After writing down some ideas for what I wanted my fashion film to be focused on I realised that I wanted the genre to be horror. I wanted my fashion film to make my audience feel either scared, shocked or confused by my film so that they were emotionally connected throughout. I therefore decided to look into the genre to gain a clear image and knowledge of what its about.
Horror Hybrids
The genre horror has much more relaxed boundaries with its characters and themes then for example the gangster or western films. Horror is also subject to a lot of collaborations with other genres, a main example being comedies. The Ghost Breaker (1922) and The Cat and the Canary (1927) are both examples of early horror-comedy hybrids as they include aspects of both genre. More recents examples of horror-comedies are Fright Night (1985), Arachnophobia (1990) and Shaun of the Dead (2004). Many people tend to laugh at horror films, either to release tension after a shock or because they can't believe how ridiculous a special effect looks. Comedies and horror films both aim to get a physical reaction off the viewer, so combining them both together can create a very dramatic and funny combination.
Some films are less easy to pin down as a particular genre and so can be better described as a hybrid, for example, Alien (1979) and The Thing (1951) can be interpreted as horrors and science fiction, making them both horror-sci-fi films. The film Alien is set in a futuristic location with space ships, astronauts and advanced technology, making it a sci-fi; however the film's aim if to frighten the viewer with monsters and a scary plot, making it a horror.
The Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Rockula (1990) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) are all examples of horror-musicals, as they all combine musical theatre with fear and anxiety. The Little Shop of Horrors is about a man-eating plant who is the monster in the story, making it a horror; however the characters are over the top and they break into song with each drama, making it a musical. This film could also be interpreted as a comedy as it aims to make the audience laugh.
Westerns have also collaborated with horror films to produce films such as Curse of the Undead (1959) and Jess James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966). These films combine the clear aspects of westerns, like guns, cowboys and deserts with horror film's vampires and murders. This film is clearly set in a western setting, but its aim is to terrify the viewer, making it a western-horror.
Societies Influence on Horror
The horror genre often reflects what is happening in society at that time to hone in on the current anxieties and fears of the public. Many of the horror films produced after World War I, between the 1920s and 1930s, reflected the devastation the war caused. For example Island of Lost Souls shows a scientist conducting experiments of humans causing there to be many disfigured faces and mutilated limbs, possibly reflecting all the sore sight of dead and mutilated bodies as a result of the war. This reflection of society in horror films happened again, this time focusing on World War II. The Wolf Man (1941) was interpreted to reflect the Nazi fascination with wolf imagery and the mysteries of werewolves. The screenwriter, Curt Siodmak, made a clear link between the victims in the film with the victims of the Nazis. The pentagram design that was used to identify the werewolf's victim reflected the Jewish Star of David that the Nazis used to identify the Jews, the Nazis victims. The Vietnam War was also reflected in the violence in horror films around that time. The special effects makeup artist, Tom Savini, used his experience as a cameraman in Vietman when creating special effects for horror films. He used his knowledge to identify how broken limbs and ripped off body parts would look and so invented the use of foam latex and prosthetics to represent torn off arms and legs to give a very graphic image of violence.
References:
Friedman, L., et al., 2013. An Introduction to Film Genres. New Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Ltd.
Horror Hybrids
The genre horror has much more relaxed boundaries with its characters and themes then for example the gangster or western films. Horror is also subject to a lot of collaborations with other genres, a main example being comedies. The Ghost Breaker (1922) and The Cat and the Canary (1927) are both examples of early horror-comedy hybrids as they include aspects of both genre. More recents examples of horror-comedies are Fright Night (1985), Arachnophobia (1990) and Shaun of the Dead (2004). Many people tend to laugh at horror films, either to release tension after a shock or because they can't believe how ridiculous a special effect looks. Comedies and horror films both aim to get a physical reaction off the viewer, so combining them both together can create a very dramatic and funny combination.
Some films are less easy to pin down as a particular genre and so can be better described as a hybrid, for example, Alien (1979) and The Thing (1951) can be interpreted as horrors and science fiction, making them both horror-sci-fi films. The film Alien is set in a futuristic location with space ships, astronauts and advanced technology, making it a sci-fi; however the film's aim if to frighten the viewer with monsters and a scary plot, making it a horror.
The Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Rockula (1990) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) are all examples of horror-musicals, as they all combine musical theatre with fear and anxiety. The Little Shop of Horrors is about a man-eating plant who is the monster in the story, making it a horror; however the characters are over the top and they break into song with each drama, making it a musical. This film could also be interpreted as a comedy as it aims to make the audience laugh.
Westerns have also collaborated with horror films to produce films such as Curse of the Undead (1959) and Jess James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966). These films combine the clear aspects of westerns, like guns, cowboys and deserts with horror film's vampires and murders. This film is clearly set in a western setting, but its aim is to terrify the viewer, making it a western-horror.
Societies Influence on Horror
The horror genre often reflects what is happening in society at that time to hone in on the current anxieties and fears of the public. Many of the horror films produced after World War I, between the 1920s and 1930s, reflected the devastation the war caused. For example Island of Lost Souls shows a scientist conducting experiments of humans causing there to be many disfigured faces and mutilated limbs, possibly reflecting all the sore sight of dead and mutilated bodies as a result of the war. This reflection of society in horror films happened again, this time focusing on World War II. The Wolf Man (1941) was interpreted to reflect the Nazi fascination with wolf imagery and the mysteries of werewolves. The screenwriter, Curt Siodmak, made a clear link between the victims in the film with the victims of the Nazis. The pentagram design that was used to identify the werewolf's victim reflected the Jewish Star of David that the Nazis used to identify the Jews, the Nazis victims. The Vietnam War was also reflected in the violence in horror films around that time. The special effects makeup artist, Tom Savini, used his experience as a cameraman in Vietman when creating special effects for horror films. He used his knowledge to identify how broken limbs and ripped off body parts would look and so invented the use of foam latex and prosthetics to represent torn off arms and legs to give a very graphic image of violence.
References:
Friedman, L., et al., 2013. An Introduction to Film Genres. New Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Ltd.
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