KOTV facts

Question 1

Year

Answer 1

1963

Question 2

Genre

Answer 2

Horror/vampire

Question 3

Franchise

Answer 3

Hammar films

Question 4

Produced

Answer 4

Hammer film productions

Question 5

Distributed

Answer 5

J Arthur Rank and Universal

Question 6

Key aspect 1 - the title

Answer 6

The capitalised, serif font of the title creates connotations linked to the vampire film genre with its ‘wooden’ styling (referencing the vampire’s coffin or the stake needed to kill him perhaps) and the
blood dripping from the letter V’s ‘fang.’

Question 7

Key aspect 2 - Barthes codes

Answer 7

Suspense is created through the enigmas surrounding the connoted relationship between male and female vampires (emphasised by the “kiss” of the title) and the fate of their two victims (Barthes’ Hermeneutic Code). Barthes’ Semantic Code could be applied to images of the bats and their conventional association with vampirism and horror in general.

Question 8

Key aspect 3 - colours

Answer 8

The gloomy grey, black and brown colour palette reinforces the film’s dark, scary conventions while the red highlight colour draws attention to the attacking bats, the vampire and the blood – all key visual signifiers for the genre.

Question 9

Representation

Answer 9

Both women wear pale dresses made of light
materials and these dress codes serve to
reinforce their femininity by highlighting the
curves of their bodies and revealing the flesh
of their upper chests and arms.