Horror

Horror Genre


The ordinary production company which produces a horror film will base its success on thriving on peoples fears or potential fears. The target audience do not necessarily have to be interested in the storyline of a horror film; as it is mainly a daring nature which provokes high quantities of the target audience to witness the films on show. The first productions which have traces of horror aspects involved are believed to have dated back to the 1890s. This makes it evident that Horror is one of the few original film genre's. Many sub genre's have devolved from the genre, such as Supernatural, Dark fantasy and Gothic. There are no real notable differences between the horror genre and these three sub genres, but due to the high production of films within the horror industry which are to do with the conventions of these three sub genres, it is suitable that they have formed into a genre of their own.

The horror genre complys well with the Steve Neale theory of the genre lifespan. And there is an extensive list of film's which can be associated with each stage of the lifespan. For example, a classic horror film would be Frankenstein, due to it's abidement with the general horror conventions, and the fact that Frankenstein as a character is now recognized as a historic figure within the horror genre. Frankenstein was such a popular film as it can also be associated a ground breaker in the horror genre. It was not one of the first Horror films which helped the form of horror find itself, but the money invested into production and the high popularity of the producers, Universal studios, attracted many to the genre.









The theoretical cycle from Steve Neale further applies to the genre with the parody stage. This is where typical elements of horror films are mocked in a humorous way. There has been many movies which apply to this, one that springs to mind is the Scary Movie series. Scary Movie accomplishes the intention of mocking horror films by making the actions of well recognized figures within the genre seem ridiculous. The Scary Movie series is so popular due to the fact that it is simply, a comedy. Fans of the parody sub genre of comedy relish the thought of elements of certain cultures being mocked. Members of horror audiences who are often critical of horror films also contribute to the popularity of films such as Scary Movie as they feel the unrealistic element of many modern horror films could damage the genres original elements.



As you can see from this clip, elements are mocked to an extent where they are exaggerated. The character displayed is from 2002 film, The Ring. The character is entirely different in the ring, as she does not use weapons or come across as ridiculous. This is what essentially generates a comedic event in these parody films of the Horror Genre.

Horror is distributed by fairly large production companies, yet despite this, there are very few horror films made which involves a famous actor. This is due to the fact that horror film producers look to fulfill the aim of making their production frightening by relating it to the audience. Using unknown actors adds a sense of realism to the film. Not many production companies commit fully to the Horror genre and its sub genres, but companies such as Hammer Film Productions and Amicus Productions are recognized for their commitment to the genre. Hammer Film Productions are familiar due to their production of Frankenstein, a mammoth in terms of its impact on the horror genre over history. Amicus is mainly recognized for its extensive production of horror anthologies.