The majority of the answers said that it was the thrill of the film and how scared they got. There were a few answers saying the gore. A few others said there wasn’t a particular reason they just enjoyed watching them.
2) What attracts you to certain horror films over others?
There were a variety of answers to this question. Here are some of the responses; the pedigree of the film like Nightmare on Elm Street or the Halloween films. Some said that films their friends told them to watch. 5 people said the trailer or advertising. This means that the teaser trailer and other advertising that will be created is an important part
3) How often do you watch horror films?
7/15 of replies said they reckoned that they watched horror films monthly. 3 said every other week and the same for every few months. One person said weekly and one person also said every 6+ months.
4) What is the best horror film you have seen?
There were a wide variety of films chosen by the 15 people I asked, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre received 2 votes as did Quarantine. There were also votes for The Blair Witch Project, The Decent, The Hills Have Eyes 1&2, H2, Friday the 13th, The Ring and Nightmare on Elm Street. But with 3 votes Wrong Turn 1 seems to be a favourite amongst the people I asked. This is important information because I can look at the techniques the makers of these films used to create the frightening effect, which the target audience wants to experience.
5) Why? What made it good?
I asked why people liked these films best. The answers were mainly around how scared it made them feel, but some people said they enjoyed the way it was filmed such as; ‘I liked the start and end of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with the police film footage and showing key parts in the film like the meat hooks and scratches on the wall.’ People also said how they enjoyed the originality of some horror films, and put that down to why they don’t think the sequels are ever as good. This tells me it is important to create an original story to be conveyed in my trailer.
6) Do trailers for horror films persuade you to go see one?
9 people said that sometimes they did, 4 people said they did and 2 people said they didn’t. This shows me that having a good trailer for a horror film is important in getting people to go and see the film.
7) If so how did they do that?
A few people said here that it was how the trailer captured their imagination n gave them a taste to want to see more of the film. People said they liked the mystery but not to be left completely in the dark about what the film is about. They also said that using facts like of numbers of people who go missing unexplained ect. helps make the trailer relatable and because of that, more frightening.
8) If so which ones come to mind?
Quarantine and Cloverfield were two trailers people said stood out as quarantine really drew you into the trailer and left you wondering what was happening. Cloverfield was similarly reasoned. The original trailer of Cloverfield is undoubtedly one of the best in history and the mystery and hype it created was definitely one of the key factors to the films success. It underlines how important a trailer can be in advertising a film. One person said they enjoyed the mystery and left them wondering ‘what could do that?’. Friday the 13th was another trailer that somebody mentioned in their answer, as they felt the voice over made the trailer very scary and the combination of quick and long cuts made the trailer excellent and ultimately persuaded them to go and see it.
9) Where do you watch horror films most?
Only 2 of the 4 options received any votes and that was 9 for the cinema and 6 for DVD. This contrasts with my general questionnaire which people hardly voted for cinema, showing me that people enjoy the atmosphere of a dark cinema for horror films, and I should maybe use this to my advantage when I create my trailer.
10) Music is a powerful tool in horror films. Can you think of any examples of a horror film with a sound or tune that really got to you?
6/15 people agreed that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had a very frightening track to the film, 3 people said the soundtrack to the trailer of Quarantine really made the trailer, but also the hand held camera style in the film had no non-digetic sound in the film making it seem more like they were there and making the fear more intense.
11) When you watch a horror film trailer, how long do you like them to be?
The answers to this question were fairly balanced as there were 3 votes for less than 30 seconds and 3 votes for 30 seconds to 1 minute. 5 votes for one minute to two and a half minutes and 4 votes for longer than 2 and a half minutes. Because the answers I’ve got back have been so balanced on this question it shows me that the time of the trailer should not be my main concern, although I must remember that teaser trailers are shorter than trailers.
12) Do you prefer being left wondering about that film, or being given a strong clue of what it’s about from the trailer?
13 of the 15 people I asked said they would rather be left wondering like the trailers of Quarantine and Cloverfield. 2 people said they would rather have a strong idea about the direction of the film, like with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th. However this may be because The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th have the history, that to sell the film via the trailer it’s important to utilise that pedigree. As my film will be an original it is a good idea to follow suit of other original films such as Rec. and Cloverfield and leave the audience curious about the film and wanting to see more.
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