Horror film cliches

To create a parody of a horror, I first need to identify the clichés and common conventions of the films so they can be made fun of. I'm going to look at some of the most popular conventional horror films from the past few years and some of the iconic scenes from large horrors that will definitely be known by the target audience.


I found a lot of these when analysing existing short films, and this helped me further my knowledge of conventions in the horror genre and use them to my advantage.



Unaware character:

A technique that is often used in many horror films is making the main character unaware of an obvious threat behind them or around them. A very common way of  doing this is by using a rotating bathroom mirror or reflection, showing the antagonist behind them or around them making the audience want to do something about it.

Jumpscare:

Another very common element of horror films is the jumpscare. Setting up a scene to be very quiet or atmospheric with the climax being a loud, abrupt sound and scary imagery.

Dumb main character:

The main character of a horror film  usually does very questionable and dangerous things for seemingly no reason. This has become somewhat of a joke in popular media. For instance, when running away from the antagonist the character might trip over or something over-the-top while they are walking towards them.



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Character profile: Antagonist (orangutang)

The antagonist in my production will be the most enigmatic part of the film. Like in most horror films, he won't be in shot that many times throughout the film and will be more of a menacing omen as opposed to an active character. This is shown in shots like the main character running, where there is seemingly nothing chasing after him, but the audience knows of the orangutang. This will hopefully create a horror effect.

The monkey doesn't necessarily have a personality, just more of a stereotypical antagonistic and scary presence in the film. This is an intentional effect and not an underdeveloped or non-important character that is in the film.

Character profile: Protagonist

Name: Zach (unknown from the film itself)

Age:17 (teenager)

Personality traits: Goofy, dimwitted, wimpy, innocent

Interests: music, schoolwork

I want the entire production to be quite enigmatic, including the characters. The video will contain very little dialogue for obvious reasons (there is only one character that can talk) and this will be quite a strong theme throughout. Even the starting scene will show the character walking down a pathway towards the camera leading the audience to think about who this person is, why he is walking, what is significant about the character? 

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