. SCREAM (1996)

. TODOROV

- Born March,1st 1939

- From Sofia, Bulgaria

- Franco-Bulgarian

- Historian, Philosopher, Literary Critic, Sociologist etc.

Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to be able to be applied to any film. He felt that all films/narratives went through  5 stages, in a motion chain of events.

. FINAL GIRL THEORY

The "final girl" theory consists of a `plucky' female protagonist who fights all the way to the end of the narrative. The theory derived from  Carol J. Clover’s 1987 essay 'Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film,'-  later included by Clover in her hugely influential book"Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film" where final girls are named as the survivors of slasher/horror/sci-fi films. Also, the book looks at how the male gaze effects the final girl theory as well as contemplating on how subversion of this theory is rare in the film industry. The key point made is that male viewers who make up the majority of those who view slasher films cheer on both the victimisation of women and their triumphant kill the final stages of the narrative. The final girl theory therefore shows that both women can empathise with the heroin due to identification and men can both lust over through "male gaze"/voyeurism and admire the final girl for the protective and heroic "male like qualities" that she possess.

. OFFICIAL MOVIE TRAILERS AND REACTIONS

. RESEARCH RATIONALE

Due to the fact that I am an A level student, in a sixth form with ages ranging from 11-19, I have access to a wide target audience however because a number of horror films are rated with 15 or 18 certification by the BBFC (an independent media content regulator that acts to protect the public, and especially children from content that could be harmful). I will ensure my target audience ranges from 15 – 18 because I want to produce an age appropriate trailer, and also because this is the age range I come into contact with the most as these people are peers of mine.
I am interested in exploring the different and opposing views people have of horror in order to get a range of opinions of what people find scary; where possible I want to consider the fears of both people that enjoy horror and those that don't. This means I am better able to gauge what frightens both ends of the spectrum and be able to feed this in my trailer to ensure it is successful at frightening as large a target group as possible.
Initially, I will begin my research by conducting two focus groups where I will show them a number of horror clips. Both groups will see the same clips to judge how to tolerant they are of the different sub-genres and special effects. Following filming and editing of these I will identify what they find most shocking and will consider incorporating these features into my own narrative and trailer. 
The equipment I am going to use for this will be camera, recording space, Macs and editing software.Following this, I will also conduct one-to-one interviews with those that do enjoy the genre. To gauge who those people are, I will use form time to survey interest and create a list of potential participants. In the interview we will discuss the clips that were used in the focus group, and what areas they found effective. This may give me new insight into what it is that my trailer will need to be successful.

In terms of market research I intend to find out how much revenue 2014 horror releases made and also read recent reviews of contemporary horrors and then present this as a mood board of Horror successes. I may also decide to deconstruct a few horror trailers (maybe 2) and identify their conventions.

I intend to do these things throughout the creative making process so that I can make the necessary changes to make the trailer more effective and realistic. I may also decide to use a questionnaire to conduct some research as these are a great way to collate information and gather opinions from peers if they are not available for face-to-face interviews or are camera shy; however I believe that direct opinions are a lot more important. I will then be able to judge on how realistic my trailer is in comparison to a clip from this genre.

. LEVI-STRAUSS

- Born 28th, November 1908
- From Brussels, Belgium
- Born to French parents with Jewish background

Levi-Strauss looked at narrative structure in terms of Binary Opposition. Bnary Opposition are sets of oposite values which reveal the structre of media texts. An example can be villain and hero – we understand the cocept of a hero because the villiain’s actions are contrast to the good ations of the Hero (one cannot conceive of 'good' if we do not understand 'evil').

. AUDIENCE THEORY

Hypodermic syringe model
The audience passively recieve information transmitted via a media text without any attempt on the viewers part to process or challenge the data. This can often be done through sources such a national news reports on either the radion or television or a broadsheet newspaper.
The Orson Welles "war of the worlds" broadcast over the radio on October 30th 1938, was a clear example of the effects of HSM as many people believed that this acted radio show was real.

Copy cat theory
 E.g. simon says....
It relates to how something is publicised in the media and findings suggest that the public naturally copy what they see to gain the qualities etc. of those that appear on screen. Such as copycat murders etc.

Cultivation theory
Concerned with the effects of television programming on the attitudes and behaviour of the American public. findings suggest that those that watch more television (heavy viewers) perceive the real world as it is portrayed on the television (real world syndrome).

Desensitasation 
The over exposure to varying behaviours on screen makes the audience immune to them and thus harder to shock/scare. As a result the effects are generally more widely spread.

Reception theory

Reception theory is a version of a readers response that emphasises the readers reception of a literary text.The Reception theory was at its most influential during the 70’s and 80’s in Germany and the USA and was founded by Hans-Robert Jauss in the 1960’s and was later developed by Stuart Hall.In this theory the text could be a book, film or other forms of media texts. These texts are not just automatically accepted by the audience and taken in passively but the viewer has the opportunity to interpret it for themselves based on their own beliefs, opinions and cultural backgrounds.

According to this theory, the reading experience activates pre-existing experiences and memories.In the reception theory the meaning of the text is unbiased as there is no specific opinion or view embedded in the text, again allowing the individual themselves to interpret/understand in which ever way they choose.

. HALLOWEEN (1978)

FILM REVIEW

I really didn’t enjoy this film, I feel like it lacked something. It wasn't as scary as I expected and therefore I didn't really enjoy it. I don't believe it should have been as successful as it was, even though it did make me jump every now and then I wouldn't class it as a great 'slasher'. If I’m honest I’d class it one of the worst horror films I've watched recently. Even though it had a masked villain (which did add a small level of fear) the story line overall wasn't scary enough for me. It was pretty predictable, other than the first scene which was scar because it was full of anticipation and fear during the murder of Judith (Michael Myers' sister who he stabbed with a kitchen knife). 

The character of Michael Myers was well presented with the use of a mask, no dialogue and extremely violent behaviour. I just though the acting was really bad, if the acting isn’t believable there is no way the way the film feels realistic. The character of Laurie wasn’t relatable enough so therefore I lacked empathy when she was being followed and on the occasion she was attached by Michael I was waiting for something more exciting to happen.

I have to say I did enjoy the level of mystery added to the villain due to the fact that he wore a mask. The use of voyeurism and the heavy breathing of the villain was frightening at parts especially when he hid behind objects to watch the young women in the film. This was extremely effective as this is every young woman's fear, to be followed by a mentally unstable, capable-of-anything type of murderer. 

. EXAMPLE OF THE MALE GAZE

 The Transformer films franchise is regularly viewed by males, their target audience is clear by the level of violence and action their films consist of. Many of their films have been known to include women who are treated as sexual objects through the use of the Male gaze. Transformers(2007) and Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen (2009) features the actress 'Megan Fox' awarded Worlds Sexiest Woman in 2013. She is seen fixing a motorbike, an unconventional activity for a young woman but with this it becomes a seductive activity due to the angle the camera is at. Even performing other daily activities,are all portrayed in a sexualised way. In every scene the model can be found wearing revealing clothes to showcase cleavage and other body parts.When Fox is on screen she is always the main focus point but again, this has little to do with the actual film.This ties in with my previous post concerning the ‘male gaze’ and in the advert listed below we are able to find strong elements of it throughout.

. MALE GAZE/FEMALE GAZE

. CARRIE (1976)

The 1976 version of Carrie is an American supernatural horror film based on Stephen King's 1974 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Brian De Palma and written by Lawrence D. Cohen. 

The opening scene, is filmed with a tracking shot categorised as the male gaze. The male gaze occurs when the camera puts the audience into the perspective of a heterosexual man. It may linger over the curves of a woman's body, for instance. The woman is usually displayed on two different levels: as an erotic object for both the characters within the film, as well as for the spectator who is watching the film. The woman is passive to the active gaze from the man. 

This first scenes pretty irregular for a horror film because of it's use of the male gaze, we observe a large group of young women in two lights presented from a heterosexual males point of view- as sexual objects but also as bestial creatures, acting mean and pack like. Due to the fact that the opening scene is filmed using the male gaze, we can interpret that the representation of the menstrual cycles start for young girls and  menstrual blood is seen as horrendous, this however is a typical male view. The character of Carrie White appears pure, and this is emphasised by the activity of 'washing' herself in a sexual manner which also feeds into the heterosexual males obsession. The over sexualisation of this female character then contrasted by her fear of menstrual blood could show us, as the audience the loss of purity of females in society due to them becoming a woman - as Carrie then becomes strong, angrier, she learn about her powers and uses them for self defence but also evil and therefore become just like the other girls in her class. She become malicious, angry, and evil.

The opening scene correlates with the revenge scene because of the use of blood. However the revenge scene used pigs blood - this is seen as just as dirty as menstrual blood in some religions and this is important because of the religious theme in the film. The use of the rich red blood connotes evil, and death - which reminds us that Carrie is not the heroin of the film, and much like the other girls in the film she is just as evil. Her character contrasts extremely with her last name 'White' as it connotes purity and an angelic nature and with Carrie denouncing her faith she begins to loses all of her purity. The loss of her purity relates to the use of blood seeping down her leg during the shower scene and in the prom scene also, as with the loss of purity being smudged by blood a darker side of Carrie is revealed.

"Horror is what you might feel if you went, for example, into a jungle, or a place where you had lost all your bearings where you are no longer sure of anything" - Nigel Kneale 

. ED GEIN = LEATHERFACE VS NORMAN BATES

. COMPARING TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE TO PSYCHO

.TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)

Film Review -

I absolutely loved this film. I have to say I enjoyed the use of the "DON'T GO IN THERE" moments that regularly appeared on screen, the film was really intense but not as scary as I though it would have been. For someone who hates really scary movies this was really easy on the eyes and the heart! Some moments became humerous because I expected them to happen. I don't enjoy extremely gory films, because they take away from the story line and so I believe this is why I enjoyed it so much - because there was a level of fabrication to it I wasn't easily scared. 

The Hitchhiker's character, has to be my favourite - he added an automatic level of mystery to the story line. Normally we, as the audience know that you should never pick up a Hitchhiker because of their unpredictable nature but this group of friends were extremely naive. The Hitchhiker's behaviour was clear to the audience as untrustworthy and unsafe but not to the characters and therefore I was able to work out that he had a connection to the movies title and was therefore going to murder, or reoccur at a later point. 

The use of symbols by the Hitchhiker was also significant as religion (a convention of the horror genre) was used when the Hitchhiker 'cursed' the van with his blood and marked it with his arm. I think the naivety of these four individuals provided us with a level of humour because they kind of asked for it.

 Leatherface's character added an amount of mystery to the film, we wonder who he was, what he was, why he did what it was that he was doing. He was menacing, and the use of a mask was crucial to this aspect of his character because a concealed identity is always more frightening and is a convention of he horror genre. 

Along with Leatherface's character, was the petrol station owner, Hitchhiker and the Grandfather - the scene with the four cannibal males at the table was one of the most menacing because Sally was the only female at the table - victim to all of these men and there was nowhere for her to run. She screamed and screamed but there was no way that they would have let her go, it almost seemed enjoyable to the men to watch her, scream for mercy and beg whilst they ate a meal.

. PSYCHO (1960)

Background of Alfred Hitchcock:

• Iconic and highly influential film-maker. One of the most highly respected film makers of all time.
• Director and producer
• Perfectionist - aspect of the film was planned meticulously with complete storyboards done prior to shooting
• Pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres
• Directed more than 50 films
• Career spanned 6 decades
• His films draw heavily on fear and also contain black or droll humour
• Many of his films contain cameo 

The shower scene in PSYCHO, is one of the most well known horror scenes of all time.The murder of Janet Leigh's character in the shower is the film's pivotal scene, the use of what's now known as 'Hitchhock's Psycho strings' at the moment of the murder are what makes this film so well known, they have also been used in other films such as Carrie (1976) and even Busta Rhymes - 'Gimmie some more' (1998). It was shot from December 17 to December 23, 1959, and features 77 different camera angles. The scene "runs 3 minutes and includes 50 cuts." Most of the shots are extreme close-ups, except for medium shots in the shower directly before and directly after the murder. This scene was extremely interesting, the murder of Marion was extremely unexpected. Norman Bates' character comes across as a very convincing victim of an abusive other in the beginning of the film, however we later realise he is the killer and which is an amazing twist to the storyline.I almost hoped as Marion did, that she would go back to her previous life and make amends with both her boss and the man she stole from.

The shower scene is extremely significant because she, appears so optimistic that she then aims to wash away her sins (stealing the money) however this is not in fact the case and she is instead murdered by a mystery character who appears to be a female (Bates). The murder of Marion, then leaves us the audience with the knowledge that we can not simply get away with 'murder' - if you pardon the pun - we have to pay for our mistakes, and also NEVER stay in a hotel with no other guests.

Psycho is based on Robert Bloch's 1959 novel of the same name, loosely based on the case of convicted Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein an infamous criminal known for hurrendous murders and later his obsession with females (specifically his mother) something he had in common with the character Norman Bates and also Hitchcock.

Alfred Hitchcock was on the of the most iconic and highly influential film makers of and this very film, has in fact a revolutionized the horror/thriller genre. Psycho is widely credited with spawning the horror genre of today known as 'slasher' sub-genre, those that also come under this genre are - Halloween (1978), Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), I know what you did last summer (1997) etc.

. NOSFERATU (1922)

Nosferatu is a 1922 German Expressionist horror film, starring Max Schreck as the vampire Count Orlok.

The film, shot in 1921 and released in 1922, was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Nosferatu consisted of a very stereotypical representation of vampires.  The vampire lived in a traditional castle, alienated from the rest of society. making him an outcast and a mystery to others, something to fear. Count Orlak's appearance was extremely ugly and menacing, which encouraged our hate for the character presented. He slept throughout the day, and chose not to partake in meals with his guest, this is a convention of vampire characters which adds an element of mystery but also tells us they are nothing like regular humans. Orlak is quite hideous, this encourages us to fear him - he has a long hawkish nose, dark eyes and bushy brows.Sinister music when the camera focuses on Orlak, tells us that he is a dark and evil character. In comparison to contemporary depictions of Vampires, orlak is not as charismatic or good looking - so would not have many opportunities to prey on victims, Edward from Twilight would however be able to victimize humans easier because he is extremely good looking and charismatic.

. VAMPIRE FILMS AND REPRESENTATIONS - TWILIGHT

'TWILIGHT'

The vampires in the twilight saga are presented in the traditional way, in regards to their pale skin. However unlike the traditional vampire, they are extremely beautiful and can be out in daylight (traditional vampires normally avoid sunlight) as they appear to sparkle like crystals when doing so they don't go to school in summer because of this, as people will know that they're different. The vampires in this film are in fact vegetarians, which is obviously not a conventional aspect of representations of a vampires. All of the vampires however present disdain because of their forms and because of that they choose not to bite other humans so they aren't also forced to live the life of a vampire - never dying over centuries and centuries. One of the main protagonists falls in love with a human girl and he also acts as the protector of her. Unlike the other two vampires : Eli and Count Dracula, Edward has a very likeable character because he is attractive,young and protective of Bella which causes the audience to really fall in love with him.

. VAMPIRE FILMS AND REPRESENTATIONS - VAN HELSING

'VAN HELSING'


The vampire, Count Dracula in this film is presented as a mature male who appears to be an insane and sinister individual. He is presented as an erotic individual with a love of women, and he has many wives who are obviously vampires also who produce extreme violent behaviour, towards the character Van Helsing. Much like the stereotype,he has an uncomfortable relationship with what can be seen as a religious weapon e.g cross, he however is immortal and is able to remove a knife from his body with no need for medical attention. He wears all black, and during interactions with the character Van Helsing (who is much like a bounty hunter) he snarls and speaks with a strong Transylvanian accent. Dracula, unlike Eli is a very sociable individual, which is rare with most depictions of vampires as we normally see them only interact with victims, however The Count even entertains guests at a ball. We also realise he has no reflection, and fangs which we know are stereotypes of a vampire figure and therefore add to his overall sinister presentation. 

. VAMPIRE FILMS AND REPRESENTATIONS - LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

'LET THE RIGHT ONE IN'

The vampire in this film,Eli, is presented as a young girl who was around the age of 12 - her age and sex were factor that encouraged us as the viewers to empathize with her more than other characters. It was hard to view her as a sinister character, or in the traditional way vampires are stereo-typically presented in vampire films because she had a soft and caring side which we saw when she interacted with the main character Oskar. She is able to control herself, in regards to craving blood of those she knows well however she is still a vampire and therefore she can not live without it - she does abstains for as long as she can but as we know she (much like most vampires) is very strong and can easily overpower humans. However Eli can only interact with others in their homes, if they don't invite her in verbally she starts to bleed all over. and we also find out that regular foods make her (vampires) physically sick. In this film, cats were used to ward of the vampire and in one case they actually attacked.

. HISTORY OF HORROR