Codes and Conventions of Horror Films

CODES AND CONVENTIONS

Secluded location

In horror movies the audience tends to see the characters placed in a location where there is no one around to help them. For example; the woods, a ghost town, an abandoned amusement park or a house placed in the middle of nowhere. 

Characters forget about the threat

In a horror film there is always a threat of death, danger a curse or worse however the characters at some point tend to conveniently put this out of their mind. For example someone may have just been killed yet they will go on as normal and go to a party of play scrabble. 

Power is cut

Usually at the scariest moment possible in the film the power is cut and the lights will suddenly go out. This is most likely to happen before something scary occurs and it will help to increase the fear that the audience and the character feels. 

Phone lines are cut 

At some point during a Horror film the killer will most likely cut the phone lines to stop the victim from calling the police or anyone else for help. In some cases they will even cut their own phone lines to stop contact. (Misery) In more recent Horror films it also included mobile phone batteries dying or mobile phones being destroyed or not having signal due to the secluded location. 

Someone investigates a strange noise

Someone investigating a strange noise is the most used convention in Horror films. This usually occurs multiple times throughout the film becoming more unbelievable as it progresses. It seems unlikely that you would go and investigate a strange noise in a secluded location with the knowledge that people have been dying sporadically. 

Victim Cowers

There will come a point in a horror film where a character will be seen cowering either in front of a door, wall or window which the killer will the conveniently break through and grab them. If this doesn't happen then the victim will most likely look out the window or turn away and see nothing but when they turn back the killer appears. When the victim is cowering in a corner it usually alerts the audience that something like this will happen any minute. 

Victim falls over

Sometimes the victim in the film will inexplicably fall over nothing meaning that the killer can opportunely catch up with them and either kill them or get closer increasing the tension that the  audience will feel.

Vehicle won't start 

A vehicle that before the killer showed up worked perfectly will suddenly not start meaning that the victims only escape from a secluded location is unavailable which increases the inevitability that they will die. This can happen with any vehicle including; cars, motorbikes or snowmobiles depending on the setting of the film 

The fake scare

The fake scare is the oldest and most common convention used in a Horror film. Any scare in the film that is not related to the actual threat is considered a fake scare. This includes anything such as; a friend jumps out, a door slams, the phone rings, something falls, someone is tapped on the shoulder or grabbed or a bird fly's out of a tree.

Warning goes unheeded 

There is always a point when someone warms another character to not do something but they do it anyway. They could warn them not to because of many different reasons including things such as; they had a dream/vision, there is a rumour about the place/object or the place looks dark and secluded. 

Someone is killed in the first 5 minutes

This happens in every single Horror film as it is used to set the mood for the rest of the film and it can be very effective. 

Source: http://www.slideshare.net/kbamediastudies/codes-and-conventions-in-horror-films?related=1