codes and conventions of horror

1. THE CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF
HORROR

3. The opening credits of The Sixth Sense are a shown in a blank black
screen, with the credits in a white, fading in and out.
This is accompanied with the use of an eerie sounding music. The
music creates a hermeneutic code as we can tell from the sound and
the minor key of the music that something good in not going to
happen.

4. The opening scene of the protagonist
and his wife downstairs in there house in
dull lighting drinking wine; this is seen
as a romantic mood to the audience.

5. The opening of The
Sixth Sense uses a lot
of proairetic codes to
create tension. As the
two go up upstairs into
the bedroom the wife
discovers that the
window has been
broken.
This is a proairetic code
which creates tension in
the narrative as the
audience is left asking
who has done this?
Why have they done
this?
These questions are
answered shortly
after they see this.
After they see the
broken window a
shadow of a person
behind them is seen
(shadow is on the
protagonist at this
point).

6. We discover that it was a
man who is in the
bathroom pretty much
naked crying. Again this
creates a proairetic code
as we don’t know why he
is there and why he is
naked.
We shortly discover
that he was formally
one of Bruce Willis’s
characters patients,
not one that was a
successful
outcome.

7. This leaves the
audience wondering
if he is dangerous or
just upset, another
proairetic code as
within minutes the
man shoots Bruce
Willis and himself.

8. The Number 23

9. The film begins with the audience looking at some paper from a book or letter.
Credits start to appear in the style of if they were being written on a typewriter. The
music in the background is eerie and is used to build tension at this early stage and
creates a scary atmosphere. Not much is happening but still the audience will
question why they are looking this paper which is a hermeneutic code.

10. It displays the name of the film, in red. This normally is a sign for danger so may
build tension with the audience. It starts displaying more credits but in weirdly
formed paragraphs of the number 23’s, it also starts to build tension by playing on
your mind with the number.

11. Facts from history are displayed that reference or directly relate to the number 23
such as;
December 11th, 1941 the USA declared war on Germany. (12+11 = 23).
9/11 happened on September the 11th 2001. (9+11+2+0+0+1=23).
Mayans end of the world was in 2012. (20+1+2=23).
This further builds tension and tries to mess with the audiences head.

12. It uses quick edits to switch to different parts of the paper, with a different
arrangement of the number 23 in the paragraphs with the facts still imbedded.
Another effect is the flash; these create more tension with the audience.

13. As we see more of the credits and facts, blood begins to drip and cover the paper, building
tensions but also confusing the audience as to why, which follows Barthes theory using
hermeneutic code, creating tension. One of the themes of psychological horrors/thrillers is the
mind, and this film heavily plays with the characters and audiences mind. It uses something
that can be implemented into real life so they can put the idea of this being true into the
audiences mind; in this case, it uses the 23 enigma.

14. As the opening comes to an end, it flashes out a bit more and we see the paragraphs
of 23’s that now seem to create a pattern. It then flashes out with the whole paper
now covered in blood and the streams of text, make up a number, ‘23’. Although it
doesn’t tell us a lot about the film, it does put the idea of the 23 enigma into the
audiences head before the film has got into the story and they have done this due to
it being a very important part of the plot.

15. The Others

16. The film begins with a voice over of a woman reading a children’s story, which
develops into a teaching about God. As the story is told there are drawn images on
screen lit by candlelight. This creates an eerie atmosphere; this is highlighted by the
use of the juxtaposing fairytale music.

17. The images shown during the opening scene are in black and white, the main image
used is that of a puppet. The use of children’s toys shown in this way is effective
because it sets the atmosphere for the whole film. One of the main themes is the idea
of something that belongs to a child, or resembles are child but shown in a distorted
way to make it seem ‘creepy’ to the audience.

18. The use of woman and children is important; it captivates the female audience
because of their inbuilt maternal instincts. Children as a social construct; are seen as
innocent, when used in horrors this can either be exploited- to make the audience
feel pity for the victims, or the construct can be tested, by making the child the killer
for example.

19. The drawings show images of an old house surrounded by woodland; this is cliché
and the audience can relate this to a stereotypical ghost story. This increases the
fear for the audiences are they begin to picture themselves in these positions.

20. The final shot in the opening scene is that of a woman in a candlelit dreary room
screaming. The use of lighting, or lack of it, creates a dismal, tense atmosphere. The
woman screaming creates a hermeneutic code as you do not yet know the reasons
behind her terror which are later indulged to the reader. This creates tension almost
immediately in the film, which puts the audience of edge right at the start.

22. Low key lighting and Shadows to
create a more eerie scene this
creates a sense of fear
Mise en scene –
Candlelight scene to
add to the typical
‘horror’ setting
Two shot: Shows both concern and fear on
the two characters that are alive in the film
Lighting: Failure to use the lamps that are present in
the scene tells the audience that the situation must
have happened very quickly

23. Lighting: All lighting is
focused on Renai, so to
make you focus on the
fear in her face.
Chiaroscuro lighting
Over the
shoulder shot
More shadows

24. Over the
shoulder shot
Frequent use of over the shoulder
shots allows the audience to
understand the fear due to the
characters expressions
Clenched fists:
Creates tension
Single light from above: Gets you to
focus on the task at hand, which is
the conversation between the
inspector and Renai.
Lighting: Dark
shadows yet
again, showing
that these are
conventions of
horror

25. Hermeneutic Code: The police officer asks Renai if she knows
who is in the photo, however we do not actually get the answer
until later in the film despite seeing the edge of the photo(next
slide), therefore leaving the audience wondering who it is and
why he wants to know.
Over the
shoulder
shot
(again)

26. Mise en scene: Use of
photos to establish the
question as to who
killed this woman.
Edge of photo as
previously
mentioned
Dramatic Irony: As we
know who did this
(previous film ending)

27. Codes aCnodd ceosn avnednt icoonnsv oefn htoiorrnosr: oTfh Heo Nrrinotrh: Gate
The Ninth Gate

28. The opening begins with a black screen with white title credits with a scribbling sound
which after a few seconds is revealed to be diagetic as the first initial shot focuses on a
character sitting down at a desk writing a note.

29. Low-key lighting, complying with traditional
complying with the traditional conventions of
horror films predominantly shot in dark
lighting, creating tension by creating a
mysterious atmosphere.
Diegetic sound of man writing on note

30. The camera pans to this footstool first to make the
audience wonder why this footstool is of that much
importance, before tilting up to reveal a noose tied
around a chandelier.
The camera work here is done
slowly, to increase the tension
of the atmosphere

31. The audience at this point is left in
wonder as the man looks relatively
calm and relaxed, which is not
conventionally the mind set of someone
that is about to commit suicide.
Old photo featured in this shot’s misé en
scene that is of sentimental value to the
man, giving the impression that the
character has been through a lot, which is
another typical convention. The audience
presumes this woman was of importance
to the man, leading the audience to
further questions the man’s motives

32. What follows is a low tracking shot focused on the man’s feet as he walks over and his
feet leave the shot as he steps onto the footstool, and then a close up shot of his face
follows, showing the man’s face, and the audience can clearly see the man is showing
no signs of distress of panic about what he’s about to do, which is hermeneutic code
as the audience is left wondering why the man is so calm and collected about an issue
so clearly serious enough to lead him to thinking death is the way out.
Psychological horrors rely on the characters being or looking “normal” when in fact
they are hiding dark secrets that may not be revealed to later on in the film, or perhaps
not at all.

33. The man firmly ties the noose around his neck and proceeds to push the footstool away from
under him, shown in a close-up shot of his feet. The man is shown to have a few seconds of
brief physical struggle before hanging lifeless. The editing throughout the whole opening is
very slow paced, creating unsettling tension and suspense, which is in itself, another
convention.
Finally the camera slowly pans over to his desk again, quickly showcasing the note he has
written on his desk, reminding the audience to question why he has just committed suicide,
this is another example of hermeneutic code being used.
There is little to no sound throughout the whole clip, with only the diagetic sound of the note
writing and the stress of the chandelier taking the man’s body weight being present.