Genre Research : Ghost Horror

Genre Research - Ghost Horror

Ghost horror movies appeared as early as when motion pictures were first developed. They became common and were evident in a wide range of different genres. Children ghost stories such as Casper the friendly ghost became popular which was released in the 1930's, it was then embedded into animated cartoon, comics and eventually films. The traditional ghost horror genre of films has now become so diverse mixed with other substitute genres such as comedy, romance, adventure, family etc.
There are many aspects to ghost horror movies that are common in all or the majority. Some of theses conventions are filming in small, isolated and abandoned places. This is because it allows for the unknown or unexpected to happen. We see this in almost every ghost horror film and although the audience know or can suspect when 'something is about to happen' it still comes as a shock and this is one reason why ghost horror films are very popular and enjoyed all, even those who may not necessarily like horror films. Another similar convention associated with the scene and setting is that ghost horror films tend to be near lakes, rivers or busy highways. This is to add a sense of natural or normal environment to the film, making it have some reality aspect to it. Rivers and lakes are in many cities and towns and busy highways create a contrast with the isolated areas, this play with the audiences feelings and predictions of what may happen next and allows for twists and turns to occur.
Camera angles are very important with any film, no matter what its genre is. In ghost horror films, it is common to see a film presented from extreme high and low angles. These very expressive angles connote fear and danger. Extreme close ups are effective as they reveal a characters identity and facial expressions but not their body language - still allowing the audience to question things. Hand-held shot are also popular with this genre as it is a clever way for creating confusion and raises questions. This is because it can make it hard to see what is happening thus creating suspense and mystery allowing the audience to constantly be engaged.
In addition, sound also has a similar effect. Having disturbing sound is important, it can help paint a picture or imagery even if it was a blank screen. Some common sounds are diegetic footsteps, door knocks, heavy breathing and a heartbeat.
Editing is very key as one shot can be edited in many different ways that produce different outcomes thus having different affects on the audience. For example, if the scene isn't paced up for a while then you would know that 'something' is going to jump out.
Some iconogrophies of ghost horror films are dark colours such as red and black, these connote the themes of danger, blood and evil. Despite that, light colours also represent the ghost horror genre. For example white and sheer connote the image and appearance of a ghost.
In horror films in general, lighting plays a large role as it is non-naturalistic and expressive. The aim to emphasise shadows is created by low key light to heighten suspense.
Ghost horror films have a key narrative structure that usually refers to an event that happened in the past, they either want to go back or run away form it. Horror films also play on binary oppositions such as using children that represent innocence with murder and killings. Other binary oppositions that appear in ghost horror films are associated with the themes natural vs unnatural, known vs unknown and good vs evil.