Conventions in Teen Horror

Conventions: they are features (regarding the plot/characters/etc.) expected by the audience in a particular genre of film. This time, I'm going to have a look at the conventions in teen horror:

Secluded location in 'Cabin in the Woods'

-> secluded (isolated) location - often, the action is happening in the woods, far away from any sort of civilisation
-> no signal - phones aren't working, radios aren't working, essentially nothing that could bring salvation is working
-> power is cut - and now, we can't even see the danger
-> fake scare - usually a bird or an animal of some sort

-> the fake scare is often followed by a real scare
-> bad weather - great excuse for the power cut, also, bad things happen during bad weather (pathetic fallacy)
-> the characters forget about threat - "Is this isolated building reported to be the home for many serial killers dangerous? Someone died there last week? Nah, we have immunity"
-> someone runs upstairs instead of outside - "The killer surely won't use the stairs" (often paired with hiding in the bathroom)

A prime example of investigating a strange noise ('Ouija')

-> someone investigates a strange noise - "It's probably just the wind" (hint: it's not)
-> the warning goes unheeded - "Keep out? Pff"
-> somebody dies in the first 5 minutes (usually to establish the antagonist)
-> victim inexplicably falls over
-> characters take a short cut instead of using the longer (and safer) way
-> victim cowers in front of a window of a door
-> victim hides in the closet/under the bed
-> we can travel in time and space - x years before/later (usually establishes the antagonist/the setting)



The trailer for Ouija (I have used the gif from it before), despite being just a trailer, presents multiple conventions even before watching any sort of coherent film footage, such as:
-> it is clear to be seen that one of the characters dies in the first 5 minutes
-> the main characters are teenagers - kind of obvious in teen horror
-> the fake scare (the girl stepping on the board... thing?) followed by a real scare (her death)
-> investigating a strange noise - obviously gets the character killed