Summary of Research

What I Have Learnt

From my research into the history of horror I have learnt that there are many different sub-genres of horror films. Horror films have gone through cycles, going from a period of supernatural horror, to zombie horror, and more recently paranormal horrors.

From my research of horror trailers I now understand how a horror trailer works. The trailer will usually open calmly and then the event takes place. Horror trailers start slow and gradually get faster and more action-packed. Most trailers use the trailer to introduce main characters, locations and what type of horror the film is going to be.

I have learnt about narrative theories such as Tzvetan Todorov's "Classical Hollywood Narrative" which is broken down into five stages and Vladimir Propp's "Character Types", characters that appear in most film. I have also learnt about the representation of women in horror through theories such as Laura Mulvey's "Male Gaze" theory, women in put into films to be looked at as objects of desire and Carol Clover's "Final Girl" theory, an archetypal female character who tends to survive in almost all horrors.