BOO! How To Horror!

Makes you shiver with antici.....pation.

Before you start reading this, take a moment to go to this Youtube video and leave it playing in the background. Not only is this guy one of the greatest composers, this song fits the mood. Now... let's begin. *Evil laugh*. Horror films are thrilling tales. They send chills down your spine, leave you on the edge of your seat, and of course, keep you up at night. Whether it's all about the blood, anticipation, or psychological thrill, most horror movies follow specific codes and conventions that engage the audience and successfully creep us out!
Codes are symbols that are used to create meaning throughout a film, and conventions are actions or ways in which we do things that have become accepted as normal.

Looking cute, Regan!

First of all, let's focus on the scary costumes. If you think about it, most of the most loved horror movie villains are either masked or disfigured in some way. Mr. Krueger up there from Nightmare on Elm Street is clearly badly burned. Jason wears the popular ski mask in Friday the 13th. Even Regan, the demon-child from The Exorcist, gets gored up beyond recognition. 

Now let's listen to the music. That high pitched, fast paced, spooky, spine tingling piano and violin gets you every time, doesn't it? You always hear this kind of music just before something makes you jump. Here is an example of that from the movie The Shining. 

Take a second and think about where a lot of these horror films take place. They're usually in a secluded area, be it a forest or secluded house. Blair Witch Project, House on Haunted Hill, Friday the Thirteenth, and I Spit on Your Grave are just a few films that fit this popular convention.

Finally, I'd like to point out that a lot of horror films make the watcher go, "OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS ENDING!". ***Spoiler alert***Freddy and Jason always come back somehow, and then the movie ends. This can be seen here in the 2010 remake of Nightmare on Elm Street. At the end of Paranormal Activity, it's hard to believe that Katie killed Micah. At the end of "The Number 23", we see an enormous plot twist when it turns out it was Walter Sparrow the whole time.

Of course, these are just a handful of many codes and conventions that make a brilliant horror movie, but in my opinion, these specific examples set the mood and atmosphere of anticipation, hopelessness, and fear perfectly. Just remember... one, two, Freddy's coming for you...