Genres

In class we studied horror genres and seeing wether or not the typical codes and conventions of horror films are consistent over time. To do this I chose 3 film synopsis', these included Shocker, The last house of the left and They. Below are several highlighted conventions that  apply to the horror genre.


Genres


 The movie synopsis will give you the basic plot details without giving away all of the main information that would ruin the film. The synopsis' of the films above has various things in common. These include:

 Protagonists: They all have a recognisable protagonist which in these cases are both heros and villains. For 'Shocker' the protagonist is Horace Pinker who is the main villain of the story. Adjacent to this the protagonist in the last house on the left is equally the female victim, Mari Collingwood and the villain Krug. Within "They' the main protagonist is the lead role, Julia Lund. 


Sock characters: These are rather minor characters that are apart of the story. Within 'Shocker' the minor characters that are brutally murderd. Examples include, Parker's family, Johnathan and his girlfried etc.
Witihin ' Last house on the Left' the minor characters include the ciminals family, the victims' family as well as Mari's fried Paige.
'They' includes Julia's many friends. Such as, Billy Parks, Sam Burnside, Terry Alba and finally Paul Loomis. Additionally, all of the above link as childhood friends as well as relatives.


Plots and Situations: Both 'Shocker' and ' They' include a traumatic event that has happened in the past and is now the result of the storyline. For example, in 'Shocker' the man was a serial murderer and was sentenced to death as a result of this he is possesing idividuals and continues to commit murders.
'They' is about an idividual who has previous had awful night terrors in their childhood and has now found a link between her night terrors and the demons coming to get them.
On the other hand, 'Last house on the left' is set in the somewhat present day. The criminal is shown to be taking a 'grilling' from the police and suddenly the tables have turned and he, along with his felon family murder the officers. Yet the story still includes some other familiar plot conventions such as a conforntation and intoxication of drugs leading to death, and several obstructions.


Background and Decor: 'The last house on the left' Is set in the spooky suburban woods and the family are away from their home. This is a common convention used to highlight themes of no escape and saviour, thus making the characters seem more vunlnerable to situations of danger. 
On the other hand, 'Shocker' and 'They' are somewhat set in the modern soctiety because the story doesnt depend the setting itslef. Within 'Shocler' there is use of modern technology, in this case it is an electric chair. Within the film 'They' the main protagonist is awating her masters degree examination which hints that she is located in a hightly dense population area which is not away from socitey. Additionally, universities tend to be located in hightly populated areas rather than sparce suburbian areas.


Themes: Narration tends to express the common themes of good vs evil, right vs worng. In the case of all of the films, they all revolve around good vs evil. 'Shocker', main protagonist is the villain, ie evil, and the victims as well as the police who have arrested him are the good samaritans.
'The last house on the left' is also a case of good vs evil. The good side would be the innocent collinton family and the stock character Paige, conflicting with the evil criminal family. 
Finally, 'They' is a supernatural theme of good vs evil. The innocent youth who has had awful night terrors in her past has to now face up to the attack of demons in her later life. 


One last assumption that I have come accross is that older films have used the themes of fiction and the supernatural to build a horror story whereas, modern society is extreamly corrupt that storylines can unravel in everyday situations. Therefore, modern storylines are mainly based on events that have a possiblity of occuring or perhaps have occured and therefore are used as the basis of creating a storyline.