Horror Clichés, Codes and Conventions-Will Smith

1. Audience: aimed at both genders but in particular male audiences.
2. Viewed mostly by people between the ages of 15-25. Although is watched by adults 25-50. Has a wide audience range.
3. A typical horror genre plays on the audiences fears. Sometimes involves evil forces, supernatural origins or an evil doll.
4. Narrative: death, possession, demons, fright.
5. Films usually start of at night and start off with scary opening credits.
6. Setting:Normally set in a secluded, rural environment. Where help is hard to come by and the health services are far away. Setting is usually cold and is nearly always set in winter, the darkest, coldest time of year.
7. Camera Angles: High angle is frequently used look down on a victim to show weakness and vulnerability. Extreme long/long shots are used to show how large haunted mansions are or to show the surrounding scenery eg. woodland.
8. Sound:Non Diegetic sounds are always used in horror films. Terrifying music and sometimes lightning is added to add fright and terror. Diegetic sound is only usually just dialogue while creaking doors and murder is added in as non-diegetic sounds.

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