We've Decided On a Genre!

 After much discussion and thought about the genre of our film, we decided to choose a coming-of-age horror film. We all did our own individual research and came to a conclusion together. We believe a coming-of-age horror film is our best option because there are many different directions we can take with the storyline and the target audience of films in this genre is young adults. Lately, some of the best horror films that have been released involve teens and the topic of growing up because although we don't like to admit it, young adults and teens are always doing stupid things and making dumb choices that lead them into trouble. 

Stephen King is known for writing some of the best horror stories out there, and they often end up being made into movies. With the original concept of one of Stephen's most successful stories, It, being a series made in 1991, the film version of it was released in 2017. Making more than $700 million in the box office, it is arguably one of the most popular recent horror films. It focuses on a group of seven young outcasts that are being targeted by a shapeshifting evil clown. Its popularity and achievements led to It: Chapter Two being released in 2019, where the children are now older and have to face the same evil being after it emerges again. 

This film contains many subgenres to it which is something I would like to include in our film. One of the reasons why I believe it was so successful is because even though it was meant to be a horror film, there was still that funny and comedy element to it, which kept viewers entertained and laughing at the stupid things they did and said throughout the film. It wasn't so serious all the time and it perfectly portrayed the lives of teenagers. That is something I would like to maybe include in the film opening because it shows the unpredictability of the film, there were many times where I would be laughing at the film then suddenly I would be worried and agonized at what they were going to do next. I'm not exactly sure just how much we are going to be able to fit in a two-minute clip, so I know there will be some ideas that we won't be able to include. 

Another Stephen King story that has to be included is Carrie (1976). Although I've actually never seen it (I know, I know I should!), there is no doubt that it is a popular and classic coming of age film that deals with the horror elements of a film too. It is always talked about and I'm pretty sure almost everyone on Earth has seen it. It involves the life of a teenager in high school, problems at home, and the relationships with family members. It has many topics that many might relate to, but it still keeps that fictional tone to portray the suspense and horror built into it. The iconic prom scene that is always shown on the media years after it has been released, and formed into some of the best memes. I intend to watch it before we start filming because I believe it will help me have a better vision of what a great film in this genre looks like and what makes it be so iconic and talked about more than forty years after its release. 

I conducted more research on different websites to read more about various coming-of-age horror films that I might have not heard about but can be great examples of what direction we should go in when making our decisions. Some of them had the same films listed, so it might be safe to say that they are indeed great films and I plan on looking further into them. I have noticed that as I am doing my research and looking at all these films, I end up visualizing different things we can do for our film opening, and end up getting ahead of myself. There are many more steps we have to take first before thinking about the last step decisions. Being in person would definitely make the process easier but we are constantly texting and sending each other audio messages, so our ideas are always being shared. 

Sources:

https://screenrant.com/horror-movies-coming-of-age/ 

https://www.vulture.com/article/the-best-coming-of-age-horror-movies.html