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When watching Horror movies there a lot of things that you would typically find within them from certain character builds to a stereotypical location setting. Another big thing that you will often notice is that there are countless different props that you will come across when watching any horror films. Different subcultures within horror will have different main focuses. Some of the main prop focuses you will see are:
1. Knife/Daggers
2. Mask
3. Dolls
A lot of movies will commonly use these types of props is because they have the same effect each time they are used. People commonly be more enticed seeing something that they have seen be used before, they want to see whether it has the same affect each time.
Dolls
Dolls are often used in horror as objects that are possessed by spirits or ghost, and they have become the focus for quite a few horror franchises such as:
• Annabelle
• Chucky
• Jigsaw
Figure 1 - Annabelle Doll - Annabelle/Warner Brothers [1]
Dolls are being frozen in time [2] and have no life in them. People see dolls as human like without being human at all. Pairing them with children in horrors gives the viewers a false sense of security. Seeing as children would use dolls as a form of comfort, having them as the evil entity in films completely changes the view of this.
Another reason that we get scared by dolls is because we are not programmed to process or accept ‘fake face’s’. It comes from the theory of “uncanny valley” which is the term that is used to when objects are lifelike, yet still unrealistic.[3] And the more unrealistic the face seems, the scarier it becomes.
Knives
Weapons are a key prop for horror films. Different killers have signature weapons that they use repeatedly. Specifically use in slasher films, knives are a very over used weapon choice by killers. They are used in films such as the scream films, the Halloween films too and in the classic film, psycho. “Slasher” usually implies they use of a blade to kill the victims in the films, and knives are one of the keys and commonly used choice if weapons.
Figure 2 - Ghost Face with Blade - Scream/Dimention Films. [4]
Often killers will use a knife as a weapon as it so discreet, which makes it easy to conceal and has such a big impact even though it is such a small object. Seeing as they are such small objects, knives are a good way to get quick hits in on the victims. [5]
Knives are a very easy weapon that a killer can use, seeing as they are very easy to find and can be used by basically everyone, which may also be a flaw as well as a good thing.
Mask
Most killers in horror films do not show their identity, to keep themselves hidden they cover their faces using masks. It also adds a suspicious and mysterious atmosphere to the film. Other times masks are worn to hide a disfigured face, or just because it looks cool. Masks are used to act as a barrier between the viewer and understanding the killer. A lot of the fear that the viewers feel is just down to the fact that they do not actually know who the killer is or what they look like.
Figure 3 - Mask example - Halloween 2018/Universal Pictures. [6]
The use of a mask is the install fear into the victims of these killers and the audience, it makes it, so it seems it is no longer and person doing these killings, but a monster behind and mask.[7]
Once a villain has used a mask, it becomes a staple of their identity. It is seen as a signature part of their character and is a very easy way for people to know who they are, without giving too much away about who they are. A lot of information can be gathered about a person just by looking at their face, it gives views a sort of power to be able to understand how a person may be feeling by looking at their face. Giving a character a mask takes away this power and leaves the viewers feeling almost powerless against the mysterious masked killer.[8]
References
[1] Figure 1 - The Guardian - 'The queen of evil dolls: why Annabelle's work ethic makes her a great role model'. - 2021.
[2] E., Programmer, P., Programmer, P., Bong, C., Bear, A. and Witte, F.,. 'Why are dolls,' - 2021
[3] NME. - 'Annabelle, Chucky, Brahms. why do we find dolls so bloody scary?' - 2021.
[4] Figure 2 - Alternative Press - ‘Scream’ is bringing Ghostface back for a new movie.' - 2021.
[5] Horror | aminoapps.com. - 'Weapon Analysis in Horror Films: Chef's Knives' - 2021.
[6] Figure 3 -Villains Wiki. - Michael Myers (original). - 2021.
[7] Literary Hub - 'The Terror Behind the Mask.' - 2021.
[8] Livescience.com. - 'Why Hollywood Serial Slashers Wear Mask' - 2021.
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