Research Essay: Analysing Codes and Conventions in Existing Teen Horror Films

Within all horror films there are two types of codes. These codes can either be technical or symbolic and are used to create different meanings within the film. Technical codes are used to tell a story for in the way which the medium is used. This can involve different things like camera shots, angles and movements. This means they will include media techniques like shot size, long shots, mid shots, close ups and extreme long shots to add more depth to a story. Symbolic codes will show you what is going on behind what we can visually see on the screen. For example, you will be able to determine the emotions and feelings of a character through their actions. This can involve them either speaking differently or just moving differently; which could symbolize something to the audience. Other codes like music can fit into both categories.

Conventions are the generally accepted way of doing things in media. They are usually things the audience will always expect to see depending on what genre of film/medium it is. For example, in a horror film, you would usually expect for people to die, someone to go missing, a noise to come from upstairs even though no one is home, etc. 

Codes and conventions are important in not just horror films, but all other genres, as they help to set the scene, to build up the tension or to elevate emotions within characters. They are all essential parts to any film.

Dead Wood
Dead Wood starts with an establishing shot in the secluded scene of a forest, akin to both Dead Mary and Wrong Turn. The camera then pans down to the forest floor, with the non-diegetic sound of a sombre piano. All seems peaceful, but is quickly broken as the male character crashes into the scene, sprinting through the trees - a common convention in Horror films. Through the use of a rapidly-paced tune, we quickly ascertain that, although we cannot see it, he is being chased by a threat. Through his body language, we can see that he is terrified. POV shots are used in this scene to show the character's perspective. Much like the other openings, you cannot see the threat, but we know that is it present through the use of rustling leaves. As the male character reaches the ditch, the music stops and the camera cranes over him. He can see that safety is only a stones throw away, but we know, as this is a horror film, he won't make it. The rustling leaves are used to indicate that the threat is quickly approaching, causing the male to attempt to jump to the other side, but does not succeed.Through the camera's use of low-angle shots to show that he is stuck and high angle shots to show he has no power at all. We then hear the sound of something stabbing him and is dragged away. Then, the female character comes out of the tent, revealing her legs first. The camera then pans out to an (extreme) longshot of the character to show that she is now alone and extremely vulnerable, as the music changes back into the sombre, slow-paced piano music. Some of the classical horror conventions which are included are that they are in a secluded location, the male character inexplicably trips up, safety is always just out of reach, he doesn't warn the female character of the danger, eerie music is used to create tension and that a character is killed in the first 5 minutes. The use of Mise-en-scene in this opening makes the male character seem as if he is a fool as he is wearing a Hawaiian-themed shirt and that he has blood on his face; suggesting he narrowly escaped a previous encounter with the threat. The editing in the scene can mainly be seen when the male character attempts to jump over the ditch as it goes into slow motion - referencing the amount of effort he is putting in to make it to the other side.

Dead Mary
The start of Dead Mary's opening uses in-out of focus extreme close-ups of the old and worn sign to give the impression that the location has not be tended to for a very long time. The metallic sound that the chains produce make the scene have a weird atmosphere, suggesting an imminent danger. The camera then tracks out to show a car stopped in the middle of the road, either broken down or out of fuel. This suggest that it is a very dangerous place for the characters to be and are vulnerable. The camera is used to give a lot of detail to what the female character is doing. For example, the character shows a lot of skin during the scene. During the scene, she is rifling through through the gloveboxes of the car; finding a flaregun - which will probably be used later on in the film. She checks her phone for signal and using the radio, attempting to contact someone. However, like most horror films, neither of this will work, in order to build suspense. Whilst this is occuring, the camera switches to the perspective of something hiding in the forest nearby. The camera slowly pans and tracks closer to the car. The sound of the leaves rustling adds more tension to the scene in addition to the non-diegetic eerie music. The camera is unfocused as the male character approaches the car, making him seem like a potential threat, however, it turns out to be a false threat; another common convention in horror films. Some more conventions which are seen are; secluded location, 2 people (a boy and a girl), no signal, the car won't start and an unseen threat. The use of editing, while linear and using match-on-action but also helps to indicate the potential threat that is lurking in the woods.

Wrong Turn
This opening scene involves plenty of technical codes to emphasize the vulnerability of the male and female character on the cliff-face due to high-angle/crane shot, but mostly the female as she isn't the immediate victim. She is shown to be struggling to reach the top. Low angle shots are also used to show that she is quite high-up and in a dangerous position. Close ups are used throughout the scene to show that she is panicking and scratching at the wall of the cliff for something to hold onto. While we don't see the male character being killed, the sound of him being hit is heard from a low-angle shot - representing the female's point of view. This is done so that we are unable to see the threat as the corpse is thrown off the cliff. The threat attempts to pull her up to the top, but she falls off the cliff. Close-ups are used to  show the dead body of the male and then to show her running for her life. POV shots are used to show that she is not far at all from safety (i.e. the car). The use of discordant non-diegetic sound also helps to build up tension in the chase scene whilst she is running through the woods to her car - which is a convention within horror films. The conventions in this opening are being in a secluded location, male and female Characters, the fact they are both roughly the same age as the audience, a character is killed in the first 5 minutes and that a character inexplicably falls over. The use of mise-en-scene in this opening shows that the female is wearing quite revealing climbing gear - which is seen as stereotypical within films. Editing within the scene is used to create smooth match-on-action so that the scene makes sense to the audience.

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