12 Icons of Horrors

There are many icons of horror that convey character, theme or a motifs for the genre.

 RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS

Religion is often a significant theme in horror movies such as The Exorcist or The Rite. Symbols that appear frequently in them are crucifixes, satanic symbols or voodoo.

SYMBOLS OF DEATH

Death is represented through props and motifs; coffins, gravestones or skeletons. For example in the film Psycho taxidermy birds are a physical representation of one of the characters trying to keep the spirit of his mother alive after death.

COLOURS

Colours usually symbols the theme of the film or have connotations of good and evil. In the Red Riding Hood poster the main colours are red and black, Red has connotations of blood, danger or lust whilst black has connotations of death and danger.

LIGHT

Light in the horror genre symbolise hope, escape or even death. For example sunlight makes people feel comfortable and happy which juxtaposes the concept of horror. In the Night of the Living Dead they are attacked by zombies at the graveyard in broad daylight.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD GRAVEYARD SCENE

WEAPONS

Weapons have phallic symbolism and are mainly used by men. When women outsmart men with those weapons it is a representation of a man being castrated and losing his dignity. In Texas Chainsaw Massacre the chainsaw is the phallic object, representing raging power.

DOORS & WINDOWS

Windows symbolise limited perspective or being isolated from the outside world. Doors represent being trapped, entrance or freedom. In The Others, the woman and her children look out of the window at a world they don't belong to. In Night of the Living Dead zombies are able to come through doors and cracks within them.

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TUNNELS & CORRIDORS 

They are yonic symbols. Similar to how female genitalia brings life, corridors and tunnels are like passages to freedom and surviving or death.

KEYS & LOCKS

They represent secrets. In the film Skeleton Key, the nurse has a key for all rooms except one. When she does enter the one room it reveals secret and things that were once unknown to her thus leading to her own demise.


SKELETON KEY TRAILER

DOLLS

Dolls, being the toys of children, represent childhood and innocence but often have unnatural human qualities like big unblinking eyes, scarce hair and stiff smiles. For example the Chucky Doll from Child's Play or Jigsaw from Saw.

MASKS

Masks are used to disguise evil or represent evil in mankind. The only part of the mask that generally moves is the eyes which makes it even more frightening.

MIRRORS

They reflect the multiple feelings or qualities of a character. Broken or shattered mirrors can represent shattered lives.