Horror Subgenres

AS Media Horror Subgenres

By: Cara Martin-Gowing

Comedy Horror

Psychological Horror

The codes and conventions in Rosemary's Baby convey to the audience the idea of distrust and thoughts about Hell and Satan as the main character is manipulated by those around her for selfish reasons as well as the idea of people worshipping the Devil versus the idea of a mother's love for her child.

Shaun Of The Dead uses codes and conventions to convey the idea of the human race retaining its humanity even in the face of the supernatural (the undead) and certain death. This is shown by the idea of the survivors fleeing to find those closest to them at the start and the protagonist keeping one of his friends around to be close to him even though his friend is one of the undead and could kill him.

The Shining uses its codes and conventions to convey the overall idea of horror in the film through the idea of tearing a family apart and having a child forced through awful 'visions' of the future as well as the child having to trick his father into ending up dead in order for him and his mother to live.

Psycho uses the codes and conventions to put across the idea of split personalities as the result of guilt as the antagonist changes between innocent and guilty personas until the change between innocent and guilty is permanent (he is stuck in the 'guilty' persona).

Gothic Fiction Horror

Frankenstein uses its codes and conventions to give a sense of intrigue and eventual horror as Frankenstein creates a monster and is successful only for it to turn into a killer that everyone is afraid of.

Science Fiction Horror

Dracula uses its codes and conventions to convey the idea of the supernatural as the film has a constant link to the consequences of allowing such creatures to exist and that it is better for all humans if they were permanently killed rather than leaving them be.

The film Alien uses its codes and conventions to horrify the audience as some of the actors'/actress' are genuine (e.g. the chest bursting scene), which made the film more realistic as their responses terrify the audience as much as the events in the scene.

Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde uses its codes and conventions to put across the notion of having a split personality and how it can be a dnager to society. It also conveys the idea of the consequences of meddling with the ideas of nature - Jekyll drinking the potion and it turning him into a sadistic monster.

Godzilla uses its codes and conventions to highlight to the audience the events that are taking place in real life such as the cold war and the threat of nuclear weaponry, which is how the Godzilla monster comes about in the film.

The Thing uses its codes and conventions to convey to the audience a sense of doom as by the end of the film, there is nothing but futility as there are few characters left alive or human.