Changes in the horror genre

In 1997 Scream was directed by Wes Craven, this film changed the horror genre as it wasn’t the usual setting, plot and type of characters. In Scream you are able to actually see the murderers and the victims reactions. The murderers are two ordinary and local boys, both of which you would not suspect as they are given the same amount of camera time as any of the other main characters, and are your typical ‘jock’ type of character. Unlike Halloween Scream had a big budget, which was unusual for horror films at this time, and was able to have well known celebrities, such as Courtney Cox and Drew Barrymore. The victims are also normal everyday girls, they aren’t all similar and ‘sex-obsessed’ as they are represented in Halloween. As well as having an expensive cast, it is clear they have spent a lot of money on the sound tracks as it is not as repetitive and obvious as Halloween. This was very unlikely for the horror genre at this time and is why Scream is well known for changing the horror genre for ever.

Halloween was directed by John Carpenter in 1978 and was a typical horror film, and was a massive hit with horror fans. The setting of this film is obvious, as it is in a suburban town where everybody knows one another. The low-key lighting used during the murders sets the scene and gives you chills down your spine as you know something is going to happen here. The murder that we see in the first scene is gruesome and blood splats everywhere and the girl is naked after just having sex with her boyfriend. This sets the tone for the rest of the film as the murderer seems to go for girls who want sex, talk about sex, and have sex. When the girls in the films mentioned sex or rugs we know that they would be the next victim of this murderer. The villain that we see at the beginning of the film is the victims younger brother, and throughout the film he stalks his victims like we saw him do at the start with his sister.

The film is shown as if the audience are the killers and are constantly seeing from the killer Michael Myers point of view. The one girl that survives throughout the film is the one well known celebrity Jamie Lee Curtis, this challenges the typical stereotype of the man surviving. This is obvious from the beginning as she notices the strange things going on, and the strange man stalking the girls. She is the most conservative of characters and is the only one to fight off her attacker unlike the helpless typical damsel in distress characters the other girls represent.

Unlike in Halloween where the victims are so blatantly helpless against the killer, in Scream the victims always fight back. As in the first sequence we see Drew Barrymore’s character get brutally murdered, however she does fight back and shows more chance of surviving. The use of the masked character, mocks Halloween, and just shows how predictable horror movies can be, which is why people went to the cinema to watch them, however Scream changed this for them. Less nudity is in Scream than in Halloween, representing the fact the people aren’t being killed because of their sexual nature, just purely random. Wes Craven wanted to subvert the male gaze theory where female nudity was put in films to satisfy the male audience’s sexual fantasies. The murders in Scream are a lot bloodier and graphic than Halloween again changing the whole horror aspect.

After Halloween was made, many other low budget horror films were made to cash in on the ever growing audience for horror films. Using the camera from the victims Point of view and the murderers point of view, makes the audience feel for the characters in Scream, unlike in Halloween where they watched it as if they were the murderer. The difference that Scream brings to the genre is the fact that one of the big name characters dies at the beginning of the film instead of the end. A common feature used in both horror films are the low key lighting, and suburban area. However, Scream mocks the predictability of horror films and challenges the typical conventions used by all horror film directors.  An example of these was ‘Scary Movie’ which also used parody to mock the outworn clichés of previous horror films, like Halloween. The success of Scream changed the horror genre forever and led to many more films being made similar to it, mocking and challenging typical horror themes.

Halloween

-The setting of the film 'Halloween' is typical of a horror film, as it is in a quiet suburban area, which immediately leads the audience to know that something is definitely going to happen here, and everybody in the village will be involved. 
-The way in which the camera is positioned throughout the film makes the audience feel as though they are in the murderers shoes, and as though they're really there. The same as when the character actually commits a murder, the camera is set to high angle, to make us feel as though we are the murderer, and shows the dominance the murderer holds over his victims.
-The dress code in the film is of vital importance as the girls are all mostly dressed in revealing clothes, hinting to us these will be the victims. Also when the young boy is dressed in a clown suit, we know this is going to be a horror as most people are frightened of clowns. However the one well known character in the film, dresses very conservative, which we know means nothings going to happen to her, but she realizes about the murderer. 
-The language used by the characters on screen is focused around sex, and the one well known character is obviously not interested in the same thing as the other girls. We get the feeling that sex is a main theme throughout the film as the first murder of the film happens once a young girl has had sex with her boyfriend and he leaves. 
-We recognize the film genre almost immediately due to the monotonous soundtrack played during the credits at the start, and the way the film actually starts as if we are the character, and obviously because of the date the film is set: 'Halloween' which is traditionally known as a day where things out of the ordinary happen. 
-The use of props such as knives, as we see at the start of the film used in the first murder, also help the audience recognize the film genre.

Daisy Riley - A2 Media production

I will be designing and developing a promotional package for a new Horror film which will include a teaser trailer (maximum 60 seconds), a film magazine front cover, promoting the film, and a promotional movie poster. I will also have to create an original soundtrack for the trailer and all images must be my own. here is a collage of a number of different horror movies which i have collected.