Comparing Common Conventions of Horror Movies.

I have compared the common conventions of three popular horror movies to see if there are any conventions that are used across more horror movies than others. This will highlight the conventions that work particularly well and would be useful to include in my own horror trailer. 

The films I chose were:

• The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
• The Shining (1980)
• Eden Lake (2008)

I chose these three films as they are all very different and were released fairly far apart from each other. This meant that any common conventions that featured in more than one of them would be one that I would be wise to include in my trailer, as they can be used to make an effective horror movie. 

All three movies take place in isolated settings. The Hills Have Eyes is set in an abandoned nuclear testing site, the shining in a snowed-in hotel and Eden Lake at a quiet campsite. This makes the films uncomfortable for the audience to watch, as the characters involved are instantly at a disadvantage to the villains in the film. People are naturally scared of the unknown and things that are unfamiliar, so all these movies play on this fear.

The three movies also have similar plot narratives. All of them begin in positive circumstances, for example the hills have eyes begins on a family road trip. This is effective as these are things most people really do, so it makes it much more realistic for the audience. When the plots turns in the movie and things begin to go wrong, the audience is impacted more because they can easily picture themselves in that situation. This also means the movie has more of a long-term impact, as people will remember it when they encounter similar situations. 

The characters is used in these films are also quite similar. Families are featured in all three, which is effective as people usually feel very safe within their own families, so to see others in frightening situations is unsettling and makes it easier for the audience to picture themselves in the place of the characters. In The Hills Have Eyes, the main characters are typical family and in The Shining two parents and their child. To see these families fall apart due to the events of the film leads to natural insecurity felt by the audience, in situations they previously felt very secure in. 

Characters in horror films are often mentally unstable, which is used in The Hills Have Eyes and The Shining. By making the villains insane, films can add fear for the audience, as it makes the villains' actions unpredictable and allows them to do outrageous things that the audience may find unnatural and disturbing.