• Inspirations / influences / cultural responses
• Tropes / techniques
• Trends / sub-genre s 

• Inspired and influenced by the popularity of gothic literature.
• Several monsters have been influenced by literature and stories in the past (Dracula, Werewolves, zombies).
• Horror films don’t always need to have a vast amount of money behind it to be critically acclaimed.

Tropes

• The plot starts with a believable story to make it feel more real. The monster then appears later from a distant place, like a different realm, an abandoned or faraway place, etc. Sometimes the characters go to the monster or the monster comes to the characters.
• A “wise peasant” character might signal that there might be danger.
• Lighting and score can help make something feel scary.
• The scary place: The place where the characters shouldn’t really go, but go anyway. Usually where the movie begins feeling scary and where the monster is.
• The jumpscare, which is used after a lot of suspense and fear has been built up, then released.
• The subliminal cut: a small cut of a very short shot of something different to induce fear.
• The monster usually looks very different from human to create uneasiness.
• A mask can be used on the monster to make it more scary, as it makes the face of the monster unknown.
• People find childish things scary because most of their fears are influenced by and developed in their childhood.
• The savant: A character who helps the protagonist, usually by telling them information about the monster or helping them in any other way.
• A chase scene is usually used to build up tension fast.
• The final girl: the character that is the last to survive and usually stops/kills the monster, and is usually female.
• The exorcism: the act done to kill the monster (stake through the heart, crucifix, silver bullet, etc.)
• A lot of horror films usually include a less happy ending or a cliffhanger to make the viewer question the morality of what happens in the movie.

Techniques

• Low angles were used to make the characters feel watched
• Tilted angles and distortion using lens and mirrors can make an area look insane or dizzying.
• Although sound can be used to induce fear, the lack of sound can also create fear and tension.
• In a chase scene, the camera could be shot in the perspective of the killer to add more realism.

Trends / sub-genres

• Psychological Horror: Horror that includes mental and emotional fear, instead of violence or a monster. Usually about a character’s state of mind.
• Slasher: Horror about a serial killer.
• Gore: Horror that uses a lot of gore and viscera to create uneasiness.
• Body Horror: Horror that is similar to gore, but uses slightly altered human body parts.
• Found Footage: Horror that is shown as footage that seems unedited and recorded by the characters.
• Monster Horror: Horror that uses a general monster or creature to scare the viewer.
• Paranormal Horror: Horror that uses ghosts, demons, and other supernatural spirits to scare the viewer.
• Comedy Horror: Horror that has some comedy in it.

• The panning (Left and Right), of the camera takes forever to show what is "Behind that door", or "Around that corner". It makes an "impossible" pan to show directly want the audience wants, like the Director Bong Joon Ho, shows the blood flowing underneath the crack of the door, without showing what is inside it. The movie adds more with giving less. 
• A lot of tracking movement is used to follow the main character as he is running and escaping from the monster. Shaky and Handheld camera is used, to show unorganised chaos, everybody is running around in different directions, often bumping into each other, and different things and objects, emphasizing one thing: Fear.
• A lot of "Extras" in the cast were used. A lot of civilians were added to run forward, in desperate fear. Wide and long shots were used, to show the monster running forward in public places, surrounded with lots of panicked people running all over the place, to show how physically large the monster is compared to all the other humans around it, which appear to be very small and inferior compared to the large monster. 
• Colour is used as a contrast, as all the humans and civilians, running around panicky, are all wearing bright colours as shirts, but the monster is completely dark and grey. This is to make the monster stand out from the "Rest of the world", and to add contrast in colour, to make the monster easily recognizable, and unforgotten. 
• The point of the Director of the movie, Bong Joon Ho, adding the monster, and designing it to appear in that sinister way, with a large mouth, is to emphasize the monsters biggest ability: To feast and eat. All the humans are afraid of it, because they are scared to be eaten, it's common to be scared to be eaten alive, which is why are running directly running away from it. And most of the scenes where the monster is feasting on it's unlucky victims, the monster is behind a bunch of objects, which makes the audience and the viewers unable to see where the monster is, and it adds extra suspense and tension, because the audience wonders what the monster is doing behind that hidden wall. It makes the audience think, which is what the director wants. Like the first scene where the monster appeared, it was feasting and eating humans inside a large camper van, and also later on behind a lot of other trucks.

• Sounds should be recorded more than once to have one sound that can match best. 
• Sounds should be recorded in the right environment to have the correct ambience.
• The sounds needed in the film doesn't have to perfectly match what you record. (Get creative and use different items)
• Bad sound is worse than bad picture, because sound can patch up gaps between pictures.
• The best way to create ambience is to create a "world" of sound, byy adding multiple layers of audio to add more depth and realism.
• Adding EQ filters can help make something feel more in place. 
• Use slow camera movements, and most of the time track the main characters movement, to always keep them in the frame. 
• Use a lot of negative space, use the rule of thirds, and place the main character far left or far right on the line, leaving a lot of "Open space", and leaving a lot of room for surroundings. And surroundings could be used for the horror film. 
• Shoot from behind something, it could be a bush, a window, crack of a door, et cetera. To make it feel like the main character is being "Watched", through a first person, subjective view. 
• To add darkness and shadows, you need to add lights at specific corners of the room. 
• Do not blast the main character or room in which the character is in with light, direct/bounce off some light off of a tiny mirror, just enough to show the expression of the face. 

• He is able to mix genres
• He is willing to create things that are unique and fresh
• His storyboards are very visualized and detailed
• People should make films that they want to, and that choice should not be influenced by others

• He plans a highly detailed storyboard before shooting. This is to clearly visualize what needs to be shot, and also help convey to the actors what they need to do.
• His storyboards are very specific, which helps him visualize exactly how his film should go.
• He also is not very high strung, and he cares about the concerns of the people he works with.

• His films have general, universal themes to reach audiences around the world
• His stories come from different inspirations, such as his imagination or personal past.
• He has the whole film visualized before writing a script.
• He makes film not only to entertain the audience, but mostly for himself.

• A whip pan with a cut in between is useful to have a shot that looks impossible (Two of the same people in one room.)
• A voiceover can be helpful to tell the thoughts of a character, but it could be seen as lazy and redundant.
• The sounds don't have to be complex, as simple sounds can also create tension.
• Simple effects can turn a human into a monster.