Research Rationale

I have access to a target group aged 16-18 years old. This will mean that my target audience will preferably be aged between those ages when producing my horror trailer. They are friends as well as my peers. Some of them attend the college and some of them do not. I will conduct my audience research by doing survey’s, interviews and focus groups. I will also discuss people’s fears. I believe that this will be useful as I will be able to find out people’s interest in horror, whether they enjoy it or not. If they do not enjoy it, I therefore will not continue to use the same people in my focus group because it will be pointless as they do not enjoy horror. This will also give me a clear view of how close I am to create my horror trailer with the information I have been given.

I believe that if I do survey’s, interviews and create a focus group at the end, this will enable me to conduct my research a lot quicker than just asking random people. As I already have a target audience I want to aim my horror trailer at, I know that horror isn't for everyone, meaning that not everybody enjoys horror. This will therefore allow me to do an interview with the people I know enjoy horror and then will allow me to create a focus group based on the research I have conducted. The people from my focus group will be my overall target audience as I will listen to information they have given me about the horror genre. This includes questions such as what they enjoy about horror and what motivates them to watching it. Also, what makes a good horror trailer? 

I will need to create a questionnaire which will allow me to come up with questions I will ask my possible target audience. Potential questions would involve, do you like horror? This automatically gives me a clear indication of people I will need in my focus group.  I will also need a microphone and camcorder to film the interviews and focus groups. I will need a camera too, just in case the filming does do not come out as clear and focused as I would like them too. To conclude I will need people. They are the ones that are giving me the information and without them I will not be able to continue being in the process of creating my horror trailer. Similarly, I don’t think that a horror trailer can be successful without people’s opinions.

Halloween (1978)

As you can see from above, I posted a review on SlideShare about the slasher movie, Halloween which was directed in 1978 by John Carpenter who is most commonly associated with horror and science films in the 1970s and the 1980s. I have given a rough summary of the movie, the history of the movie and my own personal review on the movie. Overall, I enjoyed watching the movie and thought that it was extremely interesting and jumpy at various occasions. It is by far one of the best horror movies that I have watched so far. I think that this is because you follow the main character throughout his adolescence and see that he is a killer from an early age, being aged only six. This automatically makes viewers scared of his character which is a good convention to use in horror movies. It meets all of the horror elements this way. The fact that there wasn't that much blood and gore used made the film more enjoyable to watch because it didn't seem too unrealistic. I think that if a horror movie has too much blood and gore, it can get annoying and can be disturbing to watch. However, Halloween did not follow the stereotypical convention of having to much blood and gore and I personally think that this is what made it a successful film.

Carrie (1976)

Carrie was by far the best horror movie I have watched in class! Even though it was quite gory and some scenes were disturbing to watch at times, it met all the horror genre expectations. Produced in 1976, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, Carrie is a supernatural horror undergoing a teenage girl experiencing bullying her whole life. At the end of the movie, her telekinesis ways helps her get revenge which leads to a sequel of events. Themes such as bullying, religion, death, supernatural and repression are made apparent in the movie. Due to Carrie's sheltered life, she seeks escapism as she is being repressed by religion because of her mother and bullied by both her mother and the girls at school. Carrie longs to be accepted by her mother and people at school. She is always classed as the 'other' which is a stereotypical theme in horror movies. Religion is also a stereotypical theme in horrors which has usually been corrupted. It is a prominent theme Carrie undergoes. Carrie's full name is 'Carrie White'. This is symbolic of purity and innocence. It could also foreshadow later events in which Carrie's innocence could be corrupted.

I personally believe that the scene Carrie gets her revenge is the best scene in the film, also referred to as the 'Prom Night'. The first scene in the movie and the prom night interlink as the same music is being played. This is due to a sign of pleasure Carrie is experiencing. When she was in the shower, she was cleansing herself which could also symbolize her washing away her sins. The music plays again when she and her date go up on stage to be crowned as Prom King and Prom Queen. Carrie feels accepted in this case and this is another sign of pleasure to her. Always replacing with her pleasure, torture begins to be made prominent as in the shower scene, she starts her period (menstrual blood) which she sees as being unclean and her mother views her as sinning. In the prom scene, pigs blood is poured upon her which is also a sign of being unclean and not accepted. Carrie goes back to being classed as the 'other' as this is where her true powers are revealed which links with the movie expressing themes of supernaturalism. 

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

As you can see from above, I posted a prezi about The Chainsaw Massacre which I have done a review on and spoken a little about. I watched it in class and found it really interesting the way it was directed and written. Looking back at the movie poster, it gave it away that it was a horror movie due to the splashes of blood on the picture, the rhetorical question which gives you a sense of fear when watching. The colour red was also a prominent colour used which is connotations of blood and death. The fact that the figure on the front is masked, this can suggest that they are inhuman and classed as the 'other' which is a stereotypical horror aspect. There is a weapon on the front which is related to the name of the movie which is a chainsaw which can connote that the movie is a slasher. This conveys blood, gore and death. I personally think that the movie was very interesting and quite quick when addressing what was going to happen to certain characters, you could just automatically tell. You weren't always on edge.

Psycho (1960)

As you can see from above this is a review on the horror movie 'Psycho' which was made in 1960. I have uploaded a clip from Youtube which is the most famous scene from the movie, labelled the 'Shower Scene'. This links with the various results you find when typing into a search bar 'Psycho 1960'. The film was very unusual and I found it quite satire at times even though it wasn't supposed to be. Similar to many different horror movies, it was quite jumpy at times and I did feel myself on edge at various occasions. The fact that it was in black and white created suspense and I personally believe that this is what makes horrors even more scary. I was able to pick out the eight different characters in which refers to Propps theory. The character Marion Crane took on the role as the innocent girl and the psychopath Norman Bates was the villain. This was conspicuous throughout. Overall it was a good movie and a recommendation. The use of 'Psycho Strings' mad it even more scary.

Propp's Character Theory

Vladimir Propp was a Russian and soviet formalist scholar.

Propp believed that there were 8 character main types. The emphasis was on looking at characters not as representing real people but as functions whose role was to move the narrative forward.

1. The hero (seeks something) - on a quest, or trying to solve something.
2. The villain - struggles against the hero.
3. The princess/prize - an object which is deliberately sought by the hero. (She may be a reward).
4. The Donor - a person who gives the hero something special (magical weapon).
5. The Helper - The hero is supported in his or her quest by a helper.
6. The Princess' father - Gives the task to the hero.
7. The False hero - Appears to act heroically, tries to steal the hero's thunder.
8. The Dispatcher - An early role in the story. The dispatcher sends the hero on a mission.
9. The Rogue Hero - (Captain Jack Sparrow) Not the most villainous or the most heroic character, so could be termed as a rogue. 

I personally agree with Propp's character theory as I can distinguish the eight different character types in films. Each character has a function that moves the narrative forward. I personally believe that the film will no be able to progress without it. All characters also have a main intention in which they want to achieve. For example in the 2009 horror movie, Orphan, Esther's main intention is to slowly kill off all of the family members, so that she can have a relationship with him. She uses her past experiences to convey this as she has had several sexual encounters with many men and getting raped young. She grows this fascination to act like a little girl and to get a family. Esther is the movies protagonist as well as the villain in which is a subversion as the hero of a movie is usually the main character. The hero in this case is the mother in the family Kate Coleman although it is not apparent throughout. She kills Esther at the end of the movie when she reveals herself as a 33 year old woman. The hero's helper is the little girl in the family, Max Coleman as she helps the family differentiate Esther's unpleasant ways which leads to her revealing her evil past. Stereotypically and according to Propp's character theory, Max supports her mother throughout the film to help her achieve the quest she has been set or given.

However, in the horror movie Carrie (1976), the eight different character types are not present. For example, Carrie is the main character of the movie and can be portrayed as the villain as she gets revenge by killing everyone. In this case, she could be viewed as the false hero, yet she does not try to steal anyone's thunder. This does not match Propp's character theory and goes against it as it can prove that Propp's character theory could be incorrect. Carrie also does not have a dispatcher that is prominent as all plans end up failing in the movie. The eight character theories may be there in the beginning, but end up being taken out of consideration. This can prove that Propp's character theory may not be reliable as I cannot distinguish the eight different character types in every horror movie. Not every character moves the narrative forward being labelled one of Propp's eight different character types.

Deconstruction Of 3 Horror Movie Posters

Annabelle (2014)

As you can see from above, 2014 horror movie 'Annabelle' uses a lot of horror conventions. The title conveys death and blood giving the fact that it's in red. I also picked out the fact that the picture is of a doll/girl which can exemplify innocence being corrupted. I have noticed over time that a main convention in a horror movie is to use a child as they are usually the pure ones. Due to their innocence as they are young, they get corrupted and become an evil being destroying those around them. Annabelle's poster is really interesting as the background is all black and then you have this daunting image of a doll/girl with only half of her face showing. This can also indicate that she has two sides two her, one being pure and the other being this violent evil being. She has a tear streaking down her face which is unusual as the tear is blood, this is creepy and can attract various audiences to watching it. They also feature 'The Conjuring' on the front of the poster which is also another horror movie, this will attract a wider audience.

Paranormal Activity - The Marked Ones (2014)




















Paranormal Activity also has a black background which conveys the fact that it is nighttime, therefore no one is around to help the character that is being tortured or believe that they are seeing something. Also at night you lose some of your senses, so your mind can be playing tricks on you. I found this poster really fascinating as it conveys religion being corrupted or rebelled against. The image is suppose to be of Jesus praying, instead there is a Grim reaper as the face which is significant of death. 'The marked ones' could link to 'The chosen ones' which is also another connotation of religion. There is a religious symbol on the Grim reapers head, which is a circle inside a triangle. This symbol represents the Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, this presents 'One God'. They have used religion to be manipulated which can foreshadow that the film will not run smoothly or go accordingly to plan. Something bad is bound to happen. The Grim reaper is also not looking at the camera, this can suggest eeriness and fear as you don't know what will happen if you have eye contact.



Apocalypse (2014)

I automatically found that this horror movie poster was a subversion as there is a woman on the front cover. She looks like a stereotypical woman as she is wearing fitted clothing. She is also a male gaze. As she is holding some sort of weapon, this conveys that there is a dark side to her and she does not meet the general stereotype of the petrified woman in horrors. The look on her face is sinister and as she is shot from an over the shoulder shot, this can suggest that she has something to hide, linking back to the Annabelle poster of the doll/girl having two sides to her. The camera is also slightly tilted upright to give the woman authority and power over viewers. This exemplifies that she is the movies protagonist as she is a dominant character. The background is black and red which are stereotypical colours of the horror genre. The red connotes blood and the black connotes darkness or danger. The title 'Apocalypse' is animated in a yellow colour which looks like fire. This can foreshadow later events in the film which can portray torture or death.