Genre Conventions; especially the horror genre and phycological

What are genre conventions; focusing on horror, especially physiological

-Genre conventions are the stereotypical features associated with a particular genre. For example, an action/ adventure would most likely have an explosion or a gunshot, a rom com would have a date, or a horror would have some sort of death depending on the sub genre. A psychological horror doesn’t tend to have stereotypical conventions, as it depends on what the movie is going for, and they tend to differ dramatically when the films are produced. Generally, in a psychological horror, the worst yet to come, thus making the suspense the primary fear generator. This is exemplified in films such as The Shining, Blair Witch Project, or Insidious. All films leave the viewer in suspense and they don’t know what will happen. Moreover, the films also leave a lot of doors open and it could end in a variety of ways. This is what scares the audience, as they don’t know what is going to happen, or what will happen in future. Additionally, another regular convention of psychological horrors is the twist at the end. This leads the viewer into a false sense of security, which will make the ending all the scarier for the viewer. By doing so, this differs from films that focus on gore or just general fear such as Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw or Hostel.  These films just focus on aspects that will shock and scare the audience there and then, and have a predictable ending. Whereas a psychological horror leaves the fear ongoing and the audience scared after the film. This is what makes them so effective.

Horror films in general would have a villain, who are normally murders; a protagonist, who is often on the run from the villain; sometimes children are included in these films, they are seen as extremely innocent to the unsuspecting eye, that when they become dangerous, it really scares the audience, also they can be the protagonist; and then the other conventions will depend on the subgenre.

Here is a list of stereotypical horror types and conventions:

-       Zombie

-       Possessed

-       Murder

-       Psychological

-       Ghost

-       Mystic beast (vampire, werewolf etc.)

-       Sci fi horror

-       Cannibal

All of these different genres, and the other sub genres, have their own conventions.