FILM SYNOPSIS ANALYSIS (BURTON'S THEORY)

Protagonist Stock Characters Plots Stock Situations Antagonist Setting

Prom Night

In Bridgeport, the deranged high school teacher Richard Fenton is obsessed by the teenager student Donna Keppel; she witnesses him murder her family to stay with her, but Richard is arrested and sent to prison for life. Three years later, the traumatized Donna is feeling better but is still under psychological treatment and taking pills. On her prom night, she goes with her boyfriend Bobby and two couples of friends to the Pacific Grad Hotel for the party. But the psychopath Richard has escaped from prison and is lodged in the same floor in the hotel chasing Donna, stabbing her friends and staff of the hotel that cross his path.

My Bloody Valentine 3D

In the mining town of Harmony, a drilling accident is caused by the son of the owner, Tom Hanniger. The mine collapses, burying six miners alive. The rescue team finds only Harry Warden alive, but in coma, and the other miners murdered by his pickax, and they conclude that Harry killed them to save oxygen for himself. On Valentine's Day, Harry awakes from his coma in the local hospital, and he kills twenty-two people, including a group of teenagers that are partying in the mine. Harry is killed by the deputy, but the only survivors are Tom Hanniger, his girlfriend Sarah, their friend Axel Palmer and his girlfriend Irene. Ten years later, Tom returns to Harmony after the death of his father. Tom has decided to sell the Hanniger Mine, and finds that Sarah has married Axel, who is now the local sheriff, and they have a son named Noah. On Valentine's Day, Harry Warden also returns, seeking revenge against those that had escaped his pickax in the past, and Tom is accused by Axel and other locals, who in turn makes accusations against Axel.

House of Wax

A group of friends (Carly Jones, Nick Jones, Paige Edwards, Wade, Dalton Chapman, and Blake) are on their way to an important football game, while along the way, they decide to camp in some woods. The next day Wade's car experiences car troubles with a broken fan belt. Carly and Wade decide to go to the nearest town to get a new fan belt while the rest of the group attempts to go to the game. When an unbelievably slow traffic jam stops Paige, Dalton, Blake, and Nick, they decide to go back to get Wade and Carly. One by one, the entire group ends up falling prey to two murderous brothers, the creators of the town's local 'House of Wax'. They must escape before they become the House of Wax's main exhibit.

Freddy vs. Jason

Four years after being killed by his daughter, Freddy Krueger rests in Hell. He depends on the dreams of those in Springwood to fuel his existence. But when the town covers up his existence in an attempt to make people forget, Freddy is left powerless. In a last ditch effort he springs Jason Voorhees from his own personal Hell and sends him to Elm Street, determined to strike fear in the hearts of Springwood teens. But when Jason won't stop killing Freddy's "children," Krueger decides it's time to take Voorhees out. Caught in the cross-fire are Lori and Will, both of whom feature a history with Freddy.

Burton’s Theory

In my research, it is proven that Burton’s theory works. The evidence for this is seen constantly and methodologically over the years. Films of the horror genre always take quite a simplistic setting, then proceed to twist it. A town may have been deserted for years or a remote getaway or basic journeys that include a detour. This excluded journey or area makes it easier to put a killer in these environments; they may be the outsiders of the community. The use of settings like this make it easier to understand the protagonists vulnerability

Themes are also consistent in horror films such as survival or death, there are also binary opposites which Levi Strauss explores.

Burton’s stock situations are also quite common, despite each film being unique. They are normally a collective at some sort of event, gathering or journey . Something occurs within the group that changes the dynamics, this is where the past may occur or reappear. In other situations the group may split up, however these stock situations get the ball rolling when it comes to their death.

Stock characters lend themselves greatly to this genre and are always seen.

How this effects my own ideas I want to use areas of Burton’s theory, such as a stock

situation, the importance of stock characters and the isolated setting as it has worked well over the years and would be a firm ground for my film to stand on as I will be challenging other conventions within the film so I don’t want to make it so different that nobody wants to view it, there needs to be a sense of familiarity within the film or stock characters.

The one thing I may change about the conventional stock situation is the idea that they must always be heading to an event or on a journey, although I want to keep them together within the film, with them being slowly picked off one by one.