Research: Target Audiences

We rated our film a Certificate 15, because through it we decided there would be violence, strong language and disturbing scenes. To look into how popular Horror is in films and why people go to see the films, I used http://www.imdb.com/ to look at it's top 50 films that people had rated to see how Horror ranked among them.

Se7en come is at #27. The film is a Horror/Thriller, starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, about two cops who are after a serial killer that is using the seven deadly sins as his motive. Here is a quote from one of the 850 reviews on the film:

"Gothic, shocking, suspenseful, disturbing and clever, `Seven' marked a new beginning for director David Fincher's career. This dark tale of murder and crime revolves around two detectives in present New York city played by two brilliant actors Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman who are paired together to solve a puzzle of murder that is at the hands of a man who kills regarding to the seven deadly sins. Both actors displayed striking performances that are so sharp and realistic sometimes you have to remind yourself that's its all acting.

David Fincher's masterpiece really gives us an opportunity of a lifetime, maybe it's one that we don't all wish to share, but by seeing this movie you will experience a glimpse of the horrors that this world is filled with, and a small piece of mind of a man who you only prey you never have to meet."

From reading a few of the reviews about this film, it has become apparent that many people have complimented the acting in the film. This, to me, shows that it's very important to cast the right people for the right role, and by doing so an audience will believe in the film a lot more. From the quote above, it also seems that the audience were truely gripped by the story and felt wrapped up with the plot. An exciting plot to keep the audience gripped is crucial; creating the right amount of suspence and horror balancing with well written scripts makes a film believeable.

The Shining is #48. This psychological horror stars Jack Nicholson and is about a spiritual presence that influences the father of the film into acts of violence while his psychic son sees visions of the future. This film was made in 1980, and from some internet research, it "has become widely reguarded as the one of the greatest films of the horror genre". At first, the film wasn't so successfull, but eventually gained momentum as people who went to see it suggested to their friends and family that they should go see it. Usually, word-of-mouth is the quickest way a film gets recognised, and it's success expands from it. Making sure the target audience have something positive that they can pass on to other is important to get more people to watch the film. The film was X rated; from 1970 to 1982 it's meaning was "suitable for those aged 18 and over". The X certificate was replaced in 1982 with the 18 Certificate. This film is aimed at anyone over that age because of its the amount of violence in it.