Genre
What is a ‘genre’?
A category or type of text.
What are ‘conventions’?
Stereotypical features we (as an audience) expect to see in a genre.
What are the two types of pacing?
Slow pacing and fast pacing.
Who is Dorsey within the excerpt?
Eddie’s dead brother.
Where are the 2026 and 2030 FIFA world cup taking place?
2026 - Canada, Mexico, and USA
2030 - Morocco, Portugal, and Spain
Why are genres used?
It makes discussion of texts easier as various films/narratives are classed and discussed together according to certain codes and conventions.
Why are people drawn to the horror genre?
Watching or reading horror can cause an adrenaline rush, making individuals feel excited → feels good to be scared.
What are the three kinds of POV, provide an example of the language used for each.
1st person - “I”
2nd person - “you”
3rd person - “they"
What happens within the excerpt?
Eddie had been looking across the Canal, imagining his stepfather being carried off when he sees his dead brother Dorsey and tries to run/escape.
What are the names of Snow White’s seven dwarfs?
Doc, sneezy, bashful, dopey, grumpy, happy, sleepy
Provide three examples of genres in film AND three examples of genres in literature.
Film: Horror, comedy, fantasy
Literature: Autobiography, historical fiction, crime fiction.
What are 4 examples of conventions for written horror texts?
Vivid adjectives, sensory imagery, onomatopoeia, words suggesting decay/neglect, cliffhanger.
Why is slow pacing used? What are some characteristics of slow pacing?
Slow pacing is used within a text to gradually build suspense. Slow pacing can include long descriptive sentences, sensory detail and a delayed reveal.
From what POV is the story of Eddie told?
Third person.
How and why did LEGO change the age restrictions on their product in 2026?
Changed the recommended age from “4-99” to “4-100+” to honour Sir David Attenborough who turned 100.
List two aspects of film and three aspects of literature that situate within a particular genre.
Film: themes, setting, set design, costume.
Literature: plot lines, characters, language features, settings.
What are 4 examples of conventions for film horror texts?
Dark colours and lighting, shadows, props (weapons), costume and makeup (create a monster), dramatic suspenseful music, isolated sets/settings.
Why is fast pacing used? What are some characteristics of fast pacing?
Fast pacing is used to create shock and urgency. Fast pacing can include short sentences, minimal description, immediate action and rapid escalation.
List 2 horror conventions that are used within the excerpt.
Ghost/ zombie like character (supernatural elements), setting (takes place on a windy night where no one else is around), contains a chase scene.
In what board game do you have to collect $200 as you pass ‘go’?
Monopoly
What are conventions and sub-genres? Provide an example of each.
Conventions are accepted patterns which are easily recognised and from which meaning is derived. E.g. the ‘good guy’ winning in an action film.
Sub-genres are a way to further class and categorise texts which belong within a larger genre. E.g. slasher and psychological horror films are both subgenres of horror.
Provide THREE examples of conventions of horror relating to setting and THREE examples of horror conventions relating to characters.
Settings - haunted house, graveyard, suburban house, rural place, storm.
Character - a good and evil character, damsel in distress, defeat of an evil character, a killer or monster, an element of the ‘unknown’.
Determine what pacing and POV are used in the following example: “The last thing I saw was my alarm clock flashing 12:07 before she pushed her long rotting nails through my chest, her other hand muffling my screams. I sat bolt upright, relieved it was only a dream, but as I saw my alarm clock read 12:06, I heard my closet door creak open.”
Slow pacing
1st person POV
What are the techniques and effects of the following quotes from the excerpt?
“just like one of the dead people who were always coming back from the grave in the horror comics.”
“Eddieeeee, the breeze moaned through the trees, don't you want to see meeeee, Eddieeeee?”
Simile → emphasise how awful Dorsey looked.
Personification → makes this scene more frightening because it seems like there are supernatural forces/ elements involved as non living things come alive
What is the bestselling music album of all time?
Thriller by Michael Jackson