Horror Theorists
There are many different conventions found in some horror films. These were invented by horror theorists such as the ones we have studied. Their theories are the most common in horror and therefore we have taken inspiration for our own opening title sequence. Here we are going to look at a number of Horror theorists that have created some of the best horror conventions. These are: Wes Craven, Wheeler Winston Dixon, Carol Clover, Stuart Kaminsky.
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Wes CravenWes Craven was the creator of the theory about stereotypically safe environments, such as houses, being the setting of the horrific action. This is a very well known horror convention and is used in a lot of well known horror films. Craven has also directed several horror films using his theory, which have managed to become increasingly popular over the years.
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Wheeler Winston DixonWheeler Winston Dixon had the idea of using characters as sites of activity. He also wanted to make horror films more scary and full of gore. This particular theory is one we studied in great detail, as we wanted to use this idea in our own OTS. This is because we didn't want characters to have a storyline or backstory, we just wanted them to be sites of activity that end up getting killed somehow.
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Carol CloverCarol Clover's theory was 'Men, Women and Chainsaws' which was the idea of the three things a good horror film needs. However the main focus was a female heroine. This is very different to the usual convention when a man is usually the one saving the day. So having a final female in horror was an important aspect to Clover.
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Stuart KaminskyStuart Kaminsky had a theory on the importance of the weapon in the horror, and the relevance it has to the killers themselves. He liked the idea of a killer having a specific weapon that can be related to them when seen outside the film itself. He thought of the weapons as extensions of the killers using them.
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