http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/2482/100-best-horror-films-the-full-list
This list of the 100 best horror films, according to timeout, contains many psychological horrors - many of them being in the top 20. I was surprised at this as I thought that the most popular would be of more of the slasher genre. This could potentially indicate that the genre I have chosen is more popular than I had originally thought
Friday, 12 October 2012
Monday, 8 October 2012
My Idea
This idea may vary to my final trailer, but this is my initial idea:
Outline of the story:
A teenage girl's parents have gone away for the weekend, and, so she isn't left home alone she invites her two friends over to stay with her, because although the house isn't 'stereotypically' creepy, when the girl is the last one awake at night she feels that the house develops an eerie atmosphere and she feels as though she is being watched by somebody. As she explains this to the friends one of them laughs off the comments and tells her that if she means her house is haunted, it cant be as ghosts don't exist.
The evening the friends arrive all is well to start off with, until night falls and as they are settle down to watch a film, one of the friends decides to go and get a box of chocolates she had brought with her for them all share. The friend is gone for quite a long time and the other two girls get suspicious as to why it has taken her so long - little do they know that whilst the friend was upstairs getting the food from her bag, a young girl had 'appeared' to the friend. It would not be seen as to what happened to the friend, only that when one of them goes to find her she has seemingly vanished into thin air, with only a note left saying 'who says ghosts don't exist' written in a child's hand writing. From then on, the young girl would 'appear' to the two girls, haunting and terrorising them throughout the rest of the night, with her aim appearing to be to kill them.
Trailer outline:
Outline of the story:
A teenage girl's parents have gone away for the weekend, and, so she isn't left home alone she invites her two friends over to stay with her, because although the house isn't 'stereotypically' creepy, when the girl is the last one awake at night she feels that the house develops an eerie atmosphere and she feels as though she is being watched by somebody. As she explains this to the friends one of them laughs off the comments and tells her that if she means her house is haunted, it cant be as ghosts don't exist.
The evening the friends arrive all is well to start off with, until night falls and as they are settle down to watch a film, one of the friends decides to go and get a box of chocolates she had brought with her for them all share. The friend is gone for quite a long time and the other two girls get suspicious as to why it has taken her so long - little do they know that whilst the friend was upstairs getting the food from her bag, a young girl had 'appeared' to the friend. It would not be seen as to what happened to the friend, only that when one of them goes to find her she has seemingly vanished into thin air, with only a note left saying 'who says ghosts don't exist' written in a child's hand writing. From then on, the young girl would 'appear' to the two girls, haunting and terrorising them throughout the rest of the night, with her aim appearing to be to kill them.
Trailer outline:
- The teenage girl invites her friends over on Saturday, explains about parents being away and why she doesn't want to be alone
- One of the friends then makes the key 'ghosts don't exist' comment
- Cuts to the two girls arriving at the house
- The three girls settling down to watch the film - one of the guests makes her excuse to leave the room and heads upstairs
- The friend looking through her bag - can't find the chocolate
- Suddenly the bar/box lands on the middle of the floor
- Friend slowly looks up to above the doorway (there should be a window there but it had broken and so is just an empty space) where there is a young girl staring at her
- Friend panics and picks the chocolate up off the floor to throw at the girl - as she bends down she looks up to see the girl now in the room standing in front of her
- The two remaining girls get suspicious of the others absence, one goes upstairs to find her, the other goes to the toilet
- The one that goes upstairs walks into the empty room and as she turns to leave she notices a note on the wall that has been written by a child saying 'who says ghosts don't exist?'
- Meanwhile, The other girl in the bathroom is looking in the mirror when suddenly a child's hand slaps against the window
- A montage of clips showing the girl appearing to them would then be shown (included in this montage would be clips showing that all the doors and windows are locked as well as all keys hidden - there is no escape)
- The screen then suddenly go black
- Fading in would be a shot of a young girls hand pulling a knife from the block - the screen would then suddenly go black
- Fade in again for title of the film and the release date
Monday, 1 October 2012
Laura Mulvey And The Male Gaze
What is the Gaze?:
This concept is how the audience views the people presented to them
This can be thought of in 3 different ways:
This theory was influenced by the work of the psychologist Freud and is very important to the Feminist Film theory movement and has been influential since the 70's. Mulvey stated that, especially in classic Hollywood films, women are used purely to provide visual pleasure to men, and that the audience are constructed in a manner where they are all expected to be men. Her concept of 'to-be-looked-at-ness' states that women were only shown on screen in classic Hollywood in order to provide men with visual pleasure and have an erotic impact. Mulvey argued that typically the key protagonist in a classic Hollywood film was male and the audience members were similarly typically expected to be men. The typical male audience member is aligned with the protagonist by identification, aspiration and admiration. So, the audience identify with the films protagonist and places themselves in the shoes of the 'hero' in the film. Furthermore, the influence of Freud, an influential psychoanalytic theorist to Mulvey's theory is the idea of castration anxiety which is what a person unconsciously thinks. For example: If a woman was not objectified the way she was in the classic Hollywood or placed in a position of lower authority a male would not feel as powerful.
Features of the male gaze:
This concept is how the audience views the people presented to them
This can be thought of in 3 different ways:
- How men look at women
- How women look at themselves
- How women look at other women
This theory was influenced by the work of the psychologist Freud and is very important to the Feminist Film theory movement and has been influential since the 70's. Mulvey stated that, especially in classic Hollywood films, women are used purely to provide visual pleasure to men, and that the audience are constructed in a manner where they are all expected to be men. Her concept of 'to-be-looked-at-ness' states that women were only shown on screen in classic Hollywood in order to provide men with visual pleasure and have an erotic impact. Mulvey argued that typically the key protagonist in a classic Hollywood film was male and the audience members were similarly typically expected to be men. The typical male audience member is aligned with the protagonist by identification, aspiration and admiration. So, the audience identify with the films protagonist and places themselves in the shoes of the 'hero' in the film. Furthermore, the influence of Freud, an influential psychoanalytic theorist to Mulvey's theory is the idea of castration anxiety which is what a person unconsciously thinks. For example: If a woman was not objectified the way she was in the classic Hollywood or placed in a position of lower authority a male would not feel as powerful.
Features of the male gaze:
- The camera lingers on the curves of the female body
- Events that happen to women are (mostly) presented in the context of a mans reaction to the events
- Women are seen as 'objects'
- Some women enjoy being looked at i.e. beauty pageants
- The gaze could directed towards the same gender for other (non sexual) reasons such as body image or clothing
Research Methods
Primary Research
This is collecting 'primary data'
Which includes:
This is collecting 'primary data'
Which includes:
- Questionnaires
- Direct Observation
- Telephone interviews
The advantages of this type of research are that they address specific issues and they can be controlled to fit with what needs to be discovered. However, they can be time consuming to carry out, it is easy for someone to not give their true answer, participants may not take the task seriously and they can be expensive to produce.
Secondary Research
This is a summary of research that already exists by processing data that has been collected previously
Which includes:
- Research reports
- Websites
- Magazine articles
Advantages to secondary research is that it is of relatively low cost and is quite quick to carry out - as they data has been collected already. The disadvantages are that the data may be out of date - and so the results may be inaccurate and the data may not be about the exact same issue/topic that the researcher wants.
Qualitative Research
This type of research finds out how and why through analysing information
This can be done through:
- Interview transcripts
- Survey responses
- Emails
- Notes
- Feedback forms
- Photos
- Videos
Quantitative Research
This is finding out facts and statistics by asking peoples opinions using a structure
This can be done through:
- Surveys
- Questionnaires
The research I will use will be secondary research largely due to a low budget and lack of time. In particular I will be using websites to collect my data and do my research. However, I will have to be careful to not collect incorrect or old, irrelevant data. As well as this, I will also be watching psychological horror films and trailers in order to understand my chosen sub-genre as well as I can.
Saturday, 29 September 2012
Key Director For Horror
William Friedkin
In 1973 William Friedkin revolutionised the genre of horror with a film, still in the present day, regarded as the one of the greatest/scariest films of all time. This film is 'The Exorcist'. It was nominated for 10 Academy awards, which included best picture and best director. It ended up winning the best screenplay award.
In the 1970's the genre of horror was divided into two types. One type being the 'real life' terrors of the likes of 'Psycho' and 'Night of the living dead'. These films brought horror into the everyday - helping it become even more frightening. The other type were the outrageous more unrealistic horror from company's such as Hammer Studios in the UK and Mario Brava and Dario Argento in Italy. These films would contain explicit gore over a narrative logic.
The first film that attempted a union of the two types of horror was 'Rosemary's Baby' - however it seemed with this film that director Roman Polanski still had produced a film that was too surreal.
The first film to properly combine the two was 'The Exorcist'. This film then went on to inspire and change the genre of horror.
In 1973 William Friedkin revolutionised the genre of horror with a film, still in the present day, regarded as the one of the greatest/scariest films of all time. This film is 'The Exorcist'. It was nominated for 10 Academy awards, which included best picture and best director. It ended up winning the best screenplay award.
In the 1970's the genre of horror was divided into two types. One type being the 'real life' terrors of the likes of 'Psycho' and 'Night of the living dead'. These films brought horror into the everyday - helping it become even more frightening. The other type were the outrageous more unrealistic horror from company's such as Hammer Studios in the UK and Mario Brava and Dario Argento in Italy. These films would contain explicit gore over a narrative logic.
The first film that attempted a union of the two types of horror was 'Rosemary's Baby' - however it seemed with this film that director Roman Polanski still had produced a film that was too surreal.
The first film to properly combine the two was 'The Exorcist'. This film then went on to inspire and change the genre of horror.
Friday, 28 September 2012
Key Director For Psychological Horror
Alfred Hitchcock
'There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it' - Alfred Hitchcock
Much of Hitchcock's horror was psychological, he would slowly build up a sense of dread throughout his films. He used suspense to bring you to a breaking point which he would then release you from and move on to the next part of the film. While this is subtle it has a longer-lasting effect on you afterwards. To Hitchcock murder and suspense were the height of terror. To add to this the thought that the majority of the scenarios seen in his films can be applied to real life make you think they could, potentially, happen to you. The body counts in his films were also much more realistic - with a small amount (if any) being killed in each film - he didn't need body counts to make his films scary, just the threat of death was enough.
'There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it' - Alfred Hitchcock
Much of Hitchcock's horror was psychological, he would slowly build up a sense of dread throughout his films. He used suspense to bring you to a breaking point which he would then release you from and move on to the next part of the film. While this is subtle it has a longer-lasting effect on you afterwards. To Hitchcock murder and suspense were the height of terror. To add to this the thought that the majority of the scenarios seen in his films can be applied to real life make you think they could, potentially, happen to you. The body counts in his films were also much more realistic - with a small amount (if any) being killed in each film - he didn't need body counts to make his films scary, just the threat of death was enough.
Most Famous Psychological Horror Films
The most famous psychological horror films:
Rosemary's Baby
Short description from IMDB:
'A young couple move into a new apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbours and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins controlling her life.'
Rosemary's baby came around at a vital time in American cinema history. Hollywood was just emerging from the slump of the 1950s (during the post-war period ticket sales had plummeted) and times were changing. Film production in Hollywood turned on its head and studios began financing independent productions - and the independent films started to become mainstream. Charlie Bluhdorn, head of Gulf and Western (which bought Paramount in 1966) decided to hire Robert Evans. It was less than a year after Paramount’s new ownership and with Evans then on board Paramount needed a hit film. Rosemary's Baby was the answer. It is still recognised as one of the best horror films as it is a creepy, unsettling film that tends to get under the skin of the audience - which is key for a apsychological horror. The film is slow paced, atmospheric, quiet and deliberate.
The Shining
Short description from IMDB:
'A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.'
The shining is one of the most memorable horror movies of all time due to its shock value, suspense and gore. Right from the beginning it gets the audience involved and has a menacing atmosphere about it. The line between real and fantasy in the film is very blurred and leaves you wondering which parts of the film are supposed to be real and which parts aren't.
Rosemary's Baby
Short description from IMDB:
'A young couple move into a new apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbours and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins controlling her life.'
Rosemary's baby came around at a vital time in American cinema history. Hollywood was just emerging from the slump of the 1950s (during the post-war period ticket sales had plummeted) and times were changing. Film production in Hollywood turned on its head and studios began financing independent productions - and the independent films started to become mainstream. Charlie Bluhdorn, head of Gulf and Western (which bought Paramount in 1966) decided to hire Robert Evans. It was less than a year after Paramount’s new ownership and with Evans then on board Paramount needed a hit film. Rosemary's Baby was the answer. It is still recognised as one of the best horror films as it is a creepy, unsettling film that tends to get under the skin of the audience - which is key for a apsychological horror. The film is slow paced, atmospheric, quiet and deliberate.
The Shining
Short description from IMDB:
'A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.'
The shining is one of the most memorable horror movies of all time due to its shock value, suspense and gore. Right from the beginning it gets the audience involved and has a menacing atmosphere about it. The line between real and fantasy in the film is very blurred and leaves you wondering which parts of the film are supposed to be real and which parts aren't.
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