1. Horror films are an unsettling film, with an aim to scare/frighten the audience. Usually the movie aims to make the audience jump, and can cause discomfort for some viewers as most horrors contain a lot of blood and gore.

2. Themes
Paranormal Activity E.g. Annabelle Depression E.g. the Badadook Demons Revenge Serial Killers E.g. Scream Religious Beliefs Violence These are typical themes for horror as they are better at creating fear for the audience. Most horrors tend to diverge away from themes such as comedy and romance as they make the movie less frightening.

3. Characters
The protagonist is usually the heroine/hero of the movie, but can also be the victim.
The villain is often a serial killer, monster, alien or a freak with a mutation.
Horror movies usually contain a very stereotypical character e.g.
The athlete- the manly, brave guy who everyone looks to for guidance.
The Blonde- usually dumb and usually the one who usually dies first. E.g.
Casey Becker in scream. The opening sequence of the movie, is Casey Becker
on the phone to the murder playing a game, she is the first character we see
die in the movie.
The Wise Elder- the one who offers advice to protagonist, often saves the day. E.g. in the Horror movie Annabelle, Evelyn was the wise elder who offered the main character advice about the possessed doll, who had a lot of information on paranormal activities, and who at the end of the film, ends up killing herself and the doll in order to save the family.

4. Mise En Scene
Horror movies are usually set in a isolated area, which creates a sense of fear, loneliness and suspense. Horror movies are usually set here to show there is no hope, and nowhere for the characters to run. E.g. in the opening scene of Scream, the young girl tries to escape from the murder but is unsuccessful as there is nowhere she can run to, therefor she ends up dying. Horror movies also contain a lot of pathetic fallacy which consists of thunder, lightning and rain to enhance the sense of isolation and fear. E.g. in the movie It, rain is used to create the sense of isolation. In horror movies weapons, antiques and paintings are props used regularly as they create a sense of mystery and darkness. It also creates a sense of a sinister motive. E.g. in the movie the Boy, a painting is used to create a sense of darkness and mystery, and causes suspense/fear for the audience. Red and Black are the most used colours in horror movies. The colour red connotes blood, danger and violence. The colour black connotes darkness, dullness and mystery. In horror films lighting is used to give the affect that something bad is going to happen e.g. a flickering light switch creates a sense of something being wrong, which causes the audience to become nervous. Lighting is also used to create a mood in the movie e.g. if someone is scared it is dark, and usually raining outside. Lightning can also be used to create a personality for a character e.g. a sinister minded character may have shadows casted across their face. E.g. in Chucky, the little girl has more of a bright light above her, whereas the doll has a shadow casted across his face, therefore connoting that the little girl is innocent and pure and the doll is more sinister and evil.

5. Sound
To make the audience jump, loud and fast non diegetic sounds may be used. In horror movies loud non diegetic sounds are used frequently to scare the audience. Exaggerated diegetic sounds are used frequently to create tension. E.g. in the movie psycho there is a loud, diegetic sound of the knife stabbing the woman in the shower. Mode of address- in Horrors the villain can be very patronising or rude to The victim to create fear. Incidental music- is used a lot when something sad happens or the scene is tense to create suspense. Sound bridging – a sound bridge is used in a horror movie, to create a sense of no escape, and to show the audience that although the scene has changed, the theme has not.

6. Iconography
Ghostly symbols, locations, and strange things happening e.g. things falling of shelves unexpectedly. These are used to frighten the audience, by creating suspense then making the audience jump. Other typical conventions include, loud unexplainable noises, creepy shadows and wind. In most horror/ paranormal films, there is usually a non believing character, or a priest who tries to prevent bad things happening, who angers the paranormal being. E.g. the priest in Annabelle who is later attacked by the doll in the movie. Another way in which Horror movies try to frighten the audience is with the use of lighting, e.g. of a light bulb blows it gives the audience a hint that something bad is going to happen, or something is going to appear.

7. Camera
Bird eye/high angle- these types of shots are used to make victim look venerable/ weak. E.g. in the Pact where the woman is locked in the wardrobe and is struggling to escape. Close up- A close up in a horror movie is used to show characters reaction or fear, these types of shots are used to show a characters emotion, or how they reacts in an important scene E.g. in scream when the character is on the phone to the murderer we see the characters fear through a close-up. Establishing shot- an establishing shot is often used in the opening/ the beginning of a horror movie, and is used to set the location of the scene. Horror movies tend to use a long establishing shot to connote isolation. E.g. in the Conjuring, we can see an isolated house creating suspense for audience. Low angle- a low angle is used in a horror movie to connote power. The villain is usually showed from a low angle to show they have power, they are scary and they are intimidating. E.g. in the shape we see the villain from a low angle shot, holding a knife connoting he is powerful and connoting he is the villain as he has a weapon. Reaction Shot- a reaction shot in a Horror movie is used to show a characters reaction to seeing/hearing something. E.g. in Psycho we see how the woman reacts when she sees the murderer, through a reaction shot, the shot is also a close up.