Psychological horror iconography and conventions

Psychological Horror

Iconography and conventionsFelix Bartlett

Gareth Tyrrell

Fabian Hogg

Iconography Interview:

Name: Connor Horne

Genre: Psychological

Correct/Incorrect: Correct

“When I think of the psychological

horror genre I think of people in the

films having to go through awful

situations and traumatic experiences

throughout the film.”

Name: Bianca Morriss

Genre: Slasher Horror

Correct/Incorrect: Incorrect

“I thought this was a slasher horror collage

because I saw some iconic characters from

slasher films that I would consider to be a

slasher horror.”

“In a psychological horror film I would expect

to see examples of well known phobias and

people having to face their phobias.”


Name: Ben Bartlett



“I think of peoples fears and how the

horror films in this subgenre uses the

audiences fears to its advantage to

create an effective horror film that

makes the audience as scared as

possible.”

Name: Jayk Cassie

Genre: Serial Killer

Correct/Incorrect: Incorrect

“I felt as though this was a serial killer

subgenre in horror because I could see a

few characters that I associate with the

subgenre of a serial killer.”

“When I think of a psychological horror

I think of phobias such as

arachnophobia and claustrophobia.”


Name: Alfie Gammon



“I think of distress and how people react

to different events and situations.”

Name: Steve Tyrell



“I think of people having to experience

their worst fears when I think of a

psychological horror film.”


Name: Stevie Creasy



“Something that shows how people

react to different events.”

Name: John Davies



“I think a psychological horror portrays

phobias in order to entertain an

audience and frighten them.”

From Audience Feedback We

Learned...•Many people have the same idea about what a psychological horror film is.

•People believe that they revolve around phobias.

•Psychological horror conventions are easy to recognise.

We will research conventions in the

Psychological subgenre:

Subgenres within Psychological Horror

• Frozen

• Buried

Fanaticism

Madness &

Paranoia

Home

Invasion

Phobia &

Isolation

• Psycho

• May

• The Wicker Man

• Fraitly

• The Strangers

• You’re Next

Plot

• The plot usually focuses on everyday life, meaning the events can happen in reality,

making the audience more cautious.

• The phrase ‘Based on a true story’ are used at the beginning of most psychological

horror films to make the plot more believable.

• The plot relies on the characters beliefs, fears and other hidden truths about the

character/ what they have done.

• It exposes the evil that hides behind normality, but also contains elements of the

paranormal genre, allowing the audience to not relate completely.

Narrative Structure

• Psychological horror films are usually done using a non-linear structure.

• They have a non-linear structure because the films usually contain flashbacks to

events in the characters life, showing the audience important past events that

support the films plot.

Character types and Representations

• Psychological horror films usually contain three types of characters:

• The main antagonist

• The protagonist

• And the antagonists victims

• The antagonist is usually a normal person, but this can vary because some

psychological films bring in supernatural characters.

• The protagonist usually beats the main antagonist and is sometimes shown as a

counter typical female protagonist.

• The main antagonists victims are often shown as weak and helpless, but

sometimes they manage to fight back against the main antagonist.

Mise En Scene

• Psychological horror films use dark and scary settings that can relate to the audience.

• The use of low-key lighting is common in psychological horror films because they

want the audience to not know what's coming and it also adds a sense of mystery to the

film.

• The killer in these films usually wears normal clothes because by doing this the

character can relate to people in real-life, allowing the film to connect to the audience

more.

Setting:

• Common settings for psychological horror films are big houses, woodland

locations, warehouses, schools and hospitals.

• These settings create a sense of realism in relation to the audience as they

would be able to relate to some of the elements of the film, as they might have

seen/live in some of the settings.

• This increases the fear because the audience would be able to picture

themselves in the position of the victims.

Themes:

The themes in psychological horror films are as follows:

• Night

• Dark Colours (Red/Black)

• Blood/gore

• Weapons

• Death

• Madness

• Supernatural (In some films)

Camera Work:

• The camera work in psychological horror films is an important

element.

• Through camera work the audience is able to easily understand

what the film is trying to say.

• Strange angles and canted camera shots are most common in

psychological horror films.

•Also, extreme close ups and point of view shots are used in order to

make the audience feel more involved, allowing the film to build

tension and even to express fear.

Editing and sound:

• Often the sounds/music used in psychological horror films don’t match the

action that is onscreen.

• This is effective because it is used to contradict what is taking place on

screen.

•A chase sequence is common in psychological horror films.

• In ‘Prom Night’ (1980) the use of long shots emphasise the characters

running.

• Fast paced editing is often used to emphasise drama and tension. In the film

‘Saw’ the final sequence cuts back and forth between different angles of the

two survivors and the killer.

• When the drama is over the editing resumes to a close up of the two survivors

together and focuses on their face and emotions.

Purpose:How is it scary/Frightening/Disturbing?

• The purpose of psychological horror movies is to quite simply bring fear

into the audience.

• This is done by making the plot plausible and also by making it relate to the

lives of the audience.

• The villains in the film are usually made human because this also adds to the

fear and believable plot

• The purpose can also on some occasions be to disturb and revolt the

audience through the gruesome, but believable deaths.

Education

Psychological horror iconography and conventions