Observations Into Burtons Genre Theory!

In this post I will be testing Burtons theory against 3 films; Orphan, Scream 4 & Final Destination 5.

Below I have listed my observations of Burtons theory, examples of films demonstrating these observations can be seen in red:

• Most horror films take place in the private sphere which illustrates a danger within the home (a place noramly considered as safe). Down turn in society and a lack of hope at being saved increases vulvnarability. Examples that demonstrate this are: Dont Be Afriaid Of The Dark, Scream, Drag Me To Hell, Insidious, Orphan.
• Stock characters are always realted to each other in one way or another. Common stock characters are groups of young adults each representing positive or negative aspects of society. This mainly applies to slasher horrors like: Piranna, Tucker Dale Vs Evil, Scream 4, Final Destination.
• Some horrors explore the theme truth Vs deciet in the form of cover ups or new found tapes, for example: Rec, Quarintine, Blair Witch, Appollo 18, Paranormal Activity.
• Stock situations invole murder, torture, mind games, physical torture, revenge & sibling rivalry. These things mainly involve victims that have sinned. This applies to All Horrors.
• Often the hero protagonist uncovers the truth in an envirnment of non believers, for example: Orphan, Scream, Dont Be Affraid Of The Dark.
• The theme of voyerism comes through the use of being given access to areas we might not otherwise reach. This can be seen in all horror films.

Does Burtons Theory work?

My research into horror films has lead me to conclude that Burtons genre theory is true. By looking at lots of different horror films I am able to identify lots of conventional elements which are repeated throughtout the genre. This proves the theory of repetition and veriation and also shows how genres each have specific features(features of the horror genre can be seen above).
A balance between repetition and veriation is however vital towards the success of a movie, this is because each movie should try and bring something new to the table which hasnt been seen before, and at the same time include recognisable features of its specific genre. Without veriation all films belonging to a genre would simply be repeating themselves, and so nobody would want to watch them, this demonstrates why the balance is so important
Burtons theory looks at several key elements, all of these elements are equally as important, for example, it is impossible for me to imagine a horror film without stock characters.This alone is enough evidence to prove how correct Burtons theory is.

Looking into Burtons theory has helped me with my planning as I now have a much deeper understanding of what features make up the horror genre. I am also now confident that my trailer will express the theme of horror as I will be including all of Burtons key elements into my sypnopsis.