Summer Research

For A2 Media we will focus on the ‘horror’ film genre, the genre of which changed the landscape of cinema from its debut in the 1930s, to its rise in popularity in the late 19^th century and early 20^th centuries.

The horror genre was first succeeded by 1931 films ‘Dracula’ and ‘Frankenstein’, both of which were based on books. These pioneers of horror paved the way for future films that would help push the envelope of what would be accepted in movies. This would include movies such as the iconic Psycho (1960), The Exorcist (1973), Jaws (1975), Halloween (1978), The Shining (1980), A Nightmare in Elm Street (1984), and the Friday the 13^th series. These films have defined the horror film industry, cementing their legacy by establishing many elements that are considered common conventions in modern day horror movies.

The conventions were suggested by media theorist Graeme Burton who, in his book ‘More than Meets the Eye’, stated that films of a particular genre have a set of key elements that are followed in order to be recognized as a film from that genre. This list included protagonists, stock characters, stock situations, icons, background & décor, and themes. In terms of the horror genres, these conventions are executed differently depending on the film’s sub-genre. This includes the following:

- Splatter
- Slasher
- Vampire
- Zombie
- J-Horror
- Thriller
- Monster
- Psychological/Supernatural

The modern day splatter movies has seen the birth of one of the most successful film series of the last decade. The ‘Saw’ series, created in 2004 and directed by James Wan, has left an impression on the splatter genre for because of its unique plot. It revolves around main antagonist John Kramer, nicknamed ‘Jigsaw’, putting his victims through psychological and physical torture to test their will to live. This movie lives up to its genre name because of it gruesome nature, and is considered by many as ‘torture porn’, although the creators disagree.

The series follows many common horror conventions. One major element they follow is the trend that the victims placed in danger and tortured by Jigsaw have done something in their lives that is either morally wrong or discriminatory. This has been a recurring trend in the Saw series. However, this method is used differently to movies like Friday the 13^th or Halloween for example, and this is achieved through its use of stock characters. Whereas the usual horror movie would have the main protagonist portrayed as pure & innocent and all other victims being killed because of their reckless actions, the Saw series reverses this, having the innocent stock characters being put through torture because of the main protagonist’s wrong-doings. The series is also known for the repeated appearance from Jigsaw’s puppet Billy, who delivers pre-recorded messages to his victims regarding the ‘games’ they are put through. It has served as somewhat of an icon for the Saw series especially as people can identify the mask of the puppet to the series. The movie can also be recognized with its signature theme, named ‘Hello Zepp’ after the antagonist in the first film, placed as a red herring, was revealed to be a victim of Jigsaw’s games rather than the actual Jigsaw killer.

Saw was originally directed by James Wan, a Malaysian-born Australian producer, screenwriter and film director. Along with Leigh Wannell as writer of the movie, the two created a 9 and a half minute horror short film, called Saw, in a bid to pitch their concept to other actors and studios and create a full-length movie. The ‘Hello Zepp’ theme was created with the help of Charlie Clouser, and with their cast limited, even resulting in Wannell taking role as main character himself, the film was created. They pitched their film idea to Lions Gate studios, who accepted the deal and were provided with 1.2million dollar budget, and with this they were able to gain great success, grossing 103 US dollars worldwide, with profit being over 80 times bigger than budget.

Along with Leigh Wannell, James Wan was able to take his idea based on his fears and dreams and turn it into the highest grossing horror film franchise of all time worldwide. Wan has also been involved in other film projects including Death Sentence (2007), and teamed up once again with Leigh Wannell for 2007’s Dead Silence horror film, and their most recent project, 2010’s supernatural horror Insidious.