What are genre conventions?

The ideas known as genre conventions, are basically an attempt at categorizing and defining genre in all areas of media. Certain features signal generic identity to a wide audience, a horror film therefore may use dark colours, eerie music, sound effects and the colour red to portray its genre in an instantly recognisable way to a universal audience. Robert McKee defines genre conventions as “specific settings, roles, events and values that define individual genres and their subgenres.” These conventions are often implicit, leaving the audience to develop their own reactions and connotations to the information provided to them.
There is no strict definition of exactly what the conventions of genres are, allowing the lines between genres and subgenres to be blurred and developed by each individual author, novelist or scriptwriter, creating hybrids.
Some typical conventions of Horror are:
•Blood
•Music to add suspense
•Silence vs sudden noise
•Haunted houses
•Darkness
•Dim lighting

•Chase sequences

•Isolated settings

•Violence
•Screams

•Close ups to show characters emotions

•Fast paced editing

•Storms/atmosphere

•Monsters

•Death

•High and low angles to show status

•POV shots for empathy