iconography

The most common way to consider genre is through the identification of its most commonly used visual and aural characteristics. These characteristics, sometimes called iconographies or codes and conventions, are used by media audiences to identify the genre of text being accessed. once reconised these iconographies 'frame the audiences expectations' of the type of story the text will tell, and the way the story will be constructed. The horror genre can be considered in this way, and there are some iconographies that are often associated with horror films.

Murder weapons are good iconography for horror films,
the murder weapon in 'nightmare on elm street' is freddy's glove he
uses on children.

Torture is a big hit in horror films, it terrifys and shocks the audience.
it also has that realistic element to it which can futher scare the audience.

Blood is expected to be seen in horror films, its classic.
the blood in the film 'carrie' is not her own though it's the blood of a pig.
however being covered in any blood shocks/worries the audience.

a white dress is usually connated as innocent and pure, but the
colour is frequently used in horror films, such as the grudge.
they are used to blur identity and sense of the audience. also the grudge uses
long dark hair which is also good iconography, mostly used in the

worst japenese horror films.

Creepy dolls/puppets are common in horror films, saws puppet 'Billy'
is a good example of this, also creepy dolls have a childish part in them
and that makes the innocence of a child become scary and disturbing. 

a fear of what could be in the dark is shown well in
paranormal activitie, everyone to an extent is affraid of the dark and
is very common as well, therefore this is a very typical icon
horror films include.

 

this mask is from the horror, Scream- masks are very good
iconography for horror films because they hide the killer/villain's
identity and can disturb the audience futher and possibly making them
want to find out who they could be.

This mask is from the film friday 13th.