Conventions of Slasher

Music

• A major convention in slasher films is the music used. Non-diagetic music is frequently used when the killer is hunting its victims. The horrific music connotes that something bad is about to happen which is usually reflected on screen with the victim running. The music builds up over time which creates tension.

Mise en scene

• The props in the film usually include weapons, in slasher films a knife is iconic. This is because knifes make deaths look more gory and painful. This is to add shock value to the film. Also the killer itself has to come right up to a victim to kill them which mirrors hunting animals. This also allows more close ups of the killer and tension to be built as the killer makes his/her way to the victim. The clothing usually used by victims is casual college clothing to reflect the fact that they are students. The antagonist usually wears dark clothing to add terror and they usually cover their face. This connotes that they are an unstoppable force or monster without human morals or values.

Setting

• The setting is usually a school. This is to appeal to the target audience of teenagers. Having a familiar location means that the film becomes more appealing and similar to their lifestyle which makes the film more scary.

Lighting

• The lighting used in slasher films is dark. This connotes a sense of mystery or danger as the protagonists do not know what is lurking in the shadows. Lighting could also be used to create lightning which is a common occurrence in horror films which adds a sense of danger and shock to a scene. This is especially evident if a flash of lightning happens and the antagonist suddenly appears.

Cinematography

• The cinematography is carefully used in slasher films to add tension and terror. An example of this is close ups of the victims faces to capture their terror and add to the terrifying atmosphere. Other types of cinematography include foreground and background shots. This is used to keep background elements out of focus that fade in. This connotes that an unknown object in the background is actually the killer hiding.

Editing

• A lot of razor cuts are used during the suspense scenes usually when the killer is chasing the victim. This signifies

Smiling even though she is talking to a stranger. She is willing to talk “Naive”. She also is willing to help which adds to her “innocent” representation.

Clothes covering up, Understated clothing.

Hair cut “Bob” with a young and innocent style. This makes the character look defenceless to the audience

1. Character:The 1st Victim is a streetwise woman.

To add to the “Innocent” style, the light in the background seems to create a halo above the character to imply she is an angel

2. Camera Angle/Lighting

As the camera pans, the character is kept in to the right. This is to emphasise the dark outside the window which takes up a lot of this shot.

The lamp has been placed in the corner to create a contrast between the light on one side of the screen against the dark. The character moves from the light side of the room toward the window as if she is going somewhere bad or something bad is going to happen to her “Going into the Unknown”.

The TV is off/Blue screen. This connotes that the outside world has been cut off as there is no signal.

A Dutch tilt is used to convey her uneasy feeling, talking to a stranger.

3. Sound/Shot

The squeaky swing adds a spooky atmosphere to the night as it makes the audience believe that there is something lurking around in the night.

This is an establishing shot that sets up the scene and where the following events take place. It also shows the audience the “Plan” of the house, possible entrances and exits that could show escape routes and places the killer could enter.

Wind is heard whistling through the trees, this diegetic sound adds tension to the scene and gives the audience the idea that a big, unknown entity is lurking outside.

The house itself connotes that the family is wealthy and it is also secluded which makes chances of escape or help low.

4. Character

She is talking on the phone about “Halloween” a film where the killer uses a knife to kill his victims. This is referenced by her pulling the knife out of the block.

She is still smiling despite this stranger calling her for the 3rd time. This continues the representation of naivety of the character.

The fact that she is holding a knife adds a sudden hint of danger to the situation and could be a foretelling of later events.

The door in the background is left open with a dark shadow which further adds to the fact that something could be lurking in the background.

The Popcorn is left to continually be cooked and grows too big. This connotes that she is too busy to notice that her popcorn is about to overcook. This could be a result the killer taunting her over the phone (out of shot but heard in these screenshots) and scaring her to the point of forgetting about the popcorn.

The gradual increase in size of the popcorn adds tension to the scene as it looks like it will burst soon. This kind of becomes a countdown timer until something bad happens or the woman gets harmed.

5.Tension

6.

She is kept in the left side of the frame. This is to give the audience the expectation that something behind in the hallway may kill her. This is to build up the growing tension that the killer is near the house.

The blue screen is again shown to remind the audience that she is cut off from society in this desperate time.

The fact that most of her face is hidden behind the door shows that she is trying to protect herself and is in genuine fear, peering through the window instead of look straight through the glass or even opening the door.

7.

The woman is kept to the right of the shot to give the audience the impression that the killer will burst through the double doors behind her. Lots of shots like these have been utilised to suggest ways that the killer could enter to build up tension before the scare.

8.

The cuts and bruising connote that he has been beaten. This means that he has specifically been placed their as a resource for the killer. This is further backed up by his unbuttoned shirt which suggest that he was in a struggle or fight when he was captured. He could be seen as a threat to the killer, especially as the girlfriend said he will protect her, which is why the killer chose to tie him up.

The killer obviously had the whole scenario planned. This is due to the fact that he knew he would reveal the boyfriend to the woman at a specific time. This is due to the fact that the killer used tape to keep the boyfriend quiet until he wanted the woman to see him.

His directed groans toward the woman suggest that he doesn't want to be left in the dark after she was asked by the killer to turn the lights out. This shows he has a connection to her (Boyfriend).

9.

The fact that she is now crouched behind her own TV shows that she is not just scared but terrified that not even her own home is safe to hide her.

She is now clutching the phone a lot more than she originally was which signifies that she is no longer flirting with the killer but actually taking him more seriously.

To escape the killer she has gone to the naturally lightest part of the room. In a way you could say that the light represents an icon of “Hope” in slasher films, usually where populated areas are.

10.

The smoke from the burning popcorn has been utilised to limit the view of the audience and character. This makes it even more difficult to see the killer and adds tension to the overall scene.

The woman is also walking away from the lamp. This connotes that she is walking into danger as she is going from the light and descending into darkness. Which just so happens to be towards a glass door which could be an entry point for the killer, another tension building scene.

11.

After being stabbed (Note the blood and wound), the wounded woman sees her parents arrive just mere metres away. She even manages to stand but cant call out their names due to her wound. This adds hope for the audience that she might get away but after her parents leave and she gets stabbed again, the audience are left in a bigger state of shock.

The Canted angle is deliberately used show her lying on the ground in disorientation and her inability to contact her parents.

The shock on the mothers face connotes that she has finally seen what has happened to her daughter. You can see that it is her mother as her hands are kept close to her chest to signify a close and personal relationship. It also prepares the audience. This is because they expect that she has seen something really bad that the audience will want to see. This is why the tension in the scene is built up with a slow zoom of the mother and farther as they look on in horror.

12. Realisation