In this module, students explore the conventions and popularity of the horror genre in short stories and films.
Horror, Conventions, Popularity, Multimodality, Writing, Film, Mindmap, Narrative.
As a result of completing this learning module, students will be able to
Language
Language variation and change
Understand that Standard Australian English is a living language within which the creation and loss of words and the evolution of usage is ongoing (ACELA1550)
Text structure and organisation
Understand that authors innovate with textstructures and language for specific purposes and effects (ACELA1553)
Compare and contrast the use of cohesive devices in texts, focusing on how they serve to signpost ideas, to make connections and to build semantic associations between ideas (ACELA1770)
Expressing and developing ideas
Explain how authors creatively use the structures of sentences and clauses for particular effects (ACELA1557)
Analyse and explain the use of symbols, icons and myth in still and moving images and how these augment meaning (ACELA1560)
Literature
Literature and context
Interpret and compare how representations of people and culture in literary texts are drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1633)
Examining literature
Analyse text structures and language features of literary texts, and make relevant comparisons with other texts (ACELT1772)
Literacy
Interpreting, analysing, evaluating
Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse texts, comparing and evaluating representations of an event, issue, situation or character in different texts (ACELY1744)
Explore and explain the combinations of language and visual choices that authors make to present information, opinions and perspectives in different texts (ACELY1745)
Creating texts
Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that present a point of view and advance or illustrate arguments, including texts that integrate visual, print and/or audio features (ACELY1746)
Review and edit students’ own and others’ texts to improve clarity and control over content, organisation, paragraphing, sentence structure, vocabulary and audio/visual features(ACELY1747)
Use a range of software, including word processing programs, flexibly and imaginatively to publish texts (ACELY1748)
In this learning module, we will explore:
Why do people watch horror?
How are the rules and conventions of horror stories and movies?
What grammatical choices to writers make in horror writing?
What linguistic, visual, audio, spatial and gestural modes do directors make in horror movies?
To get started, in table groups, create a definition of "genre". It might help to think of types on genres.
Can you think of any examples of the horror genre? List your five favourite horror films or five horror films that you know of.
Comment: How do you know that they are horror? List five to ten points to explain the feature that make these films horror films.
Purpose
This activity allows the teacher to see what horror films students have seen, what they like and dislike. It gives students the opportunity to show the teacher what they already know about horror.
Resources
'Permission slip'
Teaching tips
Working in small groups, ask students to list their five favourite horror films or five horror films that they know of.
If students are struggling with the concept an easy way for them to come to terms with it is to ask them to think about the way video stores are set out.
Using these selections they can then think about the typical features of horror and list five to ten points explaining how they know that these films are horror films. Students can present this information in a mind map.
Students add information to their English books. Information can later be added to their assignment.
Look at the set of images taken from horror films.
With your group rank the images from most disturbing to least disturbing.
Justify your decisions.
Share your decision in your group.
Watch the clip which depicts one person's view of the top 20 horror films.
Comment: Do you agree with the film maker's opinions? Why/ Why not? Discuss the best horror film you have seen with your partner and your group.
Horror in film
Purpose
This activity prompts discussion about the nature and impact of horror texts.
Resources
'Horror images'
Teaching tips
Working in small groups, students view and respond to a data set of images depicting scenes and characters from horror films from the past, present and diverse cultural origins.
Using this as a prompt using a think/ pair/ share students discuss the best horror film they have seen and the reasons.
Comment: What scares you the most? Write a journal reflection.
Journal Entry
Students write an individual journal response reflecting on what scares them in a film or story.
Teaching tips
Journal entries occur throughout the unit. A question or statement is posed and students need to respond in their journal. Students are required to write at least one PEC paragraph. This is silent sustained writing, some discussion prior to writing and then silent writing.
P - Point (Topic sentence) 1 sentence
E - Evidence, examples, explanation 6 - 8 sentences
C - Concluding sentence 1 sentence
This could be done in an online blog format as well through comments in Scholar.
Watch the opening segment of the film 'Scream'
While watching the film complete the Y chart.
Watch the opening segment again, this time your teacher will turn off the picture. Focus on the sound. Add more details to your Y chart.
How is horror presented in 'Scream'?
Resources
'Y Chart'
Teaching tips
During this activity students are listing what they see, hear and feel. They can began to theorise and analyse about why, but this will be discovered in detail in the next activity.
Analysing the obvious features of something. What it: Is it identifying/naming rather than analysing?
What do you see? Describe the setting, action and characters.
What do you hear? Describe the music, sound effects and dialogue.
- Scream when the title happens
- Phone rings - loud
- No background music
- Sound of knife in the knife block is clear
- Voice is male, friendly, has a creepy over tone
- Sound of popcorn
- Sound of crickets
- Music begins slowly
- Music rises with tension
What do you feel? Describe your responses to the clip.
Complete a mode/field/tenor chart analysing this scene. Some information has been given to you to help complete it. You can add more detail and information if you need.
Mode, field and tenor
Resources
'Student version'
Teacher version
Examples of students work
Teaching tips
Re-watch the title shot, discuss what they see, what they think is happening. Model how to write it down in the field. As a class theorise about what the effect on the audience is. Model how to write the answer to the class.
Analyse a text by identifying its features and their effects. Consider the features of linguistic, visual, audio, spatial and gestural modes.
Mode is the linguistic, visual, audio, spatial and gestural devices used.
Field is the explicit example from the text.
Tenor is the effect on the audience.
Discuss 'what makes it horror'? Individually on your part of the placemat, write down what you think the rules of horror are. Share them with your table. Create one list to share with the class.
In a noisy round robin share your ideas with class.
Using the rules collected create a table. Across the top list the rules. Tick rule that you think Scream covers.
| Rule 1 | Rule 2 | Rule 3 | Rule 4 | Rule 5 | Rule 6 | Rule 7 | |
| Scream | |||||||
| Text 2 | |||||||
| Text 3 | |||||||
| Text 4 | |||||||
| Text 5 |
You will refer to this table throughout the unit.
The rules of Horror
Pre-required
Remind students to look back at the features they wrote down in learning activity 1.
Teaching tips
Follow the same procedure as a Think-Pair-Share. After sharing in pairs, the pair of students find another pair and share their ideas with them before sharing with the whole class.
The round robin sharing strategy is an effective tool for sharing a whole class brainstorm. This is a competitive but collaborative strategy in which students must work as a team and listen carefully to each other’s responses. Students are placed in groups of 3-4 and asked to respond to a topic or question, such as “what do you know about…” or “list the features of…” One student acts as a scribe while the rest of the group brainstorms their responses. The groups then share their ideas with the larger group, on group by group basis. Students must listen carefully to what the other groups have said as no idea may be repeated.
Throughout the unit you will come back to this question. On a size A2 piece of paper, create a mindmap that explains why you think people watch horror.
You may like to do a draft in your book first.
]Why horror?
Purpose
This activity introduces the assignment to the class. Using the model explain what is being presented.
Teaching tips
Initially students may be hesitant to begin. Get them to start by writing Why horror? Give them access to some pictures (this could be the ones used in learning activity 2), have them think about what they'd like to do. They may only start a small section. Give students 15 - 20 minutes to explore the assignment. Students may also use an electronic mindmapping tool.
Read and respond to Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Tell Tale Heart".
Annotate the text as you read and after you have finished reading it:
Discuss your annotations with a partner. Share any other ideas.
The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
Students read and respond to Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Tell Tale Heart".
Resources
'The Tell-Tale Heart'
'Annotation'
Teaching tips
The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe.
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet and literary critic. He is acknowledged as the ‘father’ of the modern short story and of the detective story. His works also incorporate aspects of science fiction and horror.
The Tell Tale Heart was first published 1843 and is regarded as one of Poe's most famous short stories.
Students complete the mode, field and tenor of 'The Tell-Tale heart'.
Resources
'Student version'
Teacher version
Student examples
Refer back to your comparison matrix. Which rules occur in the film The Tell-Tale Heart?
Are there any more rules you would like to add?
| Rule 1 | Rule 2 | Rule 3 | Rule 4 | Rule 5 | Rule 6 | Rule 7 | |
| Scream | |||||||
| The Tell-Tale Heart | |||||||
| Text 3 | |||||||
| Text 4 | |||||||
| Text 5 |
The Rules of Horror
Teaching tips
While working through the comparison matrix discuss how and why The Tell-Tale Heart is considered a horror story. Students may need to add some rules or look at how the rules fit in a written mode.
Watch the Simpsons episode 'Lisa's Rival'.
As you watch complete the retrieval chart.
| The Tell-Tale Heart | The Simpsons | |
| Relationship | ||
| Plan/Planning | ||
|
Guilt |
Comparing the two
Resources
Season 6, Episode 2 - Lisa's Rival
'Comparison chart'
Teaching tips
Encourage students to look at the similarities and differences between the two. They may have to infer some of the information.
Choose a paragraph from 'The Tell-Tale Heart' and rewrite it using the colloquial language of today. Then look at the paragraphs that you have rewritten. Underline the words that Poe, if he were living today, might not understand.
Write a modern version
Teaching tips
Find/write a model/example of a particular text type, e.g. narrative, exposition, procedure etc that you wish to focus on. Glue it onto a larger sheet so there is room around the margins to annotate or label it. Tell students the purpose of the text. Then identify aspects of the text’s structure and its language features by writing them in the margins and drawing arrows to examples of them in the text. Then use a retrieval chart (above) to identify the effects of the language features in context. Students can refer to these when creating their own texts.
Refer back to your A2 sheet and add more information.
Why Horror?
Teaching tips
Students add more information to their Why horror? mindmap.
Watch the ten minute clip about 1950s America, as you are watching complete the retrieval chart.
1950s America
Purpose
It is important to show this clip, as it highlights to students life and the role of women in 1950s America.
Resources
'Retrieval chart'
Watch the film Psycho. As you are watching complete the Good and Evil retrieval chart. As you meet the characters and they begin to develop write down what you think about them. Are they good? Are they evil? Are they both?
Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho'
Resources
'Good and evil retrieval chart'
In pairs share your Good and Evil chart. Add information to your retrieval chart.
Comment: Discuss how your perceptions of the characters changed over time.
Comment: Can people be both good and evil?
Refer back to your comparison matrix. Which rules occur in the film Psycho.
Are there any more rules you would like to add?
| Rule 1 | Rule 2 | Rule 3 | Rule 4 | Rule 5 | Rule 6 | Rule 7 | |
| Scream | |||||||
| Tell-Tale Heart | |||||||
| Psycho | |||||||
| Text 4 | |||||||
| Text 5 |
Comment: What patterns, if any, are you seeing in the rules of the horror genre?
Use the grid to identify and label the parts of the narrative structure in the film.
| Orientation | This establishes the setting, atmosphere and time of the story, and introduces the characters. | |
| Complication | This is where a problem or situation occurs that upsets the setting, time or characters. There may be a number of complications. | |
| Resolution | The problem is solved and order is restored. There may be a number of minor resolutions before the final resolution. | |
| Evaluation | Evaluation tells the audience the significance of the story. An internal evaluation is a comment or an emotional response of a character. An external evaluation is the narrator making a comment or judgement. | |
| Coda | The coda is the moral, lesson or message of the story. It may make concluding remarks and bring the narrative back to the present. |
Students use the following grid to define and identify the parts of the narrative structure in 'Psycho'.
Analyse the story board of the shower scene. What film techniques, including music, sound, lighting and shot type, has the director used to create the scene?
Identify the mode, field and tenor in the scene.
Mode, field, tenor
Students analyse the shower scene in psycho,using a storyboard and the functional grammar of mode, field and tenor. Mode is used to identify the film techniques used, field is used to identify the action and tenor is used to identify the influences on the audience.
The shower scene is analysed through a powerpoint storyboard, which depicts key shots for students to focus on.
Comment: What fears does the director play on? And how does he do this in Psycho?
Then, add more information to your mindmap.
Journal Entry
Students analyse the shower scene from Psycho using a Mode/Field/Tenor chart.
The Werewolf
Read the text, using a text Annotation strategy to annotate as you read.
Comment: What questions do you have? if you can, answer any questions that other students pose.
Resources
'The Werewolf' by Angela Carter.
Complete the retrieval chart.
Comment: Can you be both good and evil?
Good and Evil in 'The Werewolf'
Resources
'Good and evil retrieval chart'
You will need 5 different highlighters or pencils. On your page write a key:
In pairs highlight the parts of the story.
In pairs discuss what you think the coda is.
In table groups share your ideas.
Comment: Each table group creates one definition and shares it through comments. Suggest changes to refine the definitions further.
Narrative structure
Resources
'Narrative structure'
Mode, field, tenor
Resources
'Student version'
Teacher version
Student examples
Teaching tips
In 'The Werewolf', the setting of poverty and austerity is reinforced through the word choice - 'cold', 'tempest' and 'hard'. These words create lexical cohesion. Lexical cohesion refers to the relationships between and among words in a text. Lexical chains group a series or string of words that connect in some way.
After viewing M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense write a one page journal reflection answering the question:
What elements of horror does Shyamalan use to create suspense and fear in his audience?
Students view M. Night Shyamalan's film The Sixth Sense. During viewing stopping at certain intervals to discuss elements of horror which are present is useful. Following this viewing ask students to write a one page journal reflection answering the question:
What elements of horror does Shyamalan use to create suspense and fear in his audience?
Complete your mindmap about why people watch horror.
You must submit a written rationale that summaries all your thoughts and ideas about why horror is such a popular genre.
Horror Writing Project
1. Write a short horror story.
or
2. Create a storyboard of a scene from your own horror story. Provide a rationale that shows your understanding of the horror genre and how horror is presented in film. The rationale should be approximately 400 words in length and should justify your choice of film techniques and clearly explain the effect that these techniques have upon the audience.
Students write a narrative or create an original storyboard and rationale that shows their understanding of the horror genre and how horror is presented in film. The written reflection should be approximately 400 words in length and should justify their choice of film techniques and clearly explain the effect that these techniques have upon the audience.
