5 Things a Horror Film Needs

1) Iconography

Shadows, candles, darkness, lamps, lightning, rain, blood, knives, dripping water, corpses, limbs, scary trees, masks, weapons, smashed glass, ghosts, scary faces, scary objects (i.e. hooded jackets, cloaks, white sheets, open curtains), dirty bathtubs, old furniture, mansions, fireplaces, crackling televisions, slightly opened doors, colours (reds, blacks, purples, blues, whites, browns, greys), chains, litter, flashing lights, silk, guns, bullets, black boots, sharp teeth, crucifixes, medallions, jewellery

2) Narrative

Chases, serial killers, secrets, mystery, breaking down of technology, car crashes, loss of cell phone signal, twisted sexuality, surprises, shocks, twists, media/police first to be killed, bad police (useless or corrupt), lawlessness, secret watching, stalking, running away, extreme psycopaths, revenge, deep subplots, stereotypes killed, one or two main characters killed, heroes survive, high body count, lots of victims, monsters, creatures, supernatural happenings, being locked away or locked in a room, torture, falling over, escape, struggle, fights, climax betweem hero and killer, killers killed often, heartbeats faster, slow to quick editing to build up tension, not everything revealed, ECU's, distortion in spaces and tilts, low angles, not showing faces, hiding certain things, tracking, handheld or shakey movements.

3) Characters

Geeks often survive or help, smart girl survives by taking initiative half way through, bullies and cockey macho boys killed, ditzy blondes killed, bitchy good looking highschool queens killed, stereotypes such as stupid or macho often first to go, enemies often last to go before hero survives, police often killed trying to help or being led wrong way, media often killed for being nosey or ignorant, psycopaths, twisted men, killers, mass murderers, monsters, villain often with a motive or deeper reason behind kills (misunderstood), creatures, ghosts, women are haunted and followed by demons, little girl ghosts, scary children who see things, reassuring parents, teens who are ignorant of sinister going ons, victims wear silk dresses and lots of make up, killers wear cloaks and masks and carry weapons, victims in bright significant clothing or half naked, killers in dark ambiguous clothing, hidden features such as half a face, zombies, vampires, spirits, real animals, dogs.

4) Themes

Mystery, suspence, secrets, forbidden actions, evil deeds, revenge, surprise, love, sex, obsession, mental illness, twisted games, contrast, death, gruesome, torture, pain, anguish, misery, family, friends, forgiveness, sin, suffering, punishment, stupidity, panic, confusion, the devil, hell, possession, law and order, haunting, isolation, lost, trapped, claustrophobia, deceipt, loyalty, treason, seperation, togetherness, greed, passion, fright, terror.

5) Atmosphere

Low key lighting, shadows, darkness, pitch black, night time, thunder and lightning, rain, dripping water, echoes, whistling wind, wolf howls, owls, rustling, footsteps, creaking doors, creaking stairways, sudden bangs, clanks, clicking, strange noises such as creatures or supernatural noises, crackling televisions or radio signals, beeping, evil laughter, screams, sounds of agony, crying children, rustling trees and leaves, window bangs, slamming doors, deep voices, scary music, long high pitched violin noises held on one note, 'Psycho' music, deep musical notes held for long time, crashes, loud base drums gettting faster, variations in tempo and dynamics, orcestral music, sometimes techno music, minor key, organ music, church bell sounds, clowns, childrens toy noises, forests, mountains, castles, deserted cities, hills, mansions, isolated manors or cottages, long narrow corridors, hallways, large rooms, prsion cells, basements, bathrooms, torture chambers, large bedrooms, hospital wards, emptiness, attics, lairs, watch rooms, abandoned alleyways, bad ends of cities, underground caves, rivers or lakes, coasts, fields or crop fields, hotels, farmhouses, motels, warehouses, factories.