Common Themes in Horror Films

#1 THE SERIAL KILLER

A very common theme amongst horror films, especially in the slasher sub-genre. This theme is highly popular amongst younger audiences as it keeps up with the suspense of the narrative. A key component of this theme is that, if the film is a part of a franchise such as Saw, the serial killer will remain the same and becomes a popular character that usually becomes the central part of the narrative.

#2 GORE EXPLOSION

As horror films progressed from the 50s, the theme of having gore being played in front of an audience became largely popular. Although, directors have learned that having heavy gore only reduces their audience to a specific age range so therefore, they need to tone it down in order to have a larger audience. A key component of this theme is that the audience need to be intrigued. It's remotely easy to show someone killing an innocent person, but it's the way the killer ensues the killing that makes it interesting for the audience. Therefore, it's less about the gore and more about the method of killing that intrigues the audience. Film franchise Saw with 7 films in it series is a prime example. 

#3 CREATURES AND THE MONSTROUS

This theme may be the most used theme represented in horror films. It simply includes someone or something that is alien to humankind and poses a threat to human life. Creatures, the supernatural and aliens will stick in someone's head as being horrifying. Therefore, a key component of this theme is that there needs to be a significant and powerful character that will haunt the audience's mind and add a sense of terror in the narrative as it's a threat to humans. There are many examples of creatures and monsters we can think of, the most prominent character is quite possibly The Creature from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

#4 THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN

It's rather easy to have a monstrous character who is the threat but it's difficult to have a monstrous character when the one we think is innocent is actually the evil one. The narrative for this theme can't be very complicated because if they try hard to fool the audience, then they won't be able to follow the story properly and the purpose of the film would have failed. Therefore, an important part of this theme is that there has to be a clear distinction between the evil one and the innocent one as they are the same person. An example of a film with this theme is The Conjuring  and Paranormal Activity.

#5 THE FAKE DOCUMENTARY

This theme has grown in popularity, especially due to the film franchise Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project. This theme is popular due to that fact that it adds a sense of realness to the narrative and almost makes it something that can happen in real life. Our culture has become infatuated by reality television which is why it allows people to believe that life is stranger than fiction. A key component of this theme is that the narrative has to be as realistic as possible which creates curiosity and tension amongst the audience. Many people believe in ghosts and spirits so when this is used in films as ghosts being the threat, the audience will surely become scared and question everything to do with their own life, such as "is my house haunted?"