ICONOGRAPHY

 

What does the term iconography mean?

The Oxford dictionary defines iconography as the visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation. This means that it is the regular images and symbols that are present in all of the films in the genre of horror. In simple terms what makes a horror movie look like a horror movie. 

 

BLOOD:

Blood is a very popular feature in all horror movies and trailers. The more blood the better.  This can be seen in such films like 'The Shining' and also 'The Texas Chainsaw Massace'. There are a great deal of people who are scared of blood and having it in large quanity normally causes the feeling of fear or unsettlement. Saw is one film that uses the blood and gore effect to such an extent that it can be seen as unsettling to some. This realistic amount of blood when it comes to chopping a limb off or cutting yourself makes the audience feel like it is real. Blood is used in not only what I would call psycho movies about a mass murder but is also used in horror films. Horror films such as Insidious use blood when it comes to bloody hand prints and symbols, however never having someone that is hurt and therefore bleeding. The video below is from Saw so please watch at viewers discretion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SYMBOLS.

Demonic symbols and other references to historical and religious symbols are used in plenty when it comes to horror movies. Normally there will be a symbolistic representaion of the villian before we see the real agent of evil. For some reason a five pointed star is very popular when it comes to demonic symbols with a goat's head in the centre. The goat is because of the horns on its head symbolising the devil. Another type of symbol that is used is the anti-christ symbol which is an upside down cross symbolising the overthrowing of Christ. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROPS USED:

A frequent element in a horror film is a specific prop or item that holds a curse or demonic presence. This will come to possess the person who wears it or touches it. This is seen in horror films like 'The Possessed' with a ring that the girl wears.  There is also 'Annabelle' the use a doll that is possessed and comes to live to kill the residents of the house. This is simular it 'Sinister' as there is a videotape that holds the images of a demon and in a video that is his pathway to reality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUMP SCARES:

A feature that is seen in every horror trailer.  The best type of scares in trailer are ones that happen within 5 frames with a close up at the end.  The jumping into a close up makes the audience jump and happens always at the end of a trailer.  The one that I will be using in my horror trailer is similar to the scare used in 'Incidious'.  This is an effective jump scare as they take a passage of film, take out every 3 or 4 frames and then speed it up and compress the frames together. This is used to make the motion of someone walking to the camera seem jumpy and happen unnaturally fast. This is the same idea used in this YouTube video of a creepy arm chair.