How do the genre theories apply to last years work?

In this essay, I will be assessing how genre applies to last years trailer (Terror House Production). The genre of the trailer is supernatural horror. Chandler States that genre types must be recognizable /familiar and have characteristics that show conventions in terror house productions they use mis-en-cne and low key lighting to make it recognizable as a horror trailer and/ product. The use of low key light connotates death in horror. Other conventions that make this recognizable as a horror trailer is the use of sound along with physical effects/movement to make the antagonist seem more alien. This connotates the idea of abnormality. Mitel’s theory says that ‘genre allows audiences to make decisions’ to be able to do this the trailer most convey a specific genre. The terror house production does this effectively due to its use of conventions. The use of panning shots inside empty hallways and the calling of a voice connotes the idea that we are not alone in this ‘empty’ building. The signifies a change in the human psyche because of the voice of the person you cannot see. This is used to pull in a larger audience of those that like supernatural horrors, they are more likely to see the film due to it conventions and sub-genre connoted. Neale’s theory links to Mitel as he says that genre/ horror itself should have a set of pleasures for the audience. This is shown in the trailer as it clearly shows it is both a horror and a supernatural. This is due to the mis-en-csne of the trailer i.e. the girls’ eyes turning to a bright white. This shows abnormality and gives the idea that she has been tainted or changed. This along with the sound effects creaking or snapping when she moves her body shows an other worldly movement that people cannot achieve as we would likely die. - she however continues. This signifies that the dead are moving alongside us. It also signifies the death of the host body. Metz however states that horror movies are processes that must evolve overtime. Comparing the film trailer to that of poltergeist the differences in type is obvious. The lighting and general story telling is the same however in poltergeist the ‘spirits’ don’t show to have an effect on the human body or any kind of possession, This connotates the idea that the ‘ spirits’ in new films had to merge with people to create a more ‘ who is it?’ effect (this can also be linked to Annabelle and Anabelle: Creations due to the possession and then haunting of a spirit. Mitel’s second theory state that conventions ‘allow producers to sell products’. This is linked to his other theory. As the producers are creating conventions of genres to attract audience attention as they ‘know what they want in a horror genre’. In the Terror House Productions horror trailer they do this by showing the traditional conventions of a supernatural horror in 2016 i.e. the slamming doors flickering lights and trapped people as well as the unnatural eyes and body movement. This connotates supernatural as supernatural horrors are Altman states that there must be a set of pleasures for the audience, emotional, intellectual and visceral. In the terror house trailer they fail to create visceral pleasures as there is no ‘gut’ response from me the audience. Due to the fact that we are not shown more scenes of the character spliced in there is no significant emotional pleasures. There are however intellectual pleasures examples: Why is she in a cell? and what does the spirit want? This signifies entrapment and connotes the horror movie genre.