Setting
The setting needs to, if anything, portray isolation and loneliness. If there's no-one around, the situation within the movie would seem more drastic, and the audience would get the feeling of loneliness as well. Also, this makes it better if there's only a few characters, as too many would break the immersion and make it too big.
Sometimes the places portrayed are set with a dark history, such as an abandoned asylum, haunted house or an abandoned hotel. This creates the atmosphere that matches the horror setting of the film, creating a setting that immediately has connotations of creepiness and mystery.
Technical Codes
There are multiple technical codes for the camera work, as the camera work is one of the most important factors in expressing horror to the audience. A high angle camera looking down at the character would make the character seem helpless, which a low angle camera could make the monster look more powerful.
POV shots are also good for allowing the audience to see the action from the character's perspective, which would most of the time make the horror directly engage the audience, as the audience would seem like they're the character in the film, feeling immersed. Otherwise, like other examples like The Evil Dead, the camera would be from the monster's perspective, which would allow the audience to see different perspectives of the film, possibly even having the feeling of mysteriousness of what the thing they're looking from the perspective of is.
Handheld cameras, used in such films like Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity make it difficult for the audience to see what's actually happening, and make the film seem more 'real'.
Disturbing sounds are also good in movies, for example we're planning to use one in our film. We're using a non-diegetic sound of a heartbeat, which allow the audience to understand the character's fear. There's also diegetic sounds, of ambient footsteps of possibly the monster which would alert the character to a different place.
Editing is also good for building up tension, such as the classic horror usage of tension building where the music would build up to signal something about to happen. An example of a prime film that uses this is Jaws.
Cinematography & Iconography
Visual styles such as red which could relate to blood or danger, and black which could relate to mystery when used in a film could portray multiple atmospheric shots that allow the audience to share some of the feelings that the film wants to portray.
The lighting used in horror films always portrays the feelings it wants to portray, such as using non-naturalistic, atmospheric induced expressive lighting that always matches what the film wants, not what the most realistic option could be.
Low-Key Lighting also is a main factor in horror films, often creating a darker tone which would further create mystery and horror, whilst also mixing it with occasional light sources which might make the character seem outside the 'safe zone' and in the danger zone.
Props are also a main factor, as if the antagonist monster/person has a prop that could be easily identified to him, this would create a horror sensation that would happen whenever the certain prop is seen. This could be such things like a machete from Friday the 13th, a chainsaw from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and could even go into costumes worn too.
The Iconography of the film could come from using religious props such as the cross to indicate a religious presence in the film, or how the character might be 'redeeming' themselves.
Narrative Structure
There's a usual horror structure that follows completely around that is good for a horror film. This usually goes like having one character as a 'hero' character who doesn't die throughout the film and often goes against whatever monster there is, and possibly a 'damsel in distress' as in most cases female character would be seen as more venerable in films. There's also the antagonist who is always more powerful in some way or another in comparison to the other characters, often being a powerful human with better capabilities or a monster. Usually with monsters there's a lot of background behind them, whilst with humans there's just a plain 'how they became bad' background.
Character Types
The character types usually portrayed is the protagonist usually being either a venerable, victim or a strong, leader-type hero, the antagonist usually being a powerful human or monster. The protagonist could even be vulnerable teenager, as they're usually portrayed in horror movies such as Friday the 13th.
Themes
There are multiple themes in horror, such as religion, crime, mystery, power, distress, self consciousness, and possibly even nightmares, madness and insanity. Sometimes psychological horror is portrayed in horror films, which might make the audience question what they're seeing.
Excellent technicality Tyrone- really well done
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