Assignment 9: Individual Research

By Abdullah Khan

Shutter IslandOfficial Poster:

I learnt the following:

• The film focuses on psychological paranoia within the horror genre.

• The protagonist of the film is in deep psychological stress/paranoia as the horror is presented within the mind of the character.

• The protagonist of the horror film is male which is stereotypical approach although this is changing within the modern film industry.

• The psychological paranoia sets a tone full of tension and suspense for the audience as the character suffers mentally.

• The films approach allows the audience to feel sympathetic towards the protagonist as he is isolated, alone and in despair.

• The film offers a twist at the end of the film which is a conventional reinforcement for psychological horror movies e.g. “the sixth sense” which also surprises the audience at the end of the film with a shocking twist.

Costume: The protagonist’s appearance is a typical representation of a professional detective as he is assumed by the audience to be in his experienced role with his partner.

Setting: The setting is quite isolated, set in a island, adding to the sense of fear experienced by the character (protagonist) as we also now know that he cannot escape.

Props: There are no weapons as the film has a psychological approach rather than a physical.

There are a range of flashbacks in the movie to give an insight to the protagonist of the film.

The range of illusions experienced by the protagonist create narrative enigmas, engaging the audience.

There are symbolic references to the twist of the movie to offer the more intelligent audiences or second viewers clear clues.

The detective is accompanied by his partner which is a conventional approach to a crime story.

The RingOfficial Poster

I learnt the following:

• The film focuses on the supernatural aspect of the horror genre.

• The protagonist of the film is a female mother, reinforcing more representations of gender within horrors.

• The audience are left with narrative enigmas through out the film as they left questioning the supernatural forces that the protagonist is coming across and want to find out more about them.

• The narrative structure of the film is linear as the female protagonists privately investigates the supernatural entities.

• The film has a serious tone as many characters are killed off to emphasise on the serious approach. The audience feel sympathetic to the protagonist, also being a mother.

Costume: The characters wear casual and typical everyday clothing as the main group of people that are represented are middle class.

Props: There are no weapons as the threat within the film is supernatural.

Location: There are a range of locations within the film. This is a conventional approach for films that focus on an investigative approach.

The costume used creates fear for the audience as the face of the antagonist isn’t revealed until the end, adding tension.

Special effects are used in the film, blurring out the victims of the supernatural threat so the viewers are aware .

Blood is shown through out the film to reinforce and symbolise violence, foreshadowing later events.

The supernatural threat within the film is linked with technology, having a modernised approach.

28 Days LaterOfficial Poster:

I learnt the following:

• The film focuses on the zombie virus aspect of the horror genre.

• The protagonist of the film is a typical working male that wakes up to an infected and isolated world.

• The protagonist of the horror film is male which is typical approach although this is changing within the modern film industry.

• The isolation sets a dull tone. full of tension for the audience as the character is challenged to survive and find survivors.

• The films approach allows the audience to feel sympathetic towards the protagonist as he is alone and challenged mentally.

• The film is very original and one of the very first to have an attempt with the zombie horror genre. Others followed including ‘Dawn of the dead’, ‘28 weeks later’, ‘Zombie land’ and ‘World War Z’.

Costume: The protagonist’s appearance is a typical representation of an everyday person before the epidemic, in this case associated in the medical department.

Setting: There are a range of locations within the film as the characters look for shelter and survival.

Props: Weapons are important for the humans within the film as they are needed in order to defend themselves against the zombie threat.

Blood is shown through out the film to reinforce and symbolise violence, foreshadowing later events.

The audience realise that there is more than one obvious threat in the film, being the infected but also some of the humans.

The environment of the characters is huge however they are still isolated as a result of the infectious disease that spread.

Facial expressions are used in the film to create fear as they emphasise on the psychopathic translon of some characters

Red DragonOfficial Poster:

I learnt the following:

• The film focuses on the extreme and cannibalistic side within the horror genre.

• The protagonist of the film is a male detective that tackles serial killers that challenge the character psychologically as well as physically, later in the film.

• The protagonist of the horror film is male which is typical approach although this is changing within the modern film industry.

• The psychological paranoia sets a tone full of tension and suspense for the audience as the character is challenged mentally.

• The films approach allows the audience to feel sympathetic towards the protagonist as he and his family are threatened.

• The film is very enigmatic however it is a prequel to a previous masterpiece ‘the silence of the lambs’ hence its easier for audiences to engage with the film.

Costume: The protagonist’s appearance is a typical representation of a professional detective where as the antagonists are represented as suited to their roles in society.

Setting: There are a range of locations within the film which is conventional for a detective thriller because of the enigmatic process of the investigation. This help create additional suspense.

Props: A range of weapons are used in the film as there are many threats for the protagonist to overcome.

A mask is used to emphasise and signify to the audience the depth of danger that the antagonist offers to the characters.

Chains are used as props to ensure and signify to the audience that the protagonist is safe from the antagonist.

Weapons are used by both the antagonist as well the protagonist however the films main approach is psychological.

Make-up is used to represent the ‘red dragon’ tattoo on the antagonist to illustrate the extreme nature of the villain.

Panic Room

I Learnt the following:

• The film focuses on home invasion and survival within the horror genre.

• The protagonist of the film is a female mother, reinforcing more recent representations of gender within horrors e.g. Don’t Breathe (which also had a similar approach with the female having the more dominant role as the protagonist)

• Fear is a dominant factor within the tone for the characters as well as the audience. This being similar to other horror movies within the genre.

• The narrative structure is linear as the movie is set in one location being the home of the protagonist.

• The film has a serious tone as the mother and child are victimised by criminals so the audience are sympathetic towards them.

Official Poster:

Costume: The costume within the movie is typical home clothing as the women is in her house. The antagonists outfits on the other hand is more representative of criminals as his clothing is similar to those of street gang members.

Props: The antagonists have weapons as they use it to threaten their victims, creating fear. This being the conventional approach for the genre. The protagonist is in her home environment so the audience are given a representation of a typical home.

There is fearful tone through out the film emphasised through the facial expressions of the characters.

There is more than one antagonist so the audience know that the mother and daughter are very likely to be victimised.

Weapons are used in the film as they offer a physical threat to the characters that are being victimised.

There is conflict between two of the antagonists which creates tension as well as suspense for the audience.

InsidiousOfficial Poster:

I learnt the following:

• The film focuses on the paranormal aspect of the horror genre.

• The protagonists of the film are a couple, being the mother as well as the father of the child under threat. This is a less conventional approach as usually within horrors one of the protagonists is more dominant as a representation of gender.

• The audience are left with narrative enigmas through out the film as they left questioning the supernatural forces that the protagonist is coming across and want to find out more about them.

• The narrative structure of the film is linear as the family comes under threat.

• The film has a serious tone as many characters come under threat. The audience feel sympathetic towards all members of the family.

Costume: The characters wear casual and typical everyday clothing as the main group of people that are represented are middle class.

Props: There are no weapons as the threat within the film is supernatural.

Location: There are a range of locations within the film. This is a conventional approach for supernatural films as there is usually more than one dimension, one being reality the other being the supernatural world.

Flashbacks are shown in the film to give the audience an insight in to the background of the antagonist.

Lighting is used through out the film to illustrate the facial expressions of the characters signifying fear.

Make up is used in the film to create a scary antagonist, a conventional use within supernatural horrors.

There a range of threats presented in the film so the characters are always in jeopardy which is again conventional.

The ShiningOfficial Poster:

I learnt the following:

• The film focuses on madness and paranoia within the horror genre.

• The protagonist of the film is driven to madness as the horror is presented within the mind of the character.

• The protagonist of the horror film is male which is stereotypical approach although this is changing within the modern film industry.

• The madness and paranoia sets a intense tone towards the later stages of the film, initially being quite suspenseful as the audience are left with a range of enigmas.

• The film offers a twist at the end of the film which is a conventional reinforcement for psychological/madness horror movies e.g. “the sixth sense” which also surprises the audience at the end of the film with a shocking twist.

Costume: The protagonist’s appearance is a typical representation of a middle ages family man. The wife as well as the child also have the same approach.

Setting: The setting is quite isolated, set in a single home, adding to the sense of fear experienced by the characters as we are also left with enigmas, with there being no initial insight in to the new estate.

Props: There is a single iconic scene where a weapon is used as the film has a psychological approach rather than a physical.

Characters suffer psychologically, creating narrative enigmas as facial expressions only give a subtle insight.

Weapons are used by both the antagonist as well the protagonist however the films main approach is psychological.

Blood is shown through out the film to reinforce and symbolise violence, foreshadowing later events.

Facial expressions are used in the film to create a scary antagonist, creating fear, conventional for psychological films