Summary of 12 icons

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One of the many icons in Horror that is used regularly is Religious Symbols, Religion plays a big part in the genre of Horror because with it comes the themes of Good vs Evil, Man fighting demons etc. also the uncertainty of believing it or not.

The symbol of death is present in nearly all Horror films. Objects that represent death and that are used in Horror films are coffins, graveyards, gravestones, skeletons and sometimes crows symbolise death especially the afterlife.

Light is one of the icons that can be seen in a more positive view symbolising hope which could be because the character might be escaping or they may be defeating the evil antagonist.

The two main colours that are used in Horror films are red and black. Red symbolising blood and danger and black symbolising death. In horror films normally the antagonist wears black which symbolises that they as that character represent death and they are normally the ones which cause death upon other characters. 

In horror films the objects that are used as weapons are normally the same, axes, guns, saws, knives. The antagonist which holds this weapon or is in possession of the weapon is normally seen with authority as they hold the life of the protagonist in their hands. The weapon that is uses in the films depends on the sub-genre of the horror, in a slasher they wouldn’t really use a gun because the effect isn’t the same they would probably use axes or knives which show the gore of the attack.

Doors and windows have symbolic meaning they are either seen as protection from stopping the antagonist entering the room or the door to a portal. Windows normally show the person that lived in that house before they dies and in one scene of the film they are staring out the window and the protagonist hasn’t seen however we the audience have.  

Tunnels or corridors normally represent hope “the light at the end of the tunnel” the feeling of safety at the end, this also sometimes viewed as a yonic icon. The icons of keys and locks symbolise secrets, confidentiality or safety. In some cases the events occurs when the protagonist wants to hide the object/person which is creating evil an example a doll which they lock up to confine the object of doing anything negative. This leads us onto our next icon which is dolls, these object in day to day life are related to innocence and purity because the people who the dills are meant for are children; children are seen as innocent and vulnerable so to see an object with these emotions attached is a juxtaposition to how they are perceived and changed in horror films.


The mask that the antagonist wear in some films is a part of the 12 icons. The mask hides the identity of the villain so there is a sense of enigma between the antagonist and the protagonist but also with us the audience because we don’t know who the antagonist is there is a mystery already there with who the wearer of the mask is. 

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