The Essential Components of the Horror Movies

Why do the majority of teenagers love horror movies? What is so involving, attractive and entertaining in this genre? Indeed, the largest amount of horror movies are made for teenagers, who enjoy adrenalin rush that they experience while watching.  Personally, I love the mystery, suspense and the tension of this genre. If the horror movie is well-made it completely involves me, as if I am the actual person going through in the mysterious adventures in which the characters go through. I enjoy the feeling of being unsecured and scared while actually being in the safe environment. It is interesting what are the essential components that make a horror movie scary, startling, involving, entertaining, mysterious, and entertaining.

Among the technical codes, it is important some parts of the movie to be made by hand-held camera. It should also include the low, black lightening and incidental, distorted sounds. The movie “Paranormal Activities” is one of the best examples in which the hand-held camera is used. The use of hand-held camera evokes the feeling of the plot’s authenticity. With regard of black, low lightening, since the black color is directly associated with something negative, it creates the mystery and the suspense in the storyline.

From symbolic codes of the horror movies, setting, weather and characters play the crucial role. Usually the story of the horror movies takes place in secluded areas, for example in the isolated house, the secluded woods, the summer camp during the off season and etc. One of the most prominent examples of the secluded settings of the horror movies is illustrated in “The Shining”. In this movie story takes place in a huge, isolated, private house, which has a labyrinth in front it. The labyrinth in this case also has a symbolic connotation. Being secluded from the outer world creates the sense of insecurity, mystery and a tension in the movie. In most of the horror movies weather is usually gloomy or stormy. The deliberately selected gloomy weather is a symbolic code highlighting the frightening atmosphere.  The negative characters of the movie typically wear black, strange clothes, wear masks or have scars/tattoos highlighting their ominous characters.

With regard to the conventions of the horror movies, they are extremely important to make the movie startling, involving, and scary. One of the most frequently found convention in the horror movies is the unconsidered warning. Usually the main characters of the movie are warned about the possible danger; however, the leave the caution unheeded. This convention is used as a foreshadowing the development of the fear-provoking events. The cut of electricity/phone lines is another commonly found convention. When the power is suddenly cut it enhances the feeling of tension, while the cut of the phone lines creates the sense of isolation from the “safety zone”. In most of the horror movies there is a character (usually a female) that hears the strange noises and investigates the issue. In most of the cases he/she is the first victim of the serial killer/supernatural creature /psycho/evil spirit and etc. For example in “The Sinister” the protagonist of the movie is aware of the murder that has taken place in his new house; however, he investigates the issue and finally becomes a victim of his investigation. In many of horror movies either the prologue includes the demonstration of the events that has happened before, or there is a flashback revealing the terrible crimes that has taken place before “our time”.  For example in the first several minutes of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” viewers are exposed to what has happened before in the family of the traumatized young hitchhiker; however, the main part of the movie takes place after many years, when this hitchhiker grows up and becomes a psychopathic killer. This method creates trepidation as well as foreshadows the threatening development of the movie.

 To be startling and to play on audience’s primal fears is the central aim of the horror movies. These above listed codes and conventions are essential for horror movies to be “successful”. These components of the horror movie create a feeling of adrenalin rush, which is usually the reason why I as well as the majority of the teenagers are attracted with it. Teenagers take pleasure in sensing the fear in an actually safe environment. Not only teenagers but women are also not less important audiences of this genre. The film industry is producing many contemporary horror movies with female protagonists who become stronger to overcome the obstacles. They also include woman-related themes like babysitting or pregnancy to attract the female audience. Considering all these factors, today the horror genre stays as one of the most popular among all the others.

Photoshopping of the Cover Images of Magazines

            Should famous oversized women be illustrated on the covers of the well-known magazines, like “Vogue”, “Cosmopolitan”, “Elle” and etc.? Should these women be Photoshoped in order their “flaws” to be covered?  Should every woman look like a super-model in order the magazine to become the best-seller? Does Photoshoping simply distort the reality? These are the questions that arise after the release of scandalous covers of “Vogue” and “Elle” depicting altered images of Lena Dunham and Melissa McCarthy respectively. Since nobody is perfect, the photos of these women are deliberately altered to cover their round curves, wrinkles, dimples, and etc. to reach the fake super-model-like appearance which is nothing but the counterfeiting of the reader’s reality.

           The altered photo of Lena Dunham on the cover of “Vogue” did not stay unnoticed by the current editor on jezebel.com, Jessica Coen. Since jezebel.com is a website that made its name by criticizing artificiality of woman’s magazines, this incident appeared to be a great chance to protest the fakeness of Photoshopping. In her article Coen demonstrates the untouched as well as altered images of Dunham and meticulously explores every change that is made to “fix” her “flaws”. The author criticizes the photographer’s, Annie Leibovitz’s use of composite images and digital manipulations. Jessica Coen’s extremely negative and straightforward tone is discussed by Jadi Kantor from New York Times. According to Kantor Lena Dunham was not a right target for jezbel.com since she managed to “put her own “different” — that is, typical — body on television” (Kantor). The second article discusses the issue from more neutral perspective. Lena Dunham’s response to these scandal was simple and straightforward: “”Vogue isn’t the place that we go to look at realistic women, Vogue is the place we go to look at beautiful clothes and fancy places and escapism, and so I feel like if the story reflects me and I happen to be wearing a beautiful Prada dress and surrounded by beautiful men and dogs, what’s the problem? If they want to see what I really look like, go watch the show that I make every single week” (Thorpe).

            Melissa McCarthy being on the cover of “Elle” was another subject matter of critique. Both of the articles on huffingtonpost.com and slate.com discuss how this cover distorts the reality. According to June Thomas from slate.com “Elle” should not get credit for illustrating a plus-sized woman on its cover since her images are greatly altered and Photoshopped. The same idea is shared in the article on huffingtonpost.com – curvier cover models are treated differently. They are clothed in a way to cover their whole bodies or the photos are taken from very close view and their bodies are not demonstrated at all. Melissa is not an exception; she wears a huge coat and her hair is fashioned in a way to cover almost the quarter of her face. “Elle” justifies her look and states that “[…] the stars choose pieces they feel good in, and this is no different: Melissa loved this look and is gorgeous on our cover” (Krupnick). Too look at the super-models whose bodies are fully exposed it is hard to believe that Melissa McCarthy’s look was purely artistic.

            In my personal opinion heavy Photoshopping is nothing but the distortion of the reality. Unfortunately, not only the covers of the magazines are Photoshopped. 21^st century’s teenagers deliberately modify their photos in order to reach idealistic “perfection”. The inclination towards perfection is highly triggered by the images of nude models whose bodies look unbelievably amazing. The fact that celebrities are highly Photoshopped also affects the psychologies of those teenagers who are plus-sized. Besides the negative effect on young people the altered images are simply fake and artificial. The fact that the images of men illustrated on the covers or in the magazines are not as greatly altered as those of the women raises the question: why are women supposed to look perfect? The answer to this question raises the gender equality issue which was the feminists’ major concern for a long period of time. I do not think that the women who are over-weighted need to be “fixed” in order to look like super-models. If everybody strives to look like the super-models then the individuality of the people will be lost. Photoshopping and modification of magazine’s covers not only acts as a catalyst in teenagers’ psychological as well as mental problems but also facilitates the process of loosing individuality of people.  

            The beauty is a relative term which is highly determined by the certain individuals’ subjective viewpoints. An over-weighted woman can be beautiful without the need of Photoshopping. The magazines’ editors concern is only the marketability of their product. It is obvious – as perfect an attractive, thin, high, beautiful, and glorious celebrity looks, as better the magazine is sold. Unfortunately, its impact on people, its fakeness and bias is the minor concern.