Fear Itself

There is a very dark atmosphere .The single window is the thing that is giving the room some light .

This is common in horror movies as the darkness of the room creates fear and suspense as the audience cannot see anything in the room ,anything can happen .

The use of a bathroom builds up tension as a bathroom is usually a place that is used for privacy .

There is a Smokey blurred effect so the man reflected in the mirror cannot be seen clearly .This also suggests other before that may be in the bathroom will not be able to see clearly .

A “psycho” is usually used in this type of scene.a man is generally used as women are seen to be the ones taken advantage of

Mirror suggests it’s a bathroom

A woman is commonly used in horror movies as they are seen as the more vulnerable sex .

Shower scenes are very common as this is a time where women are seen as vulnerable and where they can be taken advantage of .

As she is taking a shower, the water is blocking out other noises in the bathroom therefore she is unable to hear the killer walk into the bathroom .

The scream is exaggerated as this is what frightens the audience and leaves them in shock .

This is a common scene used in horror movies .

A long path leading through a forest in the dark ,it is harder to see what is out there .These scenes create fear as you are unable to see what is lurking through the forest anything can jump out at y out at you .

The darkness is taken advantage of as many people are afraid of the dark as they are unable to see there surroundings .

From a young age , people develop the fear of the dark as there are myths of monsters ,ghosts and horrible figures out there .This follows into adulthood , therefore filmmakers take advantage of this fear to create this natural tension and fear before anything has happened .

There is the use of fog used again .This is a common thing used in horror movies as you cannot see what is surrounding you , this creates suspense and surprises the audience as something or someone enters the scene.

A small child is commonly used in modern horror stories .This is because in the same way women are seen as being innocent and vulnerable kids are to.

As we develop fears from a very young age ,the use of a kid can exaggerate the fear even more to make it more believable as adults may flashback to their childhoods reminiscing their fears .

The audience would also feel more sympathetic for a child than they would an older person which would make the film itself more frightening and intense to see these terrifying things happening to an innocent child.

The child is alone and abandoned and there is only a little bit of light shining through. These become “spirits”.

Characters are made to look really unusual and “ghostly”

Makeup plays an important role as the scary figure has to be made to look its part , even if its an human being ,they have to be made to look slightly unusual to hint to the audience there is something unusual about the character , and that the opposing character may be in danger .

The use of red is learnt to signify danger .Therefore the use of the person wearing the red hoody immediately suggests there is something wrong and that that person is “dangerous”.

The way this figure has turned into blood is a clever way to emphasise danger as having a fear of blood is also a very common fear.

Once again a red coat has been used in this movie which immediately suggests danger. There is also a young girl used .

The girl is shown to be drowning .This is another fear many of us have. This is a common scene used in horror as people are afraid of drowning therefore it can be their worst “nightmare”.

In nearly all horror movies there is a sight of blood .This adds a gruesome effect to the movie .

As many people are scared of blood ,the sight of blood is exaggerated and made bright red to really emphasise the colour .Generally the clothing or atmosphere has not very much colour therefore the blood is then made extremely red as it would stand out from the background.

Blood isn't the only thing people are scared of but they also have a fear of needles. Therefore detailed close-ups are used to really exaggerate the pain making the audience feel the pain to.

Old settings and props are commonly used as horror films develop as people learn to believe things left over from many years ago are cursed .

Old photographs are put up in many peoples houses and they are looked at on a day to day basis .Filmmakers putting this in a horror movie and putting a twist to the story that the woman in the photograph looks exactly like a woman in the present times creates a fact that the woman has come back alive ,may be a ghost .This creates a strong hook line as the audience are left thinking however are left scared .People may also be left to believe these things really happen which would leave a life long effect on their mental well being.

Another fear that is very common in the modern period is the fear of air travel.

“you have no control of your body until you get of the plane”

Between your flight and your arrive , you are not in control and whatever happens happens, there is nothing you can do ..