Film Language - Mise-en-scene in Horror

Mise-en-scene in horror:

- Usually the settings are in dark or isolated places. (‘The Shining’)

- The lighting is usually low-key, there can often be shadow effects. (‘Halloween’) - there can often be candles flickering which creates uncertainty in the audience. The juxtaposition between light and dark adds enigma and fear.

- The horror films are usually set in areas such as open woodlands and forests or settings that create a fearful atmosphere. E.g. (Old buildings, graveyards and abandoned places). Sometimes the set is in very religious buildings which can connote religious associations and therefore could link to the supernatural element.

- Iconography such as ghosts, gravestones, cobwebs and pumpkins can also be used to establish the tones of the genre.

- There is lots of iconography associated with the horror genre, for example: knives and axes as weapons (slasher horror films like ‘Scream’ or ‘Urban Legend’).

- There are also other props such as smashed glass, mirrors, dolls and elements of danger which are often used for foreshadowing.

- Colour codes - Dark lighting and dark settings add to the ambience of horror settings. However, the red palate can be used in certain horror films to show the relationship between a person/place and the supernatural, for example (‘The Sixth Sense’). The use of white costume can sometimes show the stereotype of a victim, (traditionally a female - ‘Scream’). Other costumes used could be masks for scare factor and hidden identities and makeup which is used for the same effect.