Little Girl Costume Practical

Little Girl Costume Practical

Research

Typically, in horror films, when there is a possessed or demon antagonist who is a female, specifically little girls, there are common aspects of the costumes which they happen to wear. For example, there is a nonoccurrence of long, white (or off-white), night-like dresses (which can be seen in the following picture). The significance of white is to symbolize the innocence which is usually associate with little girls; this is usually juxtaposed with the demonic aspects of supernatural horror. 

The innocence is further emphasized by the long sleeved dresses which is usually worn. As well as this, it is common for the characters to be bare-footed, which could be to show the vulnerability of the characters, as they are usually being overridden by a superior force, causing them to act out of character as they are being possessed.

Furthermore, during my research, I found that with male characters, it is common for them to be dressed in dark colours. For example, in Insidious and Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy Krueger and the little boy are dressed in dark red and black clothing. Red is significance as we know that it is symbolic to violence and danger, which is suitable for the genre of supernatural horror. 

 

Practical

From my research, I decided to try and modify a simple shirt, similar to ones in supernatural films, to make it suitable for the character of a possessed little girl.

I started with a plain, baggy white shirt (which could be used as a dress if long enough). It was baggy as I didn't think that a tight fitting shirt or dress would be suitable for the genre. Also, the shirt hadn't been ironed, which i felt was suitable as in supernatural horror films, the antagonist is rarely neat and tidy (when possessed).

As this was intended to be for a little girl, I wanted to incorporate some child-like elements. Firstly, I tried to do hand-prints, which is an activity that many children engage in, therefore i felt that this would be appropriate for the character. As this is supernatural horror, I wanted the hand-print to be in a red colour, which resembled blood, as this would also add a supernatural edge, and so suit the intended genre.

I also decided to add some other darker colours, such as black and brown, which emphasizes this tarnished and messy look. 

Furthermore, as in many supernatural film, violence, as well as scratching is common, therefore I also decided to cut some of the shirt in an attempt to make it seem more realistic; as if someone possessed had worn it. I simply cut random areas of the shirt, and in some areas, I also ripped the cut open. In addition to this, to mimic scratch-like cuts, I made several half an inch wide cuts in a small area, in order to achieve this look.

Evaluation

When carrying out my practical, there are a number of things which I would have done differently, for example, i could have used more things and/or colors to stain the shirt, including mud or grass. This would've helped to create a scenario for when this shirt could be used. For example, if the victim or antagonist  had been in a scuffle on the ground.   As well as this, when using the paint, i could have used a better quality paint which may have made it stain the shirt better. Alternatively, I also could have used 'fake blood' to give the shirt a more realistic look. 

Furthermore, in terms of cutting the shirt to make it look as though this has been in a fight, i could have added scratch-like cuts, as scratching is common in supernatural horror films as it compliments with the impression of possession. Also, if this were to be used in our actual opening scene, I would have to ensure that the sizing is suitable for the actor, as we would want it to be big enough to look like a dress, as this is common in supernatural horror films.