror films to become the billion-dollar
franchise we love today.
I am Legend is a horror that is based in New York City, with
Will Smith playing the character of a man trying to find
survivors, after a plague turns humans into bloodthirsty
mutants. This story is presented in a realistic setting,
representing the fact it could be very realistic for some people. The main character is made
the sole focus of what is going on, to give the audience a relatable to look up to throughout
the film.
The main target audience that horror films tend to aim at is between 15 and 25. They are
mainly the target audience as they are in the key stages of developing themselves and
learning and new things, so are more likely to enjoy that specific type of thing. They are the
usual type of people that will
seek thrill and become
excited, rather than an older
audience. The young
audiences are also less
susceptible to being put off
the film by violence or
unnatural images, which may
make the older audience, feel
negative towards the film. The
main gender that horrors are aimed is males, as they are more likely to be a fan of horror,
due to the stereotypical thrill seek which is portrayed as male mainly. Violence is a
convention of horror movies, which is always seen beloved by males. The overall class that
horror films are aimed at is the working class community. This is due to the level of thrill and
excitement, which is usually gained from a horror film, with a relatively cheap price. This is
usually down to the level of satisfaction the middle class individuals seek when watching
films.
Genre
Horror film is a genre, which teens to get a negative emotional reaction from the viewer, by
purposefully playing on their fears. The genre of horror has existed for over a century now,
and has stemmed from many intellectual
literatures like Edgar Allan and Bram
Stoker. This genre is sometimes relatable
with other genres like fantasy,
supernatural fiction and many thriller
genres. The main media platform that
horror is available tends to be on online
streaming channels like Netflix and
Amazon prime. These platforms have a
huge variety of films with the genre of
horror able to categorise this sort of film
particularly. The distribution of the genre
is mainly on a variety of different technology aspects. The main platform is television, where
many people watch it to get a better view of what is going on, and a better overall viewing
experience. The main content of a horror film is intended to evoke an emotional response
from the reader, which will possibly scare them. Many people like the genre of horror due
to the thrill they get of the possible scare factor, and the response it can give them. Horror
has changed massively over the years, as it has originally begun from many books that have
created a great storyline that have enchanted the reader. The success of these books
created an original boom in the film business, as consumers saw a gap in the market to
make a huge amount of money, by using a storyline that many people already love. The
consumers were able to make a successful low budget film, like Scream and The Grudge,
which generated huge amounts of revenue. These films could then be turned into highly
successful games that have been able to capture the audience through the genre of horror.
The Blair Witch project was an example of a horror film, becoming hugely successful with
horror as a main genre throughout.
Horror has variety of different aspects that allow it to work successfully due to the content
in it. The use of blood, gore and costumes is a main reason horror has been majorly
successful, as these techniques are not widely used in other normal films. This has allowed
people to automatically notice the genre of horror when these conventions are used in
films, which can make the film more understandable for the audience. The lighting in horror
films is usually fairly dark, with many scenes shot at night to make the scare factor even
more realistic. Also, the use of music allows the audience to determine the genre, as many
horrors have very dramatic and spooky music throughout, to make the scenes more intense.
This was shown at the main climax of I am Legend, when Neville is trying to save his family
and the music is the main fixture rather than any other dialogue.
The genre has also changed rapidly, as many people now expect different things in todays
society, rather than what they might have 50 years ago. Today, may people expect horrors
to be as realistic and relatable as possible, to increase the overall scare factor they might get
whilst watching them. In the 1920s the use of gore and death was used a fair amount, but
the use of better technology has meant
that horror films have had to become more
realistic for the audience. This has meant
that more horror films are becoming very
graphic, to overcome the everyday
boundaries we see in the film industry, and
try to show something we may have not
seen before. There have been many
different techniques that have been used in
recent years to make the films even more realistic. Paranormal activity is a prime example
of this, as it used point of view perspectives, to make it seem the audience were fully
involved in the story. This technique allows the overall film to look more realistic, which was
the main cause of the films success when it was released.

Narrative
The main narrative structure is similar throughout most horror genres. They mainly focus on
the central characters at the beginning of the film, in a usually threatening of spooky setting.
A main character is usually present in horror films, as it helps tell the story in the best way,
presenting the fact to the audience that something is going to happen in the storyline with
that character. The main climax of the film
generally tends to involve dramatic
circumstances, where there is usually an
altercation between the main character
and something else. This climax usually has
music, as a way of developing the climax
and making it as dramatic as possible,
during this many various shots will be
shown, which will help the audience see
multiple perspectives, giving them the idea
it is very realistic. The typical ending of a
horror tends to end on a cliffhanger, where
the problem that has arisen has the potential of returning. The narrative structure of a film
is important, as without it. It would not be recognisable to the audience and the film would
not be able to break with predictability.
An example of a narrative structure would
be in I am Legend, where it tends to follow
a typical horror structure. The begging tells
the story of events in the first person
narration, coming from the main character
Neville, whereas it then changes to the
third person, because the scene changes to
Anna speaking. There are quite a few flashbacks in the film, that are purposefully used to
signify the past memories and the chaos caused by the virus, which is allowing the audience
to keep up to date with whats happened. This is similar to the typical narrative structure as
it follows a non-linear narrative, which is shown with flashbacks. The narrative structure in I
am a Legend also features many various supernatural events, which is similar to a horror
narrative, a sit features events that unrealistic and not relatable, especially when the
mutants are running after Neville. The climax is where the main character sacrifices himself
for his family, and gets rid of the mutation by doing this. This is similar again to the narrative
structure of horror, as the scene is very dramatic throughout, and the music chosen makes
the scene very intense and enticing to watch, as it enhances the scare factor for the
audience. The ending of the film is where the ending is left closed, as the family find the
cure and are able to save humanity from the deadly infection that swept the world. The
ending is left where the problem was solved and the ending had the possibility of another
film being made, which follows the typical narrative structure of horrors.
Representation
The representation of horror has a variety of different opinions gathered from the audience.
In horror films, gender is a huge part that is usually adapted from a very stereotypical
viewpoint. In most horror films, women are
seen as the weaker figure, and are usually
presented as the young, sweet white girl
who usually dies. However, men are
presented as the heros in most horror
films, with the action being centred on
them and what they are doing. In general,
the representation of genders is mainly
biased towards men in horror films, which
can present a negative response from the
female audience. In general, horror films
tend to receive a more positive response
than negative, as many people find the thrill of these types of films, which is why they are so
popular.
The main difference in horror is also the change in realism, as the use of better effects and
the advance in technology has cause a huge boom in the horror industry. The fact that
horrors can be made to be more realistic, and now the characters are even more believable
has meant the audience are more captivated by what they see, and the actual content has
actually cause the audience to evoke an emotional response from what they see. This
change is rapidly different from the use of horrors in the 1920s, as many films were still
successful at the time, but now they would be considered as very un-realistic due to the
graphics and content used.
The general thrill that is given from horror films can entice people to watch them more, as it
can give excitement and continuous drama throughout, which will give the film purpose,
setting the overall tone of what is going on. The use of horror is becoming a wide global field
that many people are becoming captivated now. With better technology and advance in
film, horrors are becoming more and more realistic all the time, improving the overall
viewing experience for us, the viewing audience.