Research: Aspects of Teen Horror: Sorority Row

Sorority Row

Institutional Information:
Sorority Row was made in 2009, and directed by Stewart Hendler. It was filmed on a location in Crafton, Pennsylvania, and produced by House Row Productions. It had a budget of around $16,000,000, but only grossed $11,915,856.

The films certification in the UK was originally rated an 18, but was changed due to an appeal to 15. This is due to the level of violence in the film, however it is not as graphic and horrific as in Saw 2. The majority of the characters are teenage, and therefore means that with a teenage target audience, alike The Ring and The Blair Witch Project, the audience can feel represented and closer to the characters. Also, older people who are aware of the other The Sorority Row film from the 80’s, may therefore be interested if they enjoyed the film.

In Sorority Row, the most stereotypical convention is the that we do not see the killer in a lot of the film. We are left guessing as to who the killer is, and therefore the director is able to use the element of surprise on the audience, who try to guess. This is effective, because the audience remain on the edge of their seats because they do not know where the murder is coming from, or therefore, when he could strike. When the murderer is revealed, he wears a similar costume to that of Scream. A big black cloak which covers his whole body. This is mainly effective because the audience therefore do not know who is beneath it, and therefore is more shocking.

This technique will be useful in my work on horror film clips, as we want the demonic child to remain unknown to begin with. This will leave the audience wondering, and therefore shock them more, as they are facing the unknown.

However, for our villain, it is a little child, so the costume would look unusual on them. It would work well with a killing spree film, where everyone begins to die.

Research: Aspects of Teen Horror: Saw 2

Saw 2

Institutional Information:
The film was made in 2005, and directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. It was filmed in Toronto, Canada, with a budget of $4,000,000; it was produced by Twisted Pictures, and on it’s opening weekend in the United Kingdom on 303 screens, made £2,189,212, then went on to gross $147,739,965 worldwide.

The film was rated an 18, which automatically means that the target audience differs from that of Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project and The Ring. The film contains extended amounts of violence and gore, which is therefore not appropriate for anyone younger than adult, because the scenes can be very disturbing. The fact that it is a sequel to the first Saw also means that any fans of the first film will be a good target audience, and again, like with the others, horror film lovers would also enjoy it. I think that age wise, it would appeal to a group of between 18 and 45, as gore was the main type of horror film in the past, so older people may want to see how it has changed.

Typically, as with gore horror films, there is a lot of blood involved in Saw 2. Instead of the unknown like in The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, the horror is instantly represented to the audience, however, the gorey incidents aim to scare/frighten the audience.

One of the main conventions we see used in Saw 2 is the lighting. It differs from that of The Ring (the green sickness),as it is a yellow and green sort of colour, which stands as a metaphor for the staleness of the building and the air, which is toxic. This is a good technique, as the audience can begin to understand the air and conditions of the people trapped within Jigsaw’s house.

I don’t think this would be a good effect to use in our horror film clip, as it quite a constricting air effect, and in our film, it is set outdoors, with plenty of air. However, this would be good to use if we had a hostage, or a dead person in a locked room, to indicate the poor air conditions.

Research: Aspects of Teen Horror: Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity

Institutional Information:
Paranormal Activity was made in 2007, with Oren Peli as the director. It was filmed on Bavarian Drive, in San Diego, California, and produced by Blumhouse Productions. The film had a budget of $15,000, yet grossed around $193,355,800!

In the United Kingdom, Paranormal Activity was rated as an age 15 movie, which is the same as with The Ring, and The Blair Witch Project, again appealing to an older teenage audience. With Paranormal Activity, this is mainly to do with the marketing strategy of the film, which was an internet based campaign. I think that the film appeals to either sex, as it is not gender specific. It appeals most to those who are interested in the paranormal, and to horror movie goers. This is due to the theme, being a demonic type of film. When watching this film, I found that it wasn’t too frightening, as although it contained an idea of the unknown, there were only a few jumpy bits, including the endings.

One of the stereotypical conventions which are used in Paranormal Activity is the lighting in order to create a frightening effect. The scariest scenes within the film are held during the dark hours, and so, the director has chosen to use a night vision. This creates effect as you cannot see well, due to the lack of light, which adds to the element of suspense from the unknown.

The camera usage in this film differs from The Ring as it is a hand held camera, which, in my opinion makes the scenes more intense. This is because you only can see what where the camera is pointing, and this makes the audience closer, and more connected to the feelings of the characters. I think this is effective mainly for the sections of the film where something is about to happen, and the action is becoming fast paced, instead of the general everyday things. This may work well in our horror film clip, when our character begins to sense something around him in the woods, and when he starts to run away from our demonic character.

I think, if we were to use this in our clip, it would be effective to the audience, because the jolty unsteady camera footage would give a sense of moving and the unknown. A lot of the footage in Paranormal Activity is shot from a close angle, which again gives the audience a fear of the unknown, as it blocks the view of everything around, and therefore they feel less secure and as if something is surrounding the camera.