Genre Conventions of Horror Movies

 As with all genres, horror can be separated into 4 essentials elements in cinema; mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing. They all influence the audience and create a response to emphasize the genre conventions. The mise-en-scene in horror tends to be dark, rural deserted locations, places that are abandoned and isolated. Props include weapons such as knives, axes and chainsaws as well as supernatural features such as castles, graveyards and haunted houses. This creates mystery and suspicion around the film. The colors tend to be blacks, reds and brown and these connote to the possible danger, blood or evilness.

The cinematography includes different shot types; many horrors use to close-ups to emphasize a characters scared emotions or extreme wide shots to create isolation and distance from a character. Horror uses unique and unusual angles to create confusion and unsettling feel with the viewer. The lighting tends to be dark, underexposed with lots of shadows, making the audience feel tense and on edge.
Furthermore, the use of sound, such as a high pitch key, creates a sense of alarm with the audience. There is also an emphasis on footsteps, doors creaking and animal noises, making the audience feel as though they don't know what is round the corner. Finally, editing is horror often tends to have a fast pace and many cuts to make the audience feel distressed, uneasy and builds dramatic tension for perhaps a jump scare.