The Independent Movie Maker - Understanding Genre: the Horror Film

As a genre horror goes back to literature of the 19^th century. Writers such as Poe and Shelley brought horror into the mainstream of fiction. The essence of horror is the stripping away of the civilized veneer of modern society and exposing its dark underside. When you take away the technology, we aren't nearly as civilized as we think we are. Indeed, technology itself often creates the very horrors we believe it to eliminate.

As our fears change so too does the horror genre, but the tenets of horror remain basically the same.

Motifs of the Horror Film

1. The central character is a victim, as opposed to a hero.

2. The antagonist is usually a technological or societal aberration.

3. A specific location, for example a house, plays a pivotal role in the story.

4. Religion is often called upon to intercede.

5. The supernatural is used to explain events that otherwise have no rational explanation.

6. Children often have special powers

7. Unrestrained aggression and sexuality are central to horror. The Horror genre is one of absolute extremes. Violence is unlimited, and the stakes are at their absolute highest - life or death, salvation or damnation.

8. Science and technology usually creates a problem that it cannot fix. It's up to older, pre-technological powers to solve the crisis.

9. Relationships cannot save the central character. Relationships are a product of society, and thus are part of the problem not the cure.

One of the reasons children often have special powers in horror films is simply that they have been less corrupted by technology and society than adults. In a genre that depends on upending traditional societal norms, children are also more readily adaptable to change.

Classics of the Horror Genre

Nosferatu (click to watch) - (1922) Directed by: F.W. Murnau

Dracula -- (1931) Directed by: Tod Browning

Frankenstein -- (1931) Directed by: James Whale

Invasion of the Body Snatchers -- (1956) Directed by: Don Siegel

The Thing from Another World -- (1951) Directed by: Christian Nyby

Night of the Living Dead (click to watch) -- (1968) Directed by: George Romero

Psycho-- (1960) Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

The Horror Genre is unleashed primitivism. It represents the primal streak within humans that technology and civilization has not eradicated. Indeed, society and technology are often to blame for unleashing horrific aberrations by taking all that pent up primitive aggression inside people and creating bridges to access it. Society is often the culprit because it seeks to bottle up our primitive roots until they are ready to explode.

Modern Versions of the Horror Genre

The Exorcist - (1973) Directed by: William Friedkin

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - (1974) Directed by: Tobe Hooper

Halloween (1978) - Directed by: John Carpenter

Scream (1996) Directed by: Wes Craven

The Blair Witch Project (1999) Directed by: Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez

The Sixth Sense (1999) Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Hostel (2006) Directed by: Eli Roth

Obviously these lists exclude a great many horror films and subgenres of horror. Rather than focusing on the conventions of specific sub-genres (such as the slasher film), this purpose of this article is to explore the motifs present in most horror films. These motifs provide starting points for writers to work within genre or subvert genre depending on the story. Genre is one of the most underrated tools in writing, and a thorough knowledge of genre enables writers to create stories of archetypical power. The Horror genre, with its absolutes and extremes can be an extremely powerful genre in the right hands. In the wrong hands, it can sometimes be even better.