Codes and Conventions of Horror Films
The codes and conventions of the Film industry dictate the style of a movie. From Comedy to Mystery and Si-fi to Drama they all have different styles that label them. The Horror film style is defined by a unique set of codes and conventions. Although they share several similarities with other styles those designated as Horror are often symbolic and invoke a sense of apprehension and fear.
Weapons both physical and physiological. The settings, often closed in an confining, that give a feeling of no escape. The characters, not always people the horror character picks at the ingrained fears we all have. The sights, blood and gore and often images we are not supposed to be fascinated with. The Sounds, used to build up a scene, making you feel like something is about to happen and setting the stage for shock. The costumes, this aspect can be the most telling about the film and can make all the difference in the believability of the Horror. Finally the lighting, transitioning from bright to dark and foreboding, like the sounds set the moods and build-up.
History of the Horror Genre
The History Genre study has started us out with the pre 1920’s with the discussion of the fascination with the with mid 19th century novelists like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Wilkie Collins, Robert Louis Stevenson and of course, Edgar Allan Poe. Then the silent movie era of the 1920’s and the 1930’s. We watched the movie: The Cabinet of Dr. Cagliari
The film is a Black and White silent movie. I imagine that at it’s debut it was amazing. Looking at the movie for the creativity and lighting, the style is very similar to a lot of the movie of the time. The jumpiness of the scenes leaves you felling like you missed something. The characters are simple and shallow. If it wasn’t for the twist at the end there is very little about the movie that would make it memorable.
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