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Horror conventions

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This is a vlog we have created for our AS level media coursework. We talk about what we think are the most crucial codes and conventions of the horror genre with example from films. Enjoy! x

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History of Horror

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1910
1928
1941
This timeline demonstrates the origins of the horror genre and the most influential Horror films of all time.
1896

The History behind the Horror genre.
The 'first horror film ever made' provokes a controversial response. George Melies created a series of short
movies, each containing elements of the supernatural.
They were known as the Le Manoir du Diable ( The
Devil's Castle), but were short, silent films. In terms of Sub-genre, this horror film contained Gothic elements
as it was situated in a medieval castle with reoccurring characters like ghosts and demons.
Le Manoir du Diable
(The Devil's Castle)
1896
George Melies
In 1910, the first motion picture
adaption of Mary Shelley's
Frankenstein, was created in the
form of a silent movie by Edison
Studio's (Ran by Thomas Edison)
Below, is a you tube link of the
film.
1922
Nosferatu was an unauthorized adaption of Bram Stoker's Dracula and therefore is an
early example of a Gothic Horror film. It was
the first vampire film and was directed by F.W. Murnau. It was made during the German silent era. The press reported extensively on Nosferatu and its premiere. Most critics were approving, but there was also occasional criticism about the technical perfection and clarity of the images, not fitting the genre. As of 2014, Rotten Tomatoes' voted Nosferatu second best reviewed horror film of all time.
The Terror was the first horror film with sound, released by Warner Bros and directed by Roy Del Ruth. The reception was
awful, The new york times stated "The Terror is so bad that it is almost suicidal". They claimed that it was monotonous, slow, dragging, fatiguing and boring.

In the early 1930s the American Movie studio Universal Pictures began a successful Gothic horror film series. Tod Browning's Dracula (1931), starring Bela Lugosi was a huge success
selling 50,00 tickets New York's Roxy Theatre, within 48 hours of its opening. Some viewers were even said to have fainted in shock at the horror. This success was followed by the second adaption of Frankenstein which grossed $708,871 by 1943. The film was a hit with both audiences and critics, it was followed by multiple sequels and has become an iconic horror film.
This is the trailer to Dracula 1931.
Frankenstein
1931
1932
After his success with Dracula,Karl Freund went on to direct The Mummy. This was a Gothic Horror and introduced the concept of the desert scape and ancient evil to movie audiences. It was inspired by the recent discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb and the curse of Pharaohs. It's budget was estimated at $196,000 and was a success at the Box Office.
During the 1940's there was a decline
in european Horror movies due to the
involvement in World War 2. Films were of American, Hollywood origin and revolved around the Animal identity of men and women. A prime example of this is Wolf Man, directed by George Waggner, which is one of the most iconic Werewolf films originating from ancient mythology. It had an estimated budget of $180,000 and was not a huge box office success.
1950
After the shock of World War 2 and the Holocaust, many were left exposed to the inhumanity of man. A new generation of monsters/mutants were created which resembled this; consequently shifting from the reoccurring Gothic horror characters. However, studio's were too busy addressing technical changes like widespread colour production, resulting in a lower budget for horror films. Godzilla 1954 is an example of the use of mutants. This film also portrays an evident shift from Gothic horror as it focusess primarly on Science fiction and the result of nuclear radiation exposure. As well as the film The Wasp Woman 1959 featured a mutant character, the film had a limited budget of $50,000 and was directed by Roger Corman. It was not very successful.
This clip contains sections from The Wasp Woman (1959)
1959
During the 1950's Hollywood directors and producers found an opportunity for audience exploitation, using gimics to draw in the
crowds and to create a horror experience
like no other. William Castle, was one of
these producers, producing films like The
Tingler in 1959. It grossed over $2million off of
a $400,000 budget and contained the well
known Percepto's which were vibrating
devices in some theater chairs which
activated with the onscreen action. It was met with Mixed reviews, but overall it was incredibly imaginative.
Colour was used in The Tingler, in an unheard of way.
1960
British director Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (1960) was the first "slasher" movie. It had a
budget of £135,000 (estimated), but
was an immensely controversial film on initial release. Soon after, Alfred Hitchcock's
Psycho was released which changed audiences
opinions on horror as it was
portrayed more realistically and the
plot was more relatable. It grossed a profit of
a staggering £50,000,000 worldwide!

The Tomb of Ligeia and the Masque of Red Death, directed by Roger Corman, paved the way for more explicit violence in both horror and mainstream films. The British group
Hammer Films, attempted to follow in Corman's
footsteps, taking advantage of the newly founded BBFC'S X rated label.
Another influential American horror film of this period was George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead,1968. Produced and directed by Romero, on a budget of $114,000, it grossed $12 million at the box office in the United States and $30 million internationally. This was completely different from Gothic style films, as it brought horror into everyday life. Rosemary's Baby was another film which differed from the Gothic Genre, as it portrayed psychological elements. It was directed by Roman Polanski and was well received, on a wide scale, by critics upon its theatrical release.
1
1968
1973
The 1970's saw a surge in horror films, as they reflected the disappointment and lack of optimism of the decade. William Friedkin's The Exorcist was a huge success, voted one of the most scariest films of all time and grossing (to date) a total $441,071,011 worldwide.It brought intellectual respectability back to horror movies and helped pave the way for many other big studio investments in horror during the 1970s. This was a hugely influential film, as it triggered and array of demon related horror films.
The Omen directed by Richard Donner, also confronted the supernatural through psychological elements. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and is considered by many as one of the best films of 1976, as well as one of the best horror films ever made. This, as well as other psychological horror films started to dominate the horror genre and cinema.
1974
Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, reinvented the slasher sub genre in a horrifying, realistic and gruesome manner. It is often considered as one of the greatest, most controversial, of horror films. The film was described as a well-made picture, despite "heavy doses of gore". It was so gory that it was banned in several countries for a period of time, including Britain. Despite its miniscule budget (in comparison to other horror films at the time) of $83,532, it grossed
$30,859,000 in the USA alone.
1976
1978
John Carpenter's Halloween was based on a slasher genre and full with suspense and teenaged protagonists. With a low budget of $325,000 it grossed a massive theatrical total of $70 million. It was influential as it introduced the role of the "final girl" who ultimately triumphs in the end; this later became a crucial character Macro convention of the horror genre.
1980
In 1980, Stephen King's novel The Shining was made into a film and despite initially receiving negative feedback from critics, it is now known as one of Hollywood's most classic horror films. It triggered an era of glorious special effects, in which finally caught up with the gory imaginings of horror fans and movie makers. Technical advances in animatronics & liquid foam latex meant that the human frame could be distorted to an entirely new dimension. The Shining was directed by Stanley Kubrik and has won many awards.
1984
The 1980's saw the boost of the Slasher movie; 'B' Slasher Horror films became situated around the 'gore' factor, and were full technicolor representations of penetration, decapitation, amputation, implosion and explosion of body parts. Horror films also became available on VCR tape, so many ( especially teenagers) could enjoy the gore fest without any interference. Wes Craven's A Nightmare On Elm Street consists of several teenagers who are stalked and killed in their dreams, thus killed in reality, by Freddy Krueger, who became a popular Slasher Villian. It had a budget of $1.8M, as it included many special effects and earned a total of $25,504,513 at the American box office and therefore an instant commercial success. Critics praised the film for modifying the boundaries between the imaginary and real,thus toying with audience perceptions.
1988
1991
1996
2002
2004
2012
Tom Holland's Child's Play has become a classic slasher horror franchise and has been nominated for academy awards. This film toys with existing childhood fears and nightmares, inspiring other films of the horror genre to portray their antagonist as a doll. The estimated budget for the original film was $9,000,000 and grossed a world wide total of $44,196,684. Child's Play critical reviews were generally positive.
Jonathon Demme's Silence of the Lambs is a thriller with elements of the horror genre within. It achieved a worldwide total gross of $272,742,922, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 1991. The Silence of The Lambs is described as a sleeper hit that gradually gained widespread success and critical acclaim and has won Five Academy Awards.
Scream was inspired by the writers passion for horror films, especially Halloween. It was directed by Wes Craven and was made into a famous franchise. It grossed a worldwide total of $173,046,663 and met positive reviews from film critics, who appreciated the shift from the teen slasher films of the 1980's, as the cast were already established actors.
There effectively a stalemate concerning the genre in the early 2000's until Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. Which is a low budget, digitally shot horror film in which fits into the zombie apocalypse sub-genre. It grossed a total of of $82.7 million worldwide and was met well with critics.
The psychological horror The Ring was directed by Gore Verbinski and grossed over $249 million on a $48 million production budget ; making it one of the highest grossing horror films of all time.
James Wan's Saw series as a whole has received mostly mixed to negative reviews by critics, but has been a financial success at the box office, collectively grossing over $873 million. The franchise is often referred to as torture porn (graphic violence combined with sexually suggestive imagery) but its writers disagree with the classification, stating that there is less sadism related torture than most.
James Watkins Woman in Black is a Gothic horror, focusing on the supernatural. The Woman in Black has made $127,730,736 worldwide and has become the highest-grossing British horror film in 20 years.

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191019281941This timeline demonstrates the origins of the horror genre and the most influential Horror films of all time.1896 The History behind the Horror genre. The 'first horror film ever made' provokes a controversial response. George Melies created a series of short movies, each containing elements of the supernatural.

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Films can qualify as British in one of three ways. They must meet the requirements of one of the following:

The cultural test for film

Qualifying your film as British under the cultural test for film is the gateway to accessing the UK film tax relief and is one of the criteria to apply to the BFI Film Fund.

To apply for the cultural test, there must be one film production company (FPC) that is registered with Companies House and within the UK corporation tax net. The FPC must be set up before principal photography begins and have responsibility for all aspects of the filmmaking process from pre-production through to delivery.

The cultural test is a points-based test where, under the revised guidelines, the project will need to achieve 18 of a possible 35 points to pass. It comprises of four sections:

Cultural content (up to 18 points).

Cultural contribution (up to 4 points).

Cultural hubs (up to 5 points).

Cultural practitioners (up to 8 points).

Summary of points - cultural test for film
The film cultural test and elements of the film tax relief were revised in 2015. If your film was originally assessed for an interim certificate under the old test, or if your film was completed before 1 April 2014, you can still apply under the revised test, and we will assess your application under the old test when it is submitted. We will know which test to assess it under when it comes in.

Applying for British Film Certification

Applicants can apply for interim certification at any point before or during production. Interim certification is essential if you wish to claim film tax relief during production.

A final application must be submitted once the film is complete and ready to be viewed by an audience. The application form below can be used for interim and final certification.

Guidelines

Please read the guidance notes which will help you complete your application.

Application form

To make an application under the revised cultural test, please proceed to the application form below:
Revised cultural test for film application form
A hard copy statutory declaration must be completed in conjunction with a printed copy of your online application form (please see the Supporting documents section below for further information).

You will be asked to set up an account before completing the application form.

To apply for final certification you have to complete a new form, even if you have previously completed an interim application.

Your account

To access in-progress and submitted applications, you can log in to your account by clicking on the link below:

Supporting documents

A printed hardcopy of your full application with a completed statutory declaration must be sent to us in order for us to begin our assessment.

Where an individual in a position other than the director or secretary of the Film Production Company has signed the Statutory Declaration the company director or company secretary will need to let us know in writing that they have been authorised to do so. This can be sent via email.

The BFI requires additional supporting material to complete its assessment of your application. The following documents are requested and can be attached to your online application form:

Shooting script in the English language - the most up-to-date copy.

A complete synopsis or treatment of the screenplay (in English) - The most up-to-date copy.

Shooting Schedule - the most up-to-date information.

Production budget (interim)/final cost report (final) - the most up-to-date copy of the total long-form budget.

A copy of the chain of title - the most up-to-date [only if applying for points under section A3(b)].

If you are applying for Final Certification we will also require a physical DVD copy of the finished project and a hard copy of the accountant's report if you are applying for points in sections C and D.

The application form with the Statutory Declaration and any supporting documents (that have not submitted online) must be sent to:

The Certification Unit
British Film Institute
21 Stephen Street
London W1T 1LN

We will be happy to discuss your application in person or via phone or email. We can be contacted at:

Anna Mansi, BFI Head of Certification, on +44 (0)20 7173 3214 or email certifications@bfi.org.uk.

Here is a list of films which have been certified as British:

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Films can qualify as British in one of three ways. They must meet the requirements of one of the following: Qualifying your film as British under the cultural test for film is the gateway to accessing the UK film tax relief and is one of the criteria to apply to the BFI Film Fund.