Discussion board

In this discussion board, I'd like us to consider what makes a film a HORROR movie. What are the conventions, iconography, and conflicts we associate with the genre? You might use the films you know/like to help you describe the genre and try to establish its boundaries. End your post with a discussion of Night of the Living Dead. What expectations of the genre does it mobilize and how well does it fit with what you think of as horror? What was your reaction to this film and to what degree was that response a function of your own expectations. 

As always, post your response to the prompt by REPLYing to this thread by midnight, Wednesday, September 9th. Then, read your classmates' posts and comment on at least TWO of them by midnight, Friday, September 11th.

**********Reply too these two responses 

:Jenna Gilmer

RE: Night of the Living Dead (DB 4)

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Horror films most definitely stand on their own. with strong prominent conventions and self-awareness, the horror genre has a very specific way of defining itself as a whole. They are designed to not only provoke fear and alarm in us, but also allow us to let loose in captivation or awe. Though horror conventions and iconography have changed through the years, from Frankenstein to IT, they still have many similarities, which plays a factor in why the horror genre is still adored and relevant today. Prominent conventions in films include characters, the setting, props, sound, and themes. In terms of characterization, you typically have the “jock” (alpha male type), the female victim (naïve/vulnerable “attractive blonde”), the non-believer (also known as “the stoner”), the hero/love interest of the final girl (usually dies towards the end of the film), and the almighty final girl (she survives). A great film that showcases these character types is The Cabin in the Woods. In terms of settings, the woods and urban environments are quite common in this genre. Famous props may include chainsaws, machetes, knives, guns, pitchforks, etc. To touch on sound, horror films are notorious for the terrifying incorporation of eerie music and sound mixing. And finally, common themes of the horror genre consist we of good vs, evil, fear of death, science gone bad, and so much more. When referring to iconography in the horror genre, we typically see dark imagery and color styles, dark ominous lighting, symbolic symbols that are shown during the duration of the film, and so much more. Night of the Living Dead does a fantastic job at sticking to iconic horror conventions and iconography. We see character types that are iconic to the genre (Ben is our hero and Barbara is our final girl), We are instantly terrified due to the incorporation of the eerie sounds (Karen killing Helen), and even though it’s obviously in black and white, we still get of fantastic use of dark imagery and color styles. My love of horror was somewhat rooted in this film due to the fact that this was one of the first horror films I had ever seen at the age of nine. My love for Night of the Living Dead does still in fact hold up.

:Jordan Rains

RE: Night of the Living Dead (DB 4)

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There are many aspects of a horror film that make it a horror film. Many horror films have jump scares, monsters (vampires, warewolves, ghosts, creatures), suspense, and deep music. Horror films, that I have seen, tend to rely on night time or darkness to draw out the fears of the viewers. In addition to the monsters and jump scares, many horror films have to do with scientific experiments gone wrong, haunted houses, or haunted artifacts that cause the conflict of the film to arise. In the movie The Conjuring, the house that the family moves in to is haunted by many spirits. The main ghost is an evil witch that possesses the mother of the families that move into the house to kill their children. This is why there are so many spirits in the house. One spirit named Rory, was killed by his mother and is attached to a mirror that the youngest daughter finds in the beginning of the film.

Night of the Living Dead plays on the classic trope of the damsel in distress seen in many horror movies. The character of Barbra is the character who always seems to be in trouble. From the very beginning of the film, she gets attacked by the first zombie we see. The audience watches her brother Johnny get killed and then Barbra runs to the house where she meets Ben who tries to save her throughout the entire film. One thing that makes this film a horror, besides the zombies, is the plot of the movie. All of the people being trapped in the house from creatures unknown that want to kill them makes this film a horror. The music used in the film is also the typical kind of music used in horror films. I considered this a horror movie because of the zombies, the darkness, and the music used. I however didn't have a great reaction to this film. I think that since I like many of the modern horror films, that I thought this movie was poorly done. I could only think this because Ben died in the end, but I didn't like the fact that there wasn't a lone survivor. I also hated the fact that Barbra was so useless and that the majority of the characters, especially the women, were not making smart decisions. They all made stupid decisions and in the end, it got them all killed. I expected there to be at least one person saved by the police at the end and I expected the film to look more into what the zombies were.