Deconstruction of Props within Horror

Possibly the most common prop used within horror films, especially of the slasher sub genre, is the weapon of the killer. 

In slashers, the weapon is usually a hand held melee weapon that the killer uses throughout and becomes associated with. This can be seen in Scream, where the killer uses a knife to kill his victims.

The weapons used to kill the victims in slasher horrors can also become the main focus of the plot, such as in the Saw series. The killer uses various methods of killing the victims, such as being cut repeatedly by a razor wire, throat slit with hacksaw and dismembered by chains. Possibly the most obvious weapon used in the series was a giant saw.

Prop Creation- Practical task

Prop Creation- Practical Task

For our castle scene, we needed to make it look like it was the killer's lair as well as his home. We had big things to put in the castle like a work table and a mattress which indeed would imply that he was sleeping there but we wanted props that would really make the castle feel realistic and so the group decided that the best way to do this was attention to detail; having smaller props that aren't necessarily essential to the scene but just are an extra touch that the killer may actually have in his living area. The space was fairly big so filling it up was always going to be a challenge but we all were able to bring items from our own homes to the castle.

 This is my mini chessboard and I thought that it might look quite mysterious and give another side to the killers personality. It makes him look lonely because he hasn't got anyone to play with but it also adds to the plot behind a lot of his schemes; it implies that he's a good game-player, he's manipulative and is always one step ahead- like you have to be in chess to win. Having a set up chess board in his castle makes him look like he practises when he has spare time so he's prepared for any move the other player makes.

I then also decided that the killer would need food in his lair to survive. I questioned what sort of food a killer who was crashing in an abandoned castle would eat; he wouldn't have very much money and also the castle is slightly medieval themed so normal packets of food would have looked out of place. Also using shop-bought food would have been product placement so I found a tin at home and peeled off the paper label. I then decided to make a sort of 'gruel' from oats and water to show how poor he is and is just living from basic rations. I then found an old teaspoon and figured that they could just be placed somewhere in the castle. 

I also thought that just scattering some dried pasta on the table would add to the simplicity of his basic rations. The audience wouldn't necessarily notice it but it is just another prop that makes the castle look more lived in.

This lamp I had looks old fashioned and because he doesn't have electricity he would need a source of light.

We also decided to make him have a more 'normal' side as well, almost like the part of him that he was  before he turned into a psychotic killer is still in him. Next to the mattress, we thought to put in a pile of classic old books as well as some newspapers which we thought made his character more interesting and gave him in another persona.

I also decided to buy some tea lights to create a more medieval feeling and again let the audience know that he's living on the bare minimum. Because of the wind, we had to put the candles into jars that Tia brought but this actually worked in our favour as the jars made the area look more rustic and because the flames didn't blow out they flickered and we got a really good shot of them clustered on a rock surface.



Overall we managed to gather together some good, realistic looking props which helped create a good atmosphere in the castle.



Practical Task - Prop Creation

Practical Task - Prop Creation

My practical task was to create props which could potentially be used in our final opening. I did some research into what categories of props were used in the genre that we are focusing on, which is psychological horror. The main prop areas which are important in this genre are:

• Religious Symbols 
• Keys and Locks
• Dolls
• Masks
• Mirrors

I initially wanted to focus on mirrors, as I thought by smashing a mirror in different ways, I could distort the visuals which would create different effects and enable the audience to see more than they usually would. I then realised that this could also work without smashing the mirrors (as this is bad luck and very dangerous), so I looked at using mirrors which aren't broken. 

I took photographs of all the mirrors which were available to me around my house, ensuring that in each shot, you couldn't see the reflection of the camera. 

There is use of shadow in this shot and only the top of the bannister is visible as well as the blank walls which adds a sense of mystery and the unknown, because the audience are forced to only see the reflection in the mirror as this is the only area which they have been permitted to see.

This photograph is also very effective for the horror genre as the reflection in the mirror is significantly darker than the rest of the shot, which creates shadows and areas of complete darkness, which therefore controls what the audience are able to see.

 The final shot which was taken in a bedroom mirror, it shows wardrobe doors slightly ajar in the reflection. This creates a sense of mystery as the audience may assume there is something behind the doors in the darkness. 

I then wanted to focus on creating a prop which could be used with our initial idea for our opening scene. As our idea incorporates ears and the removal of ears, I decided to attempt making a jar of ears. 

This was difficult to do as obviously I couldn't fill the jar with real ears, so I decided to print off a page of ears and put them into the jar to see if it looked realistic enough.

 This is my favourite photograph that I took of the jar of ears because it is far away enough to see the edge of the jar, but close enough that you can see the detail in each ear. Also, the focus is on the jar rather than the ears which adds a blurred effect onto the ears,making them look more realistic.

Overall, this prop creation wasn't too difficult to make, but very hard to photograph because of the reflection on the jar. If I were to do it again, I would try and use minimal lighting in the room, to reduce reflection. 

Prop Deconstruction

Prop Deconstruction

I started by brainstorming the types of props that we could use in our film opening, which we would like to be a hybrid of psychological and slasher horror. I researched specifically into the psychological horror and found the main areas of props are:

• Religious Symbols 
• Keys and Locks
• Dolls
• Masks
• Mirrors

Each of the categories had hidden meanings as to why they are conventionally included. Shattered mirrors connote broken lives and personalities and regular mirrors show reflections and could suggest the idea of multiple personalities within a character but are also used in the film to introduce other characters without the victim directly seeing the antagonist. 

In the film Oculus, the mirror is the main part of the film, and some of the shots use the reflection in order to show more than one perspective as to what to the characters can see, as they are also able to see what is behind them. 

Masks are used to disguise evil within a horror film. The use of a mask removes facial expressions from the killer, but as the eyes are able to be seen, makes them unnerving and allows the audience to see a glimpse of emotion, or lack of, in the killers eyes.

This mask is from the film Friday the 13th, there are holes for the eyes but the audience can't see who they are, which adds to the tension as the characters don't know who is targeting them. 

Dolls usually represent innocence, nurturing and childhood, which is why using them in horror films makes the audience feel unnerved. Within films, dolls can be prominent or subtle, both have different effects as the subtly suggests that they are 'watching' the victim who may be unaware. Prominent use of the dolls in some cases, is more eerie, as the dolls appearance is somewhat like a distorted human, with oversized heads, unblinking eyes and exaggerated features. Clowns are also known to have been used as they are associated with happiness and slapstick humour but due to the over-use in horror films have lost the majority of their effect.

In 'Annabelle', the doll is a prominent part of the film, which starts off as what the family think is an ordinary doll but turns out to be haunted by its past owner. It clearly has distinguishable features such as the large grinning mouth and big eyes. In the first picture, it seems to fit in with the other dolls in the room, but at the same time is clearly larger and placed on the centre of the shelf shows its importance to the owner.

Keys and locks connote secrets and confinement, and are sometimes used in horror films. The more obvious use would be for locking doors, to keep someone in or similarly out of the room. They could also be used for locking away journals or trinket boxes which adds the sense of secrecy and keeps some of the ideas away from the audience, creating tension and mystery. 

In The Babadook, the main characters attempt to lock all of their doors in order to keep the 'Babadook' out. There are frequent shots of the doors being unlocked as well as shots of all the different keys that they have for all of the doors, suggesting that there are lots of entry points to their house and rooms.

Religious symbols are a key genre convention of psychological horror so are most commonly used and exaggerated throughout the film. Religion in general is associated with themes of life and death, as well as spirituality and good vs evil. The props used may be from Christianity, such as the crucifix and Bible which are the most common, but also satanic and voodoo. The use of religious symbols are usually to highlight to the audience why the antagonist is killing people, and how there may be an idea that they are possessed or doing it for 'God'. 

In 'The Devil Inside' there are lots of religious symbols such as crosses and crucifixes which are which are highlighted in the images below.