A2 - Technological Advances In The Horror Genre

Horror is a genre that does not require as many complex technological advances to be successful as other genres do. Examples of this are films like Paranormal Activity and the Blair Witch Project, which were both very successful without using much technology, using handheld cameras and cheap effects. However, some technological advances have been made which have affected horror films.

Using CGI to create a monster (Davy Jones as
portrayed by Bill Nighy in Pirates of the Caribbean)

CGI

CGI (computer-generated imagery) is one of the most commonly used tools in a major film director’s arsenal. It is basically using technology to create digital images that could not be possible to see or film around in real life. This is useful in horror, as it enables directors to create monsters that could not be portrayed by a man in a costume. However, the impact of CGI has been criticised by many fans of horror, as it is not necessary to be done, and many would consider it to be lazy and not necessary. They would consider it better to use prosthetics and other special effects, as it inspires more creativity in the director, to shoot scenes where (for example) a hand rips through a man’s chest from the inside. We would probably still find it a challenge to use CGI effectively in our trailer, because none of us have any major experience in using such software to create anything that looks realistic.

Science/Medicine

Technological advances in the real world have often inspired the plots of horror films. For example, you often get mad scientists “playing God” who create new monsters or diseases, with ideas inspired or taken from genuine scientific breakthroughs. Examples of this would include I Am Legend, and Frankenstein. The original film idea we were working with, before we changed our plot, was actually inspired by developments with genetic manipulation of crops, which in our story spreads a zombie-like disease when eaten. However, as our plot has changed away from zombies towards a serial killer, the prominence of scientific and medical advances has decreased.

Props, Prosthetics and Fake Blood

The “bread and butter” of any horror director’s toolkit, props and prosthetics have been used throughout time to represent scary things. In many cases, the prop or prosthetic is the “trademark item” of the monster of the film, and has immortalized the character, such as with Freddy Kreuger’s glove, Jason Vorhees’ hockey mask, Leatherface’s chainsaw and Dracula's cape and fangs. Some of these fairly-commonplace and mundane items have become permanently associated with a particular villain, and now if featured will often be as a reference to the original film in which they were used. We have used several props, including guns, an axe and a gas mask to create a more intimidating villain. In addition, fake blood was applied liberally to the "dead body" as well as the axe prop, to make it look more terrifying. However, we steered clear of using prosthetics, simply because none of us had any experience with using or applying prosthetics to people, and therefore it would probably end up looking foolish.