Where do people rent horror?
Traditionally, audiences would rent movies in either VHS or DVD format from video rental stores such as Blockbuster. As time passed and the internet became more dominant so did the demand for wanting media in a digital format. Along came Lovefilm; a place where you could rent unlimited DVDs at a monthly cost, receive them via the mail and return them when you are finished. The introduction of ordering media via the internet grew to be a massive convenience to all film-lovers and so came the rise of digital content. American digital media giant Netflix conquered this market and are highly regarded as one of the pioneers of digital internet media. The ability to stream content is often now considered the modern 'renting'.
Netflix is an American website which offers unlimited on-demand movies and TV shows for a set monthly price. The 'pay once, watch whatever' model alongside the streaming capabilities has made Netflix the most popular platform to watch both TV and movies to-date. Furthermore, the ability to watch content on the go, on any device without downloading it has made Netflix considerably more popular than past competitors. In order to see why it would be appropriate to create our desired psychological horror sequence it is important to analyse what the current market demand is. Doing this with Netflix is easy; with over 5000+ different movies available it is easy to see what is already there and what is missing within each of Netflix's many genres - including Horror and its various sub-genres. |
What's popular right now and what's not?
The Conspiracy
Created by a series of aspiring young filmmakers, The Conspiracy is is a psychological horror created by Christopher MacBride. It tells the story of two documentary filmmakers who originally set out to create a film about a certain conspiracy theorist. During the film this person disappears and the two filmmakers are left drowned in a world too confusing for their own minds.
The film uses a technique known as 'the ambiguous ending' which aims to give viewers plenty to think about once the film has ended - something which we would strive to achieve by creating a sense of confusion and a lack of reality.
The film uses a technique known as 'the ambiguous ending' which aims to give viewers plenty to think about once the film has ended - something which we would strive to achieve by creating a sense of confusion and a lack of reality.
Oculus
Oculus is a 2013 American psychological horror film which was written and directed by Mike Flanagan.
Taking place in two different periods of time (the present and 11 years prior to the events of the film) it tells the story of two parallel plot lines throughout a series of flashbacks. The film tells the story of software engineer Alan Russell who moves into a new house with his family before purchasing a mirror from an antique store. Unknown to them is the fact that the mirror presents a series of hallucinations to him and his wife which causes both parents to become psychotic. Overall the film is bloody, gruesome and plays a true game on the mind.
When creating our opening sequence we will aim to follow the same codes and conventions used in Oculus in order to give off the same impression.
Taking place in two different periods of time (the present and 11 years prior to the events of the film) it tells the story of two parallel plot lines throughout a series of flashbacks. The film tells the story of software engineer Alan Russell who moves into a new house with his family before purchasing a mirror from an antique store. Unknown to them is the fact that the mirror presents a series of hallucinations to him and his wife which causes both parents to become psychotic. Overall the film is bloody, gruesome and plays a true game on the mind.
When creating our opening sequence we will aim to follow the same codes and conventions used in Oculus in order to give off the same impression.
The Invitation
After looking into the various psychological horrors available on Netflix we have noticed a gap in the available content compared to the various others genres that they offer. Due to this we have chosen to create a psychological horror as there is a clear demand for it due to the lack of content available.