Horror film trailer analysis

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Horror film trailer analysis

Transcript of Horror film trailer analysis

Page 1: Horror film trailer analysis

Horror film trailer analysis

Page 2: Horror film trailer analysis

Conventions of a horror trailer ‘Best bits’ to attract people to watch film Disruption of normal life – e.g. moving house Music/sound indicating frightful moment Battles of good vs. evil Religion commonly a factor/ authority i.e. the police Isolated locations Dramatic camera angles showing character’s reactions/movements

etc. Death/blood or injuries Screaming Always a protagonist Dark, scary atmosphere Shows the well known actors Static/noise effect cutting to the credits ‘Based on a true story’ or ‘From the makers of…’ Release date and credits Approx. 1 minute 30 seconds - 2 minutes 30 seconds

Page 3: Horror film trailer analysis

Insidious

Examples from Insidious (2010), FilmDistrict, Dir. James Wan displaying :

‘From the makers of’ – appealing to audience that may have watched the mentioned films

Release date telling the audience when the film will be out in cinemas

Moving house – a common theme in horror movies. Also relatively isolated . An establishing shot of the location.

Antagonist present, however not shown fully, which can add to suspense and in many ways how scary the movie is, as leaving some work to the human brain can work wonders.

Trailer length: 1 minute 51 seconds

Page 4: Horror film trailer analysis

Insidious

Two examples of dramatic camera angles displaying characters reactions/emotions

Also displays blood/injuries, another commonly used theme in horror movies for obvious reasons. This also links to the battle between good and evil as the people in the screenshot are attempting to rectify what the antagonist has done

Clearly shown protagonists throughout the trailer. Another example of a protagonist in this trailer is the boy, who is seemingly defenceless against the antagonist/spirit

An example of a dark, spooky atmosphere which is almost essential for a horror trailer.

Page 5: Horror film trailer analysis

The Possession

Another relatively isolated location due to the trees, shown in the establishing shot of the trailer. This gives the audience an idea as to where these events are taking place, and show that they can happen anywhere, as it looks like an average suburban setting

Examples from The Possession

(2012),Ghost house pictures,

Dir. Ole Bornedal

This screenshot shows evidence of dark, spooky surroundings. This is achieved through the dim lighting and the shadows behind the girl. The girl is dressed in white, which indicates purity, and perhaps gives the audience that she is the protagonist, despite becoming a demon due to the box

‘Based on a true story’ – another commonly used technique in horror trailers which perhaps in some ways adds to how relatable the film is, as the audience will not disregard the horror as pure fiction

The ‘authority figure’ or ‘man in the know’, called upon to examine the box bought at a yard sale

Trailer length: 2 minutes 3o seconds

Page 6: Horror film trailer analysis

The Possession

Quick cutting in this section of the trailer involving the daughter (the antagonist) and the father (the protagonist) intensifies the pace of the scene, adding tension and suspense. The shot of the father clearly displays his emotions regarding the girl, who is clearly shown as being possessed in some manner due to her stabbing her plate.Another example of dark, spooky surroundings, adding to the emotions of the audience by building suspense

Evidence of religion playing a major role in horror trailers, as seen here with Rabbis, who the dad has turned to in the hope they can help with the situation

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Devil

Examples from Devil (2012), Media rights

capital, Dir. John Dowie

‘On any ordinary day’ however the city in the background is upside down, giving the audience the idea that something is wrong

Authority present in the form of the security guards, also the protagonist trying to free the people from the lift

Although the lift is in a public building with

cameras present, the audience is still sold the idea of isolation

from the outside world as the trailer shows no

way in or out of the elevator

Page 8: Horror film trailer analysis

Devil

Other common techniques used in this trailer include the use of fast-paced editing with quick cutting and short shot length, which increases the tension of the trailer. As well as this, dramatic camera angles are used to show character reactions

The trailer also includes many of the best bits of the film, albeit not the full cut, however this attracts the viewers to want to watch the film at the cinema. Screaming is also present in the trailer for this film, a concept shown throughout many horror trailers

A dark spooky atmosphere is also present in this trailer as when the lift goes dark bad events happen to the characters, adding to a feeling of fear for the audience watching. This is also shown by the last cut of film, where the character lights a match and dimly lights the elevator