Horror film conventions and theories

Many theories can be applied to horror films. My partner Rumena Ahmed researched the theories by Todorov and Levi Strauss.

There are five stages to Todorov's Narrative Theory:

1. A state of equilibrium (The fictional environment within the films text is as it should be)

2. A disruption of the equilibrium (Something has disrupted the order in the fictional environment this is usually caused by an event)

3. A recognition of the disequilibrium (Characters within the fictional environment have recognized the threat posed by the disequilibrium)

4. An attempt to repair the equilibrium (Characters within the fictional environment try and put things back to the way they were)

5. Equilibrium is restored or a new equilibrium is established (Characters within the fictional environment are successful in the attempts to repair the equilibrium returning things to the way they were or by accepting a new equilibrium).

Levi Strauss' theory is that the conflict is based around the binary opposites and that the binary opposites are the central climax of a narrative. Examples of Binary Opposites are Good vs Evil, Black vs White, Boy vs Girl, Peace vs War, Civilised vs Savage, Democracy vs Dictatorship, First world vs Third world.

To explore the use of conventions and theories within stereotypical horror films, my group and I recorded our findings on Vine to create short videos.

Conventional settings:-




Within horror films it is very common to have these deserted settings since it creates a fear of the unknown. Characters in these settings are usually alone thus leaving them vulnerable and open to danger. A Horror film, which contains this convention is 'Blair Witch Project' (1999).  Its narrative includes three students who disappear in the woods; police then find footage of their documentary in which they encounter scary situation in many abandoned places.

Conventional opening story lines:-





These type of situations leave the protagonists alone and defenseless. This again leaves them open to danger. This convention can be seen in many different horror films. For example in '30 Days of Night' (2010), the protagonist is on her way out of town, when her car breaks down. Subsequently she is forced to stay in the town which then becomes plagued with bloodthirsty vampires. Additionally, in 'Scream' (1996), the character Casey is home alone when she is attacked and murdered by masked villain.

Conventional climaxes:-






These scenes show examples of Todorov's theory, whereby the characters have recognized the threat of the disequilibrium. Horror films such as 'The Conjuring' include antagonists appearing out of nowhere, accompanied by a loud, disturbing noise. The last video also includes a loud dramatic noise which is typical in horror movies since it evokes fear for the audience.