Analysis of 5 thriller/horror films

Cloverfield – Paramount Pictures/Bad Robot

The scene first begins with graphic text which says ‘Property of the U.S. Government, Do not Duplicate or Edit’ from this text the audience is then aware that the film is based on a flash back. The fact that it is ‘Property of the U.S. Government’ gives the audience a slight foreshadow on the later events since this is top secret material. It then begins with a man, holding a hand held camera and looking out his flat window, the weather is dark a dreary, specifically for the form of pathetic fallacy. The story starts of with an equilibrium, since there are going on with their everyday lives. This matches Todorov’s Narrative theory. The hand held camera is then panned through a series of home framed photos, specifically to show the different characters involved. The story would be a restricted narrative, since it is only seen through the man’s camera. It then shows the man’s girlfriend, this maybe be conventional to thrillers as there is always a weak female involved.

Pulse- Dimension/Distant Horizon

The clip begins with a lot of graphics, with quick takes of cutaways, to set the scene. There are a series of cutaways including, a take of someone typing into their internet browser, computers/laptops (red and white), clouds going pass quickly to show time, people typing onto a keyboard, people on mobiles, text messaging screen, numbers, and the sound fades into people talking. The cutaways are probably things we see in present time, as I don’t think this is a flashback or flash-forward. The cutaways give the audience a scene of what the film is about, technology; however we don’t know what yet. The clip then follows on with a man walking, with POV shots of him looking at people on laptops, phones, iPods etc. The weather is quiet bright; this wouldn’t be conventional to thriller films. However this would add to Todorov’s Theory. The man then enters the university library, as he does this there is depth of field with the car mirror. The car mirror then has a dark fuzzy figure on it. This would be foreshadowing later events. The inside of the university is much darker then the outside, this meets conventions of a thriller since it has a dark surrounding. From the man is on his own, his character matches the damsel in distress as this contrasts to the majority of people outside the university.

Cabin Fever- Lions Gate Films

The two minute opening sequence for this only includes titles, with no images. The titles appear over a white background, after more titles, the background looks like it has tea bags spillage on it. This is probably a very simple way in creating enigma, as we don’t know what the substance is and why is it there. I then hear sounds of crickets, which gives an implication that they are in a discrete location. Since you cannot see anything but the titles, this again creates Enigma, in why there are crickets and tea. As the titles go on the paper seems to be getting older with the tea stains enlarging, almost filling the whole screen. You can then hear fly sounds, which is usually heard when there is a bin near by or something is rotting. Again Enigma erupts. As the sounds come up, the background begins to get red, and increases until

the whole background is dark red, and the sounds of strings increase until the title ‘Cabin Fever’ is shown. This gives the implication that there is blood involved, a generic horror convention. So the audience works out this is placed somewhere discrete, something is rotting and there is a lot of blood, without the help of pictures to visualise. Though this had a lot of enigma, I personally found it quiet boring, since there was no action so I had to be very patient. However when first coming into a cinema, people are still coming in, so a slow paced opening sequence could work.

Flight Plan- Touch Stone Pictures/ Imagine Entertainment

Immediately see something light rush past a background of black. Titles then appear over the black background. This creates enigma as the audience want to know what is rushing past. We then find it is a train, as the next shot is an over shoulder shot of a woman at on the train platform looking at the train. The woman’s face looks worried, as her eyes look like they are about to burst out with tears. You then find the woman is alone at the train station, and the train isn’t moving, since a long shot of her at the train station is shown. She would then fall into the Princess character in Vladimir Propp’s theory, as she is shown as abandoned, weak and moreover she is female. This gives more of a reason for the Antagonist to have her as his/her victim. This foreshadows later events. It then cuts to the woman entering a room with a coffin. The coffin symbolises death, and maybe a supernatural outcome. This is probably a flash back scene. A man then appears in the train station scene; this shows there is some relationship between the man and the woman, and they then both depart into the train together. It then quickly cuts to the woman, in the white room, with the coffin, and she moves closer to it. I think this scene is part of equilibrium, since there is no disruption or resolution. This again falls into Todorov’s theory of narrative.

Edward Scissor Hands-20th Century Fox

The clip begins with snow fall, indicating its winter. Pathetic fallacy is shown from this cold weather. I denote crooked stairs following up to an old wooden door, from this it quickly fades to webs over old statues. This connotes the place is old and abandoned, a key location for a horror film. It gives a scene of enigma, in where they are as no establishing shot is shown. It then shows a pair of long, big scissors, again a conventional weapon, as gives a semiotic code of death maybe. It then pans down a robotic type of machinery, enigma again comes up into what this machine does, is it harmful etc. The robotic machinery is shown in dark lighting, again would foreshadow later events maybe. The audience is taken on a thought that this machine is evil, from the semiotic codes, where in fact is a red herring as in the next shot we see biscuits/cookies. This heavily contrasts to the surrounding of the place. I then denote pale white hands, symbolising death again, this is emphasised with the pale old man’s face. This again is foreshadowing later events. It also shows one of the main characters has died and the question remains on how it happened. It then fades into snow fall and I denote a mansion house on top of a hill. Here again this is a very discrete location, conventional to thrillers, as it symbolises abandonment.