Horror Movie Questionnaire results analysis

In this post I will be showing the result of the on-line questionnaire that I conducted and the result/answers from the questionnaire which can be used to construct the basic elements of my horror movie trailer (e.g. the type of genre, the scariest elements of horror etc) since it will feedback to the general opinions of those who watch horror films.


Question 1 

I was rather surprised with the response to this question since horror films are often viewed as being more male oriented type of film due to the often large amounts of violence and the very often used male gaze. This just goes to show that cinema is no longer a male oriented type of media which shows a great contrast between say 20-30 years ago to now. 












Question 2

I did rather suspect this type of answer since these people are now the right age to watch horror films where as they were previously to young. This helps to narrow down my target audience and understand how I can use various different types of media within the construction of my horror trailer and poster in order to connect more with this particular audience (e.g. posting both my trailer and poster on popular websites like Facebook and twitter etc). 








Question 3

These results show that horror movies aren't something that is view on a regular basis and is more of a cult sensation rather than mainstream viewing. Because of this I have to try and make my trailer stand out so that it can raise awareness about horror films in general but also so that it doesn't get over-shadowed by other horror films or films of other genres.












Question 4

These results have presented me with a very difficult decision since the top rated answers (psychopathic horror and ROM/COM's) are completely different types of film genre and I can try to meet them in the middle since psychopathic horror is often very serious were as ROM/COM's are just for laughs, the decision about which of these genres to use for my trailer will be determined based on the result that will follow. However what's interesting is to see that these days horror films are seen as both very serious but also very funny which is and odd contrast since horror films have got more realistic but also sillier. 


Question 5

I wasn't very surprised about this type of answer since the majority of horror films these days use this type of killer (e.g. paranormal activity, devil etc) which shows that audiences are more inclined to being scare of what cannot be seen or defined. This helps to understand what type of narrative my films show have since this type of killer often plays against the character within the films and makes them act strangely which means that the narrative and tone of this trailer will more than like be a serious one since it's not a case of escaping a killer, it's more about understand what's trying to kill them. 


Question 6

I honestly didn't know what to expect from this answer what scares people can vary greatly depending on the type of person. What these results show is that most people find the tension trumps other aspects of horror films since it helps to put the audience on edge and then when the scare arrives it has more of an impact (e.g. Halloween, pyscho etc). This means that in my trailer have to build the tension through out the viewing of the trailer and the end gives the audience the scary moment which show result in a more powerful scare and help to make my trailer stand out. 


Question 7

This answer seem the most plausible since the main purpose of a horror film is to scare people with the type of chills that are often felt in real life. This means that like with the previous question I have to try and make my trailer as scary as possible since it will entice the viewers and will again help my film to stand out  which will be achieved through the use on tension with the trailer. 












Question 8

This answer plays into the answer to question 6 and this basically means that I need to use the music within my trailer to add to the tension that I will be aiming to achieve. This can be done in various ways (e.g. psycho strings or being non-existent/silent) but I believe the best way to achieve this type of tension is to have the music gradually build as the trailer progress since it will help to tie into the speed of the trailer and it's a technique used within various horror films like Halloween and in my opinion it works very effectively. 




Question 9

This type of answer didn't strike me at all since the previous answers all tie into this type of narrative and often the scariest horror films are based on real life events or have realistic elements to them (e.g. Halloween, Texas chainsaw massacre, psycho etc). This shows that my trailer has to have a sense or realism to it since something supernatural or just plain strange may strike the audience as being out of place or just plain odd which will make it more than likely from them to nor take the trailer seriously.






Question 10 (Final question)  

The purpose of this question to see what I should avoid doing within my trailer in order to make the trailer seem like a serious films rather than a ROM/COM or horror parody. Over the top violence seem like the most likely answer since violence isn't something than is taken as seriously as it was in the past been we have been over exposed to it (relates to the desensitisation theory) and using to much violence can over-shadow the tension and atmosphere that the film has which often makes violent horror films less scary and more like thrillers instead of horror.