Horror film cliches

From Joe Queenan's guide to horror film cliches from the guardian, a lot can be learnt about the cliches in horror films.
For example, Queenan states that without cliches, horror films would be ruined and the audience would find it unusual. As Japanese horror films revolve around little girls who come back from the dead, if this did not happen, the audience would find this unusual as this is typically what they would want to see.
Another example Queenan states that it is typical is zombies turning up in strange places, and that the audience expect this to happen, if it did not, again this would be unusual. As Queenan says this, it is helpful towards my groups horror film beginning, as we are focusing on zombies, so making them turn up in unusual places is expected to happen.
Queenan states that horror films work best in rurual settings, this is helpful to keep in mind for my groups horror movie, as if a zombie film was set in a city, it wouldn't be as good, as the characters could be saved by other people. Where as if the film is set in a rural setting, the character will have no people to rely on to save them.
Another quote from this article helpful to my groups film is that horror movies also contain lots of scenes in which the living dead zip past an open door or window, but nobody sees them. This will be helpful as if we keep this in mind, it will add tension to our film including zombies, as the audience will not be sure what just went past, and what will happen to the characters.


The main parts of Joe Queenan's guide to horror film cliches that will help my group and I with our work creating the first two minutes of a film is the parts it is typical zombies turning up in strange places, and also horror films work best in rural settings. This is because we are to base our film in the woods, which is rural and abandoned, showing there is no help for the characters. Also zombies will turn up in the middle of the woods, which is a strange place, as they are very unexpected.