The Importance of Plot in Horror Films

In all horror films there is a plot. Even in the most gruesome slasher films, viewers of the films would say that the films have a plot. In Noel Carroll’s book, The Philosophy of Horror, he outlines the basic plot structure of any horror film. He discusses the complex plot, which adds an element of hesitation and discussion of what is happening amongst the characters of the film, over just the simple plot.

The plot structure contains three main parts with a fourth part added to the complex plot. The three parts are: onset, discovery, and confrontation. The onset is the part of the film where the viewers of the film learn of the monster or supernatural horror before the characters in the film do. The discovery is when the characters of the film learn of the monster or supernatural occurrence. Confrontation occurs when the characters in the film decided to confront the monster or supernatural thing in an effort to stop it from destroying everything. The confrontation normally leads to the resolution of the film where the characters either defeat the monster or thing, or it survives forever and waits for new victims. In the complex plot, the element of confirmation is added. Confirmation is when the characters in the film discuss the natural against the supernatural and decide if what is happening to them can be explained or not.

A film that shows all the elements of this plot would be, The Innocents. The Innocents is a film about a governess that goes to house to take care of two small children. The governess starts to see two people the previous governess and a man that used to live at the house. The housekeeper tells the new governess about how they were killed and how the two children adored the old governess and gentleman. The onset and discovery occur at the same time because the audience sees the ghost or spirit the same time the new governess does. The confirmation occurs because the governess must decide for herself if she is really seeing anything or not, which she decides that she is seeing something. She learns that the ghosts or spirits or trying to over take the bodies of the two children. The confrontation occurs when she confronts the spirits by making the two children confess that they see the spirits which breaks the power the spirits have over the children. The movie ends with the governess kissing the little boy after he has broken free from the spirit. The ending leaves the audience to imagine what happens and does not really realize the loose ends that the movie shows.

Plot is a very important element to any movie because without a plot there would be no movie. This outline of plots of horror films shows really what needs to happen in the plot to make it a horror film because without these basic ideas the story might be in a different genre than horror. That is why I think the ideas laid out by Noel Carroll show a good insight into the importance of plot and what should be shown to display a good horror film.