Psychological Horror codes and conventions

These are some of the conventions Claire (my partner working on the film with me) and I came up with abut Psychological Horror trailers.

• The characters often experience flashbacks and premonitions this gives a sense of time distortion and can give the audiences more to think about making the story have more depth. For example 28 days later
• Low key lighting is also most commonly used as it things seem more scary in the dark, they also cause shadows and a higher contrast between light and dark.
• A backlight is also something that is sued very often as it creates a silhouette. This allows us to see the villain without revealing their identity creating an enigma (Roland Barthes).
• Masks are often used as this can hide the villains identity and can make them look more scary. It can make the faces look un-human which adds to the fear. For example these are used The Strangers.
• Handheld camera's are also often used in horror films as it adds a sense of reality to the situation and makes the characters look more vulnerable
• Mirrors are also used a lot as it gives a sense of fright, the character can see there's someone behind them but theirs nothing they can do. It also allows the audience to see things that characters may not.
• Non-diegetic sound is used a lot as this can accentuate certain aspects of a scene and make it seem more scary. They can also use music to build up tension and add more effect to a scene to make it seem more scary.
• Rhythmic editing is used as they can speed up the editing to make it seem quicker and makes the scene feel more intense. Then when the editing slows down again the audience automatically relaxes, which is then when the worst bit comes.
• The use of close up shots are very popular as we can see their facial expressions and makes us feel closer to the character. Establishing shots are also used a lot as this can give the audience a sense of where they are.