Inspiration (horror genre) - American Horror Story and Supernatural

Two of our main influences are American horror story and supernatural. I'm going to focus on explaining supernatural as an influence because my partner will explain American Horror Story.


Carry On Wayward son - Supernatural from YesWeCas on Vimeo.







This video shows some of the drama that goes on during the show while they hunt and that it's always relevant to what they are hunting. It also shows Sam and Deans relationship - that can be pretty complicated at times, it also shows that they'd do anything for each other. It shows that while its horror and they do use a lot of blood and bruising it also uses very cool effects e.g the black demon eyes showing that someone has been possessed or the yellow cat eyes used in the video below to show that someone has been possessed by a major demon.
This show is a great horror inspiration because its a TV show and therefore is slightly different to films, regardless of that it has all the aspects of the horror genre:
Monsters
Possession
Supernatural
Blood
Gore
Death

Costume

This show is one of my inspirations for horror and thriller because of the way they build suspense, the gore and the things/drama that happens that happens while they hunt. the drama that goes on is always relevant to what they are hunting. Another thing I like about this show is the costumes and how they are used to reflect the characters personalities.

Take Dean for example, he is  protective, strong, loyal, confident and tough. The costume is used to show this. Sam on the other hand is the smarter more nerdy brother that does the research, he's the younger of the two brothers but is still protective of dean and is just as loyal. Both are mentally and emotionally damaged which makes them even stronger.

Using these photos (below) as an example, the difference in the brothers personalities are clearly shown. One of the key differences is that Dean's clothes are darker than Sam's. Dean wears a darker undertop and Sam wears a white one. This is used to signify that Dean's personality is considerably darker and more twisted then Sam's even though it doesn't show often and that Sam is the more innocent brother. They both wear long sleeved shirts over them. Dean wears his unbuttoned while Sam has his buttoned up, this signifys that he is neater and more organised then Dean - this is because Sam tried to leave the hunter lifestyle and go to college where as Dean didn't and has been involved with the chaos of the hunters lifestyle. The last difference is their jackets that they wear over the top. Sam's is a jacket that looks soft but tough and old this signifys his soft but tough and protective nature. Dean on the other hand wears an over-sized leather jacket. This is important because it shows not only his tough and protective nature but the fact that he's as damaged as the jacket by this lifestyle. Another important thing about the jacket is that it was his fathers so it also shows that he is trying to fill his dads shoes.

the important thing about these two photos is that they show the difference in how the two act and stand. Sam is more relaxed and seems more approachable and his facial expression shows that he is observing his surroundings. Dean on the other hand has a dominant stance, his shoulders are tense and he is stood as if he is preparing to fight. Dean is the more dominant brother.

Use of Blood and contacts/effects and bruising wheels

Blood and Bruising

the blood is kept minimal and is splattered over his face as if its been sprayed on after he has shot/stabbed/decapitated monsters. his face has had some dirt applied to make him look  battered, tired and in pain - even though his facial expressions are different he has the same pain in his eyes.

Contacts/Effects - Demon Eyes

The main effect used in this show is the 'Demon eye' effect. This effect is used to show when someone is a demon or has been possessed. Black eyes mean that they have been possessed by a lower demon and yellow 'cat eyes' mean that they have been possessed by a stronger more powerful more important demon.