Codes and Conventions of Existing Teen Horror Films

Dead Wood;
Whilst there are some codes and conventions in Dead Wood, these first opening minutes do not show any codes which could have plot-relevance; such as showing characters 'forgetting about a threat', a 'warning going unheeded' or any 'shortcuts' being taken - and instead focuses on the threat in the woods, and how much panic it can induce. It also has some decent weather, unlike many horrors which choose drab weather to imply a pathetic fallacy - yet inferring from the shaky camera work and choice of soundtrack,  the production crew might have been low-budget and couldn't afford to spend time on small details such as the weather. However, 'Dead Wood' does include the most common codes in its opening, for example showing it's 'secluded location' in both it's establishing first shot and when the female lead exits the tent. Dead Wood also attempts a jumpscare in the first scene, after showing pleasant scenery of the woods with calming music then contrasting with a sudden foot splashing into a puddle with the ... unique action track then coming in (this could also be a false scare as though the foot is running away from danger, the foot itself is not something to be feared). The 'victim falls over' and 'someone dies in the first five minutes' - which are very common conventions used in the horror genre- are also present, and so is 'investigating a strange noise' when the female lead starts calling for her friend, however, she does not face the usual consequences a character normally would for going towards tan ominous noise.

Dead Mary;
Unfortunately, since nothing much happens in the opening to Dead Mary, there isn't much to say about it either. It's quite unique compared to Dead Wood and Wrong Turn, as not only does it take its pace, but it does not begin with an establishing shot. Instead, there are many extreme close-ups on a gas-station sign (which in itself establishes a location in the world of Dead Mary). Accompanied by the creaking of the broken sign swinging, it would be a very tasteful opening if not for the cheap font. There is very minimal action in this opening, but there are a few subtle hints to what might come back later in the film; like the supposed lead girl not being able to find signal, and how there appears to be someone watching from the woods with a point of view shot. The dialogue also implies that there are secluded locations, as there 'was no-one' in the gas station. Oddly, there is no obvious threat, no 'bad weather', no music, and barely any suspense - if anything, the most dangerous thing in this opening is the amount of attitude the female lead has. Barely any conventions are used, and so in return there isn't much tension.

Wrong Turn;
In our last film, we are immediately given an establishing shot of a 'secluded location' with an above panning shot and a heavy, foreboding, soundtrack. There are plenty of sound effects alongside the opening dialogue and in the high-tension scenes after where faint manic laughing can be heard, which add greatly to the tension in the film. Looking at the conventions of the film, while the power wasn't cut that rope certainly was after the film's first scare of the female lead slipping when rock climbing. Again, like the previous two movies, the weather was oddly pleasant considering the situations the characters were thrown into. Visual pathetic fallacy might just not seem appealing in teen horrors. While there aren't many codes or conventions that are plot relevant (which again is similar to Dead Wood - they both even have rustling plants) the movie still includes major ones, where two characters 'die within the first five minutes', by the 'victim falling over' - though not of her own accord - and therefore cannot make it to safety. Needless to say, Wrong Turn definitely makes use of its non-diegetic audio more than it does of traditional codes and conventions.