Isolation Horror Moodboard
Isolation horror is a sub-genre which conventionally puts an audience into the situation of their worst phobia or fear, in many different situations. Location is key factor of mise-en-scene when creating an isolation horror, this is the factor that determines it's sub-genre; the chosen location must make the audience feel like the characters are alone, and, quite simply isolated. These locations can typically include a woodland, abandoned houses, alien planets or warehouses.
Isolation horror is also different to many other sub-genres of horror films, this is because despite the film's location, there are no other limitations to how the story is affected. This is unlike other sub-genre's such as vampire or the undead, as this can automatically determine many characteristics about the film for example the characters involved. This is important as this sub-genre can therefore incorporate other sub-genres into film, which can combine to make a very effective and successful horror film; an example of this is the 1980 film 'The Shining' which combined both psychological and isolation sub-genres together, a film which is recognized as one of the most compelling horror films of all time.
This therefore means that isolation horror films are free to use conventional factors of horror films including expressive camera work, using strange angles and perspectives of camera which are common of horror films. This also includes iconography such as very low lit shots and mise-en-scene characteristics of props like a knife and blood and, of course, both the antagonist and the protagonist.
However, there are still some features of isolation films which are considered common of this sub-genre, the main common characteristic is a claustrophobic location, for example 'The Descent' (2005) and 'Buried' (2010), both films using very tight spaces underground- a common phobia for many people. Isolation horror films, as expected, will almost always feature both a protagonist and an antagonist, incorporating very different sound mixes, often using non-diegetic sound to create tension.
Some of many isolation horror films are listed below:
1. Alien (1979)
2. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
3. The Thing (1982)
4. Cabin Fever (2002)
5. Isolation (2005)
6. Bug (2006)
Isolation horror moodboard:
Isolation Horror scene from 'The Descent' (2005)
The same as the other two - this is a good start, but needs more detail for L4 What can you observe in terms of generic conventions from this research process? what visual motifs are evident? Any other techniques used?
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