Themes and conventions of horror films

Horror films have certain conventions and themes that have to be present for them to pass for a horror movie. The genre of horror in the film industry is famous, and a good horror movie will have the audience asking for more. An excellent horror film has an unpredictable twist of events and horrifying scenes as well. The essay below will discuss how the first season of the Walking Dead, a TV show fits into the category of a horror film.

In the walking dead TV show, the monster figure is represented by the dead people resurrecting and feeding on those who were alive, the normality. According to the article by Robin Wood (genre criticism, page 204), a horror film has at least two of three variables. It has the monster, normality and the relationship between the two. In horror movies, the usual things in life are portrayed as boring, regular and even predictable. Horror films like the walking dead, have the unusual events destabilizing the ordinary day to day life of the people in the movie. In the walking dead, the people who are shown to live normally, working and studying have their world invaded by the resurrection of the dead. The formerly dead people start eating up the regular people and infecting them with the monster virus. They turn into zombies like the rest of the dangerous and previously dead people. The contact between the zombies and the ordinary people is the relationship between the normality and the monster as explained in the Robin Wood article.

The Walking Dead fits the criteria of a horror film as per the Freudian theses convention (genre criticism, 205). This principle applies to the walking dead for the part where, Shane attempts to rape Lori. This incident asserts the Freudian theses which implies that there are a lot of sexualities that is repressed in horror films. The walking dead also qualifies as a horror film because the undead people attacked and destroyed anybody who was not like them. After being attacked when one happens to survive they turn into an undead who are the monsters in the film.

The walking dead also carries an apocalyptic theme. The people who were previously dead waking up is a post-apocalyptic occurrence. The rising of the dead turns the world into a stalled civilization. All the progress achieved by humanity is lost in the events of the destruction. The walking dead also has the aspect of people being engaged in tussles even in times of crisis. When Merle was left behind, the survivors had a disagreement because some of them did not feel it was right to abandon him. There was also the massacre aspect in the film (genre criticism, 212). It is an important factor when considering a horror movie. The zombies in the walking dead destroyed everything that came their way. The making of the film took into considerations of all aspects that qualify it as a horror movie.

In conclusion, the walking dead is an excellent horror film as per the qualities discussed in the article on by Robin Wood. It incorporates the right character requirements for a horror film and the correct themes as well. The character representations of the monster and the ordinary world were efficient, and the actor executed their roles with accuracy. The walking dead is one film that people who love horror films will enjoy watching. It fits the themes and conventions discussed in the article.

References.

Robin Wood, An introduction to the American horror film.