The Five Stock Characters We All Love (And Hate) 1/25-1/30

     Many horror films tend to build their characters from the five archetypes usually associated with typical horror movies. These characters motivations, beliefs, and actions alike are, at many occasions, predictable because they stem from those stock characters tucked away in the back pockets of screenwriters. Those five tend to be: the nerd, the jock, the token ethnic, the "promiscuous" girl, and the final guy/girl.
     The Nerd appears to be the most logical, rational character in the plot line who constantly warns the others of future events and serves as a symbol of foreshadowing in development of the story. The nerd is also the character that is most scrutinized by the others and finds himself or himself in situations he/she thought would be preventable. For example, Jamie Kennedy plays Randy in Scream and the author of the article states, "He’s the most self-aware character in a movie full of characters that know they’re filling out certain roles."
     The Jock appears to be a central character in horror films, being the "know-it-all", who usually stays alive long enough until he dies an ironic or "justified death." Also, the Jock sometimes ends up being the most-hated character, and this type of stock creation is typically stubborn until it is "too late."
      The "Promiscuous Girl" tends to remain in the movie long enough until she seems to clumsily fall into the arms of the killer or sleeps with the Jock. This archetype usually is expectedly not developed and left as a recognizable filler to the plot, as many horror movies seem to come with the characters that may not serve much of a purpose.
      The Token Ethnic stock character provides comic relief to the plot as well as a means for screenwriters or directors to incorporate "cultural diversity" into the film. These characters portray a sense of insight into the scenarios they find themselves . The most prominent feature of these characters seems to be that, "Oftentimes, these characters are gone long before we ever get too attached to them," as stated by the article.
      Last but certainly not least, horror films usually tend to inherit the hero or heroine of the plot that the movie centralizes its themes around: the Final Guy/Girl. He or she escapes most near-death scenarios of the film and comes out of the story alive. For example, the main character, Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) in Halloween embodies this archetype. The article states, "Strong, resourceful, smart… give her all the adjectives because Laurie is everything you want in a Final Girl. It’s the most important role..."


Although stock characters in horror films can be cheesy and overused, they are a great method to reel in audiences that continue to view movies with similar premises. Viewers of horror films tend to anticipate the same story lines, themes, and "villains", so in keeping characters consistent of their stock natures, the industry producers and/or directors can be sure to see a return of that viewership.



Del Vecchio, A. (2013, October 18). 5 FOR FRIDAY: THE ULTIMATE SLASHER FILM ARCHETYPE CHARACTERS.
Retrieved January 29, 2015, from http://themaindamie.com/ website: http://themaindamie.com/2013/
10/18/5-for-friday-the-ultimate-slasher-film-archetype-characters/

Convergence in Horror Film Industry: Video Games (1/19-1/23)

     A video game based on the horror film, "Silent Hill", is set to be released in 2016 since it is still in the early stages of the development process (and will be accessible for PS4 users) by series creator Hideo Kojima and director Guillermo del Toro. Playable teasers and gaming-experience trailers have been used as a marketing strategy for the developers; nevertheless, user anticipation has been targeted through this. The game also features the one of the lead characters from ABC's The Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon. Demos have been available to PC and console gamers as well; and by providing this Kojima has said, "...its marketing value of driving up talk forSilent Hills has undoubtedly been achieved."
     The plot of the game opens with the player waking to dimly lit room and there is a never-ending loop of being trapped in these series of areas within the house. The insanity-inducing gaming experience has the character walking through a hallway and descending into a cellar, which results in being back in the first room which he awoke from. As observed by "Tech Times", "To progress, players had to look for or create the right trigger, which would lead to another go at the loop but with some things different."

Below is a link to the playable teaser:
http://youtu.be/Ay_RAkE7bUY

Not only is convergence across different types of media crucial to the profit margins of the beneficiaries, but experimenting with it gives way to reaching new audiences or connecting better to already established viewerships. Those who follow horror film series such as Silent Hill, can be excited to experience the plot line of the movie on an even more frightening platform. By releasing teasers and trailers for the it, creators have enabled users to become part of a favored horror film, which in turn locks in another type of audience preference that companies can cater their marketing and/or distribution towards.

Mamlit, A. (2014, August 20). Silent Hill PT for PS4 released: It's scary but it won't be out until 

     2016. Retrieved January 19, 2015, from www.techtimes.com website: http://www.techtimes.com/ 

     articles/13287/20140820/silent-hill-pt-for-ps4-released-its-scary-and-it-wont-

Fact or Fiction: The Truth Behind "The Exorcist Curse" (1/12-1/16)

     The Exorcist is said to be the most cursed movie of all time. Nine deaths have apparently been linked to the film that was based on a true 1949 real exorcism of a young boy. Jack MacGowran, who played the role of Burke Dennings in the film, died about a month before the film's release as a result of the flu, and strangely enough his character is killed as well. Valsiliki Maliaros, who played Father Karra's mother, also died in 1973 before the film's release, although in contrast, her death was of natural causes. 

     Strange events began to plague the cast and crew during production of the film. For example, Max von Sydow reportedly has his brother die during filming, but rumors have contradicted this saying that the actor did not even have a brother, and the truth still remains inconclusive. There is also skepticism surrounding the death of a cameraman's and his wife's child dying while the film was in production.

     Jason Miller, the actor that played the role of Father Karras, was approached by a priest in one of his most frequented restaurants. The priest handed him a medallion that was believed to be able to "protect him from the devil and any ways he might try to reveal himself." 

     Ellen Burstyn, who plays Regan's mother, was severely injured on set during filming. During a particular scene where the actresses was thrown away from the bed, the harness attached to her pulled too quickly, causing her intense pain, thus making her on-screen scream completely not feigned. 

     Testimonials from actors, director, and producers alike have stated that the set has caught on fire more than once, and due to these abnormal occurrences, the cast called for a priest to bless the studio. Many of those working on the film testified that they felt uneasy while shooting as well as objects would move by themselves. "Marcel Vercoutere, responsible for some of the movie's special effects, reports feeling very eerie when working on the set: 'There was definitely a feeling that it could happen, we were playing around with something that we shouldn't have been playing around with.'" One actor claimed to have picked up the telephone several times and have the line be completely off the hook.
     As millions who have watched the film attributed to it's success (no doubt that this was one of the most legendary movies in movie history), those working alongside the movie have "spoke out about the film and suggested that "the forces of darkness" were aligned with the film and that "there is a power of evil in the film, in the fabric of the film itself." As for the superstition surrounding The Exorcist, I do believe evil was in the inner workings of the film. Being a strong believer in the supernatural and paranormal, I highly think that playing around with topics such as those in The Exorcist should not be taken lightly and the consequences of doing so should be long thought out. And in working with such a powerful force, I think something might have not liked being messed with!

Winters, D. (2010). Cursed Movies: The Exorcist. Retrieved January 15, 2015, from

     http://www.isisinvestigations.com/ website: http://www.isisinvestigations.com/

     Exorcist_cursed_movie.html

  

Low Budgets --> High Profits (1/5-1/9)

     Most producers and directors tend to strive for the lowest possible spending price on their films or productions, but James Blum (owner and founder of the most lucrative horror production companies, Blumhouse Productions) reigns with the title of "supreme penny-pincher."
     In his method of madness, Blum focuses his approach on two central million-saving concepts. The first is that actors, directors, and Blum himself all are paid zero (union-mandated minimums) in exchange for dividends of the total profit. Secondly, locations are specifically chosen in accordance to their costs. Sets are made from scratch and every picture strives to be locally shot in Los Angeles in about 20 to 25 days. How can production companies get away with all of this corner-cutting? Summers states that, "Audiences don’t seem to care. Horror is a forgiving genre with a history of shoestring-budget classics." Actors and movie extras are flocking to be casted in Blum's productions because the risk of return is constantly increasing for the better. For example, Ethan Hawke earned $2 million for playing in The Purge, which is double the usual amount of compensation for the same role.
    Although many of his company's productions are, not all those released are quite as successful as blockbusters such as the Paranormal Activity series. Blum admits, "My pitch to directors is , 'I can't guarantee you a hit movie, but I can guarantee you that the movie is going to be yours," stressing the importance of recognition and ownership in the horror film industry.

Through being extremely frugal and consistent in his production methods, Blum has ensured his company's micro budget success. I believe it is extremely smart of Blum to incorporate his thrifty ways into his technique because he is possibly the most profitable movie producer in Hollywood (and who says your audience has to know about such large savings?)

Summers, N. (2014, April 14). Jason Blum, the Penny-Pinching Horror Movie Maestro. Retrieved January

     8, 2015, from www.businessweek.com website: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-24/

     jason-blum-the-penny-pinching-horror-movie-maestro