I have produced this short questionnaire in order to gain a better understanding of what

my target audience (you) want to see in a horror film. At the moment, I have a few
vague ideas, but I need to find out some more specific details to develop my thoughts
for my narrative. When answering the following questions, please bare in mind that the
film that I will produce is independent. This means it must be a low-budget production,
so please dont suggest anything too extravagant!

Gender:

Age:

Question One
Which of these horror sub-genres would you prefer to watch? (Please mark one)
Gore
Slasher
Psychological

Question Two
Which of the following elements do you think is most scary in a horror film? (Mark more
than one if necessary)

Young children
The unseen/the unknown
Hooded/masked entities
Other

If other, please state:

Question Three
Do you believe the establishment of character or location is more important at the start
of a film?
Character
Location
Both

Question Four
In order to create suspense effectively, do you believe the time-length of a shot should
be...?
Short and fast
Endured
Varied

Question Five
Which of the following locations do you think is best suited for the set of a horror film?
(Please mark one)
Forest/woodland
House
Subway

Question Six
Describe the sounds/music you would expect to hear in the background of a horror film.
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Question Seven
Do you believe the pace of editing or the sound/background music has a more
important role in a horror film?
Pace of editing (how fast the shots change from one to another)
Sound/background music
Why?
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Question Eight
Which of these two lighting features do you believe is most successful in creating an
eerie-feel to a horror film?
Dim lighting
Bright lighting

Why?
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Question Nine
How much dialogue do you feel should be present in the opening sequence of a film?
(Please mark one)
Heavy use of dialogue
Hardly any use of dialogue
None at all
If you chose hardly any use of dialogue, then how else do you think suspense could be
created effectively? (i.e. facial expressions, length of shots, etc)
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Question Ten
Please write down any further ideas or suggestions you have for the making of a horror
film.
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Thanks for taking my questionnaire