setting the stage (or set, with props!!!)

 Within horror films, props and set design play a crucial role in establishing a mood, storytelling, and creating tension within audiences. The smallest of details can contribute to audiences fears, such as a drop of blood, or even a flickering light. When carefully thought out, props can help to create an immersive "world" in which a film takes place.

 For example: Small and cluttered spaces can create a feeling of claustrophobia, while large, empty spaces give feelings of isolation.

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Using broken, old, worn down furniture, along with dusty objects makes the setting feel eerie and forgotten.

Usually, props can also be used to create some symbolism, such as a creepy empty swing, or a broken clock, all of which hint to viewers about a dark meaning associated with the items.

Also depending on the different style of horror, different subgenres rely on various visual styles. Supernatural horror tends to rely on more Gothic symbols, candles, and religious symbols (as seen in Insidious),

while slasher films rely more on isolation, cabins, basements, and streets( as seen in Halloween),

 Psychological horror films tend to use more elements of clean, minimalistic spaces, with strange- yet subtle distortions (such as in Black Swan).

Props usually help to define characters, build suspense, and create iconic moments within horror. 

Some more common horror props include dolls and mannequins, mirrors, blood and gore( severed limbs, rotting corpses), and a simple household item turned deathly- such as a knife, a phone, or even a chair.

For our film, we decided to DIY some of our props by using methods such as fake blood, burning old candles so they look used, and shopping at thrift stores to get the most authentic creepy props that we could.

In order to control fear within our audiences, we use different elements such as hidden threats, like an unsettling object within the background which is barely noticeable (very well done in hereditary) 

Another way to do this is with a shifting environment, done through flickering lights, moving shadows (something which we have already planned to incorporate into our film), and also, contrast, which can be used in opposition to a horrifying situation, making it even more scary.

Finally, In order to make a horror film great, or in my case, an opening, i plan to incorporate the element of props and set design in order to create an atmosphere of dread and unease.