Deconstruction of Titles of Horror Films

A common theme within the titles of horror films is they are usually relatively simple. For example, they are often only one single word, such as in the examples of Saw, Scream and Sinister. These titles have a strong impact on the audience and immediately hint at a slasher horror genre, as the words chosen for the titles are related to horrific images. This can be seen in Saw through the use of a dangerous weapon as a title, in Scream as screaming often indicates terror or fear and Sinister depicts horror through the definition of the word being a adjective of something scary or creepy.

Another theme within the titles of horror films is the use of a major plot device within the film, such as in Cabin In The Woods, Orphan and The Blair Witch Project. The two latter examples also conform to the first common theme of horror titles. The titles that have strong direct links can be seen in Cabin In The Woods as the cabin the characters stay in is the main location of the film, in Orphan as the antagonist is an orphan and in The Blair Witch Project as the Blair Witch is what the students are investigating. These titles work well with the horror genre as they are straight-forward and to the point. This works well for the target audience, as often horror film fans know what type of horror they like, and having the plot in the title helps appeal to the audience. 

Deconstruction- Titles of Films

Deconstruction- Titles of Films

The title of a film is so important. Everyone says 'don't judge a book by its cover' but if a film doesn't have a title that grips you when you first read it then the chances are you might not want to watch it. A title should grab the audiences attention and also give a clue as to what the film is going to be about, without giving away too much or revealing the plot of the film. 

An effective film title is usually short and snappy; you rarely come across film titles which are sentences or more than 5 words long. Different genres usually steer towards different trends of film names. For example, Horror often uses single words whereas a romcom may use a phrase which. Here are some film titles that I picked out to look at. 

'The Orphanage' is referring to one of the locations in the film. An orphan is usually related to abandonment and loneliness and so an orphanage is just a building or room in which all these children who have been left are living together; a collection of alone children and also the perfect place for a lot of vulnerable targets. Putting the 'The' before orphanage also makes it seem like it's the only one which puts it in solitude. 

'The Cell' is another example of a film following the two-word rule and again the first word is 'The'. Cell also could have two meanings; cell as in part of the body or cell as in a prison cell. This creates an enigma and leaves the title open to interpretation. Given the fact that it's a psychological horror, either concept could work. However the plot of this film is about a woman who's mind allows her to enter into the minds of others so the cells of the brain are intruded and the mind could also be thought of like a secluded prison cell in which this woman has entered. It's therefore down to the audience to watch the film to gain a further understanding and clarification as to the true meaning. 

'Honeymoon' follows the single world rule and it has connotations with weddings and love. Therefore because of its given genre (horror) the audience can immediately tell that there is going to be a juxtaposition between love and the horrible murders that undoubtedly occur. Generally honeymoons are quite an enjoyable time and the audience can tell that it's going to be completely ruined. 

I then looked at the opposite end of the spectrum; a romcom, 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days'. As mentioned before, romcoms often use phrases as titles instead of single words or short, snappy sentences. 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' is very chic-flicky and straight away gives the audience an overall plot of the film and the events which may occur. It also sounds like an advice column which the narrative follows, again foreshadowing what is to come and giving the whole film a unique style. 

Deconstruction of Film Titles According to Genre

Deconstruction of Film Titles According to Genre

As we want to do a hybrid genre for our film opening, I decided to look into multiple genres including:

• Psychological Horror
• Slasher Horror
• Thriller
• Supernatural Horror

The common theme which occurred in the majority of the film titles in the horror genre was that they were only one word. The films below such as 'Annabelle' and 'Sinister' are examples of this. The use of the one word film title has different effects for each particular film which adds to how the film is portrayed before the audience have even began watching it. 

For 'Annabelle', the one word title is clearly a girl's name. Annabelle is a relatively old name and they have chosen to write it in full rather than shortening it. The film poster also mentions 'The Conjuring' so that the audience know straight away that the two films will be linked. 

Again, this title uses the single word pattern. Straight away 'creep' emphasises what the nature of the film is going to be. The word means to move stealthily or cautiously, so this already highlights to the audience the actions of the antagonist or the protagonist. Similarly, it also has connotations of a repulsive person, which adds to the characterisation of the characters.

Immediately, the audience are able to use the title 'Orphan' to get connotations of isolation and loneliness, as well as abandonment. The one word title also highlights these ideas. Orphans are children so this creates a judgement of the film as to who the characters are going to be. 

The one word title of this film, 'Sinister', immediately highlights the genre to the audience. Sinister means giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen. This title warns the audience of what to expect in the film, without giving anything from the plot away. This is effective as it emphasises the genre without revealing anything.

Oculus is a round or eye-like opening. By just using the title, the audience could assume that eye-sight will be affected in some way or just a prominent part of the film. Again, the one word title is very to the point and doesn't give much away about the film, but at the same time allows the audience to use their imagination from the definition of Oculus as to what to expect.

Unlike the normal trend in horror movies, this title is not just a single word. 'Conjuring' is the performance of tricks which are seemingly magical so the audience know that there will be some type of magical interference within the film. This therefore highlights the genre as supernatural.

The title of 'The Purge' is very to the point and immediately highlights what the film is about. Purge means to physically remove something completely, so the audience know that the plot is going to contain the permanent removal of a person or object. This therefore suggests the genre of the film to be horror, but does not yet give enough detail to identify it further.

In John Patterson's interview with The Guardian, he said that 'I knew, even before a frame was shot, exactly what the movies would, if not look like, feel like'. This summarises film titles as a whole, as the audience look to the title for an insight into what they should expect from the film, and in some cases, this can decide whether or not they are initially engaged to watch the film.