The document discusses the horror genre and its purpose of eliciting negative emotions in viewers through primal fears. It describes several common subgenres of horror including slasher, body horror, psychological horror, science fiction horror, and comedy horror. Each subgenre is defined and an example film is provided. The document also analyzes why the science fiction horror film Alien is effective at scaring audiences through its isolated setting, use of suspense, and threatening antagonist.

1. Horror Genre
Sam Qureshi and Idrees Choudhary

2. What is it and what is its purpose?
• Horror is a film genre seeking to elicit a negative emotional reaction from
viewers by playing on the audience's primal fears.
• Horror films often deal with the viewer's nightmares, hidden fears,
revulsions and terror of the unknown. Plots within the horror genre often
involve the intrusion of an evil force, event, or personage.

3. Subgenres of Horror
A subgenre is a category within another genre, e.g. horror is a genre
and gothic horror is a subgenre of horror. Here are 5 examples of
Horror:
1. Slasher Horror
2. Body Horror
3. Psychological Horror
4. Science fiction Horror
5. Comedy Horror

4. Slasher Horror
• This subgenre deals with a lot of violence which usually
revolves around a psychopathic serial killer stalking and killing
a numerous amount of victims.
• For example, A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) – Directed by
Wes Craven. Starring Johnny Depp and Robert Englund.

5. Body Horror
• Where horror in generated from the degeneration or
deconstruction of the human body. Limbs are used to create
monsters out of human body parts, or unnatural movements
and dysfunction is used to create fear.
• For example, The Blob (1988) – Directed by Chuck Russell.
Starring Shawnee Smith and Kevin Dillon.

6. Psychological Horror
• Relies on a characters fears, guilt and belief, emotional
instability and, at times, the supernatural to build the tension
and further the plot. The horror comes from the reality of this
particular sub genre.
• For example, Black Swan (2010) – Directed by Darren
Aronofsky. Starring Natalie Portman and Vincent Cassel

7. Science Fiction Horror
• It’s horror with the element of science fiction added to it to
make it fearful. For example, it might include space travel to
dangerous planets, or evil aliens, etc.
• For example, Alien (1979) – Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring
Sigourney Weaver and John Hurt.

8. Comedy Horror
• Horror comedy combines elements of comedy and horror
fiction. They are usually not serious, parodies or comedies
with a horror element to it e.g a comedy about witches.
• For example, Hocus Pocus (1993) – Directed by Kenny Ortega.
Starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Bette Midler.

9. Why is Alien an effective horror film and
why is it effective to its audience?
• Alien (1979) is an effective horror film because its set in an isolated place
(a spaceship), has scenes when characters are nervous (to build up
suspense for the audience), and has a very scary and threatening
antagonist (the alien). It’s effective because it’s a scary film.
• Excellent usage of camera angles, shots, frames and movements makes
scenarios look scary. Added in with the brilliant slow paced, low key non-
diegetic music to increase the tension and scare the audience. This effect
is also aided by the usage of Foley sound to build up suspense.
• Amazing special effects and sound effects of certain situations and the
alien add in to make the supernatural and science fiction element
frightening towards the audience.