Magazine Cover Analysis

Analysis of poster

Evaluation Part 4

Evaluation Part 3

Feedback on Evaluation Cut

1) Good things:
The jump scare 
The pacing
The inter-titles
Bad things: 
Music is too loud
Storyline not completely clear
Overall score: 7

2)Good things:
Music is really creepy
Jump scare
Bad things:
Storyline not clear
Too loud
Baby looks like towels
Overall score:7

3) Good things:
Ending
Music
Storyline more clear than last time
Hanging scene
Bad things:
Too loud
Overall score: 8

4)Good things:
Improved lots since last time
Tight
A lot of scary things/pacing
Bad things:
Storyline a little confusing
Too loud
Overall score: 8

5)Good things: 
Hanging scene
Jump scare
Music
Pacing
Bad things:
Storyline clearer but still could be confusing
Baby doesn't look like baby
Over all score: 9

6)Good things:
Jump scare
Pacing
Joe being pulled up the stairs
Bad things:
Too loud
Overall score: 9

7)Good things:
Jump scare
Hanging Scene
Storyline
Pacing
Bad things:
Loud
Inter-titles look a bit fantasy like
Overall score: 9 

Class Poster Idea

Original Photo's for Magazine

Final Second Year Horror Trailer (with Annotations)

Lullaby Annotations

Below are the annotations you can see in the video for Lullaby.

We used these to analyse and evaluate our final product.

17 secs

The low angle of the camera gives my character power over Caitie

32 secs

The close up of Caitie clearly expresses her deep emotion at this troubling moment.

39 secs

Low key lighting creates are eerie and unsettling atmosphere.

41 secs

The high angle connotes Caitie is weak and vulnerable

44 secs

Restricted narration is used here to force the viewer to imagine more violence than what they see on screen. It’s reminiscent of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with the scene of Kurt’s body being cut up off screen.

56 secs

Handheld camera adds to the sense of realism

1.02 min

Flickering lights and low key lighting unsettle the viewer more and contrast with the bright “high key” lighting before this scene.

1.05 min

Caitie’s make-up adds to the eerie feel.

1.08 min

Editing skills are important here, and also shows evidence of shot-reverse-shot.

1.12 min

The shot shows Caitie’s desire for revenge but also links to her desire to regain her child, who was stolen by Joe earlier in the narrative.

1.15 min

The low key lighting here is especially indicative of death.

Lullaby Evaluation Screening

Evaluation Part 2

Choice of Trailer Type

Choice of Trailer Type

 

For our trailer we decided it would be beneficial to incorporate both styles, Scene and Highlights. We introduced our trailer through a scene of the film. This helps to establish the setting of the story making it understandable for the audience to follow. An example of this being done in another trailer is 'Cloverfield'. The scene trailer is used well here as you are able to follow the events occurring. We decided not to continue with the scene style throughout the whole of the trailer as this may come across as boring and drag.

Once we had introduced the storyline we decided to then switch into showing the main highlights of the trailer. Quick snappy shots really grab the viewers’ attention. This allowed us to build pace creating excitement. At the very end we added in a jump scare. Not only does this gain a reaction from the audience it makes our trailer more memorable and people will be eager to watch the actual film. An example of a highlights trailer can be seen in 'Paranormal Activity'. The style is used well here in order to build tension and anticipation.

 

Solo Trailer Review 3

Evil Dead (2013)
Plot: When a group of friends go to a cabin in the woods, they find a book which results in nearby demons coming to consume their souls.

What I liked:
The location of the trailer is extremely typical of a horror film, the wooden cabin in a forest definitely connotes a dangerous, terrifying environment. The trailer doesn't run in order, it goes from past to present and I think in this trailer, they've done it very successfully. We are aware as an audience that they go back and forth in time and we understand why. Each camera angle is interesting and there are never any boring moments in the trailer. Another thing, which I think is vital for a good horror trailer, is that it doesn't give away too much of the film. It is inviting. It makes you want to watch the film to see what happens to the characters.

What I didn't like:
There wasn't much about this trailer that I didn't like, but towards the end it shows the girl possessed. I think this would be way more effective if they didn't already show her possessed towards the beginning of the trailer. Except for this, I think the whole trailer is really effective and represents the gory horror sub-genre it is reflecting.

My score:
9/10.

Solo Trailer Review 2

MAMA

Plot: A couple are faced

to look after their nieces after they have been found alone in a woods. After a while of spooky occurances they begin to wonder.... How alone were they?

What I liked:
I really liked how quick the pacing was from beginning to end, there wasn't a boring moment in the trailer which is something that I feel, from experience, is quite difficult to do. The whole storyline and each shot of the children is really creepy and really conforms to the idea of horrere "to shudder". The trailer is full of low key lighting which really confirms it is a horror film and adds to the eerie, spooky atmosphere. The font on the inter-titles is really effective and portrays the genre of horror which it is creating. The trailer is a highlights trailer, which I find way more interesting and gripping.

What I didn't like:
The trailer gives a lot of the film away, this is probably because they started the film with scary shots and continued throughout. This way, they probably used a lot of their highlights and resulted in them giving a lot of the film away. There are no establishing shots at the beginning which I think is necessary as I had some issues understanding the symbolism. For example, the moths: I didn't know why they were constantly being shown, but after researching it I now know that they are death-head moths and they symbolise the supernatural and death. Now I know that, I think it's a really clever, subtle hint at the plot of the film.

My score:8.5/10

Solo Trailer Review 1

SINISTER

Plot: A true-crime writer moves his family into a house to do with a murder he is working on without telling them that this is the reason why. After finding some old films where a certain figure appears in each one, he begins to realise making the move may have put not only himself, but his family in danger.

What I like:
In the trailer, there are several flashbacks to past times and they use a vintage, old-school film filter to show this. I really like the way they've done it and I think that it adds to the realism and spookiness of the trailer. Towards the end of the trailer, the pacing is really quick and creates a really frightening atmosphere. The jump scare at the end is unexpected and works really well in relation to the whole film. I also really like the use of zooms to close-ups on both the antagonist and protagonist as it makes the audience feel extremely uncomfortable and vulnerable.
What I didn't like:
At the beginning, I felt like they took too long establishing the storyline, it'd be better if they left it a mystery and jumped into the scary shots earlier on as it got slightly boring in my eyes. I also think that they give too much of the story away, I feel like after watching the trailer, I've watched a mini film and kind of know what's happened or can easily suspect what will happen. More of an open ending or a cliff-hanger would've worked better to make me want to actually watch the film.

My score: 7/10.

Evaluation Part 1

Poster Original Photos

Rough Cut of Trailer

Horror Poster

Magazine Front Cover

Dawn of the Dead 2004 Image Analysis 3

This shot is from the end of the film, the surviving characters are on the boat and at this point, Ana is looking at Michael (her lover), who has been bitten and has stayed behind. This shot represents freedom and escape. It is untypical of a horror film to have an attractive, blonde female survive as they are stereotypically the female victim, so the fact that Ana has survived empowers women and challenges this stereotype. Her face and the background are slightly out of focus in this shot, and the main eye-catching object is the American Flag. This has a link contextually, perhaps to do with 9/11 which was only three years previous to this film, the zombies represent the middle eastern countries and the flag represents America, the fact that it is in focus suggests America's reign as the most powerful, economic, influential country.

Dawn Of The Dead 2004 Image Analysis 2

I like this shot because it challenges stereotypes. Usually, you'd expect the hero to be male and the blonde female would usually be expected to be the victim. In this shot, it shows the blonde female being heroic by stabbing the zombie. Something else, which is typical of horror films, is the body horror. It is really successful in this shot, the blood and the stabbing looks realistic, but something else which adds to the uncomfort of the shot is the dirtiness of the zombie, under her arms she looks sweaty and unclean which would make audiences cringe just as much as the blood. The location of the shot is one which audiences would be familiar with, which would make them more afraid because they may feel like something like this could happen to them. The blonde girl is stabbing the zombie with a long, sharp object which is a representation of a phallic symbol. She is demanding the male, hardcore characteristics by using this weapon.

Feedback on Rough Cut

NAME OF TRAILER: LULLABY YOUR SCORE: 5/10

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TRAILER?

• A range of shots
• Ending was good

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• No swinging in the hanging scene (A little unrealistic)

• Hanging Scene

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• Text is too quick
• Hanging scene, the foot is not on the ladder when It is kicked

NAME OF TRAILER: LULLABY YOUR SCORE: 8/10

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TRAILER?

• I liked the setting and the narrative
• Good camera angles

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• When the ladder in the hanging scene is kicked away your other foot hardly moves as if you were not standing on it
• Used "Hush Little Baby" twice near the end

NAME OF TRAILER: LULLABY YOUR SCORE: 7/10

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TRAILER?

• Has a flowing narrative
• A nice speed to it
• A variety of angles

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• Different types of cuts
• Fade into inter-titles is needed

NAME OF TRAILER: LULLABY YOUR SCORE: 7/10

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TRAILER?

• Good shots from different angles

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• Flow during the middle

NAME OF TRAILER: LULLABY YOUR SCORE: 7/10

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TRAILER?

• Liked scene of hanging
• Liked the ending
• Like the music “I’m Back”

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• First half needs more
• Story-line needs to be more clear
• Bit slow

NAME OF TRAILER: LULLABY YOUR SCORE: 6/10

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TRAILER?

• The hanging scene
• The use of music at the end
• The mirror scene

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• I thought there was too much being shown of the past and the woman’s life before
• The shots could be quicker

NAME OF TRAILER: LULLABY YOUR SCORE: 7/10

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TRAILER?

• Jump scene at the end was good
• Fast paced bit in the middle worked really well
• Hanging bit was really good
• “I’m Back” sounded really effective

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• More close ups
• Beginning was a little confusing

NAME OF TRAILER: LULLABY YOUR SCORE: 6/10

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TRAILER?

• Ending shots
• Montage after suicide
• Creepy music

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• Narrative is confused

NAME OF TRAILER: LULLABY YOUR SCORE: 6/10

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TRAILER?

• End music
• Light flicker works well
• Good jump scare
• I like the mirror part

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• Slightly clearer narrative

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NAME OF TRAILER: LULLABY YOUR SCORE: 7/10

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TRAILER?

• Good music at end of hanging scene
• Liked mirror bit
• Flashing lights

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• A bit confusing narrative

NAME OF TRAILER: LULLABY YOUR SCORE: 7/10

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TRAILER?

• The music
• The photograph shots
• The close ups of faces

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• Shots are slightly short and quick at the beginning

NAME OF TRAILER: LULLABY YOUR SCORE: 7/10

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TRAILER?

• Really well shot (Close up at the end)
• Loved the creepy lullaby
• Lots of quick shots work well especially Alex’s hair

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• A shame about the music
• Some of it could have been shot a bit smoother
• Story-line needs a tiny bit of work

NAME OF TRAILER: LULLABY YOUR SCORE: 7-8/10

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THE TRAILER?

• The flickering lights are really good
• Good story-line
• End music works well

WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE IMPROVED IN THE TRAILER?

• Hanging scene could have had a bit more pace and emotional reaction

Shooting Schedule

Shot list

 

 

Class Trailer Review 3: Grave Encounters

Plot:
A camera crew decide to go and investigate what is said to be the most haunted building in North America. They discover weird and demonic occurances during their stay, which in the end results in one of them becoming possessed. 

What I liked:
The location of the trailer works well. It is a key convention of horror films that the location is creepy and gives an automatic sense of negativity, which this surely does. Something very effective in this trailer is the use of 'ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE', these labels adds to the realism of the film and the storyline because we are lead to believe that the recordings are genuine. I also liked the use of night vision camera effects, they add to the fear as conventionally, scary stuff happens in the dark. It also makes me feel uncomfortable when the camera goes all grainy as it's as if something is happening that we can see but they can't. 

What I didn't like:
This kind of film has been done several times. A camera crew going to a scary place and one of them is affected by a scary creature, be it ghost, demon or monster. It has become slightly boring and conventional. This trailer is an example of the handheld camera that I don't really enjoy, they're filming looking for trouble, whereas in Cloverfield, they're filming and trouble unexpectedly comes. I also find the typography in this trailer a little bit uninspiring. 

My Score: 5

Class Score: 6

Moodboard 2

Class Trailer Review 2: Toxic Avenger.

Plot: 
A child who gets taunted and bullied falls into a barrel of toxic waste which turns him into a deformed creature, he decides that with his new appearance he'll do all he can to save the world and kill the criminals and morally bad people.

What I like: 
I think that the trailer is good at representing character stereotypes. It's obvious by gender, clothing, and general appearance who is the villain or who is the victim. 

What I don't like:
I really dislike the voiceover throughout the whole trailer and the unnecessary repetition of the words 'The Toxic Avenger', these irritated me so much that that is the reason why I wouldn't watch the film, which is a shame because it could have a really good storyline. I also disliked how the trailer was very long and contained a lot of the films 'best bits', so watching the trailer is actually like watching the film.

My Score: 1

Class score: 3

Class Trailer Review 1: Cloverfield.

Plot:
A group of people throw a party in a New York apartment when they are disturbed by a loud bang outside. This is followed by the ground moving, at this point they go out to see what is going on and notice there is a large explosion in the distance so they all try and escape the area but when they get out of the building, things start flying towards them suggesting a deep danger.

What I like:
Usually, in other horror films such as Paranormal Activity or The Devil Inside, I feel that the use of handheld camera is a bit cliche, and doesn't always have the desired effect of making a story seem real. In this trailer, the handheld camera makes the plot very believable and it doesn't feel like you're watching a scripted film. I also like how it doesn't show you too much of the film. It is mainly setting the scene and then at the end suggests the genre and brief storyline of the film. This grabs audiences in and makes us want to go and watch it to see exactly what will happen. 

What I didn't like:
I thought that it didn't really have a lot of horror conventions and never really made me feel scared. It was appealing for a sci-fi film but the storyline didn't make me "shudder" which is what the definition of horror is.

My Score: 8



Class Score: 7.5

Font Moodboard

Horror magazine front cover analysis 3

This magazine cover uses typography well as when it mentions other film titles in the coverlines it uses the font that is used for the film itself. This is a good way to promote the films and bring recognition to them away from the magazine. The typography of the masthead works well as it uses red which connotes blood and danger and also the 'F' and 'A' look like fangs which is mentioned in the title "FANGoria". The cover image is successful as it makes audiences feel disturbed and uncomfortable looking at her bloody gums and teeth. The blood dripping from her mouth suggests she has just attacked someone which makes us feel scared and like a victim. The glassiness of her right eye adds to the fear of the girl, it further makes her look not normal. This and the mouth are the only things that stop her looking like a normal female, which adds to the fear because it makes audiences feel like whatever happened to her, could happen to us. The main cover line "Megan Fox will eat you alive!" may appeal to male audiences as Megan Fox is seen as a sexual icon in the acting world, and the idea of her eating you alive may be appealing to this type of audience. It could encourage a different audience to Fangoria's usual audience to buy the magazine because they have a specific interest in the actress of the main film being advertised.

Horror magazine front cover analysis 2

This magazine front cover uses the main cover image, main cover line, other coverlines and some general design techniques well but I feel the typography of the masthead let's the overall cover down as it takes away from the seriousness and fear that could have been successfully generated without the comical font of the masthead. The blood splashes in the corners work well as it conforms to the genre of horror and especially the subgenre that is being targeted on this front cover: zombie apocolypse. The main coverline "ZOMBIES", uses an extremely successful faded font. It is visible but you can see it's fading, this could represent our universe whilst its being possessed by zombies: still present, but slowly disappearing. The cover image is also a success as first, the audience is drawn to the zombie on the left and don't feel initimated as there is no mode of address, she's looking to the left and doesn't look particularly like a threat to us. Then, however, we are drawn to the zombie on the right who is looking directly at us and suddenly makes us feel threatened. The body horror of the zombies is done extremely well as it looks realistic and believable. The font of the masthead is red, so connotes the blood and danger of zombies and looks a bit like blood too as the dripping would suggest. It just looks a bit too bright and a bit comical for the otherwise, faded, classy look of the front cover. Even if the font was a shade of red like the blood in the corner and the font itself was like the "zombies", it may look better but as it's the usual masthead of all issues of Scream magazine they may want to keep its typical look to increase the public knowledge of its brand.
Fanzine - 1980s photocopied magazines sent between "hardcore" fans of the horror genre, and SCREAM recreates the home-made feel which is endearing to dedicated fans of the gory horror sub-genre. This is reflected with the word 'plus', it looks handwritten which would be appealing to this audience. Also, the three images look stuck on and photocopied. It looks handmade which would be appealing to this audience who like a low-quality, grainy 1980's horror films.

Horror magazine front cover analysis 1

This magazine front cover successfully portrays the genre of horror to its audience. It does this by the use of colour, font and the low angle shot of the frightening villain in the shot. The typography of the masthead is extremely eyecatching as the red connotes danger and the fire further shows the audience this. Also it could be saying that the character on the front is so destructive, powerful and scary that he's even causing the brand 'Empire' to deteriorate and burn. This magazine front cover uses primarily red and black with some white and gold. The red connotes danger and blood, the black connotes mystery and usually death but further backs up the danger connoted by the red. The white is probably used so the text stands out behind the red and black. The gold is used because of the tagline that states 'you and whose golden army?'. All of the gold that is used are things that you'd have to buy the magazine to find out e.g, the writing underneath the coverlines, "new pics and plot secrets revealed" and "five-star review inside", the tagline itself "first look! you and whose golden army" and the sticker on the right hand side "40 movies that will get you sex", all of these are things said to persuade you to buy the magazine and find out after purchasing. The gold may be used to add to the persuasiveness as it has connotations of wealth and winning and may persuade audiences to buy it. The stance of the character in the main image gives him power and makes the audience feel intimidated. There is direct mode of address in the shot which makes us feel like a victim. His fists are clenched and it looks like he's about to get violent towards us which victimizes us even further.

Prop List

Health and Safety

Stereotypical Fan

Horror Sub-Genre Pie Chart

Mood Board

6 Panel Practice Storyboard

Favourite Image Analysis

The Devil Inside: Film Review.

The Devil Inside, a filmed directed by William Brent Bell that was produced in 2012 is a horror film that's storyline revolves around demonic possessions. The plot of the film is about Maria Rossi, who in 1989 committed three murders during an exorcism, 20 years later her daughter wants to know more about possessions, in particular, her mothers. Throughout the film, more possessions occur and it ends in a fatal car accident driven by a victim of demonic possession.

The two scenes which impressed me the most were:

1. Where the mother is having an exorcism, quick montage is used to make audiences feel tense and uncomfortable, it puts you into a position where you feel afraid for the other characters in the film as everything is happening so quickly. The scene used natural lighting and was in a setting which added to the realism, this intensifies the "horror" element of the film as it makes audiences believe it could happen to you. If there was bright, unrealistic lighting it'd reinforce the fact that what we're watching is just a film, however this wasn't the case and the lighting and setting used successfully added to the fear of the film. 
2. At the beginning of the film where the police are investigating the crime scene where Maria Rossi had committed the three murders, effective body horror is used. The three corpses are shown and it is obvious the murders were extremely violent with blood spatters, and deep, bloody wounds on the bodies. This was one of the only moments in the film where body horror was used in such a successful way, it did what it was supposed to do and made me shudder and made me feel extremely uncomfortable. This scene is set in a creepy location as it is in the basement of Rossi's home, this has connotations of coldness and feeling trapped in an uncomfortable environment. The lighting is low key adding to the mystery and the unbearable tension of the scene. 

How has watching this film helped me understand this genre of film making:

This film, although being one of my least favourite horror films, still made me feel scared and uncomfortable. This was done by use of horror conventions and successful acting. This shows me that when it comes to filming a horror, it is extremely important to use things such as creepy locations, low key lighting, close-ups and  collision cutting to succeed in doing what a horror should do: make audiences shudder. Without these conventions, a horror film is unlikely to succeed in making audiences feel fearful or disturbed.

Features I spotted in the film:

• Body Horror - this was seen in the film in several different occasions. One example was the wounded corpses at  the beginning of the film. The blood, gashes and bodies themselves looked hideous and I could barely look, but this simply means that it was done well as that is the intention of including body horror. Another example is the manipulation and distortion of the bodies whilst characters were going through a possession, when bones and joints were disconnecting, it made me feel uneasy and I found it disturbing, it is a convention of demonic possession films so was technically needed, however it was done successfully and I found it very disturbing. 
• Close-ups - these are almost compulsory to make a good horror film, I believe. This film used them very successfully and at the right frequency. An example of a close-up used is when Maria Rossi is being possessed and the camera is roughly two inches away from her eye, as an audience member I found this extremely uncomfortable and like I was invading the characters personal space, adding to the awkwardness of the shot. Every character that became possessed in the film had at least one close-up on their face, I think this is also to show their emotion and confusion about the occuring events and to put across to the audience that they are actually innocent, they are victims, they are the ones that need help.
• Collision cutting - there is a scene where this is used well in the film. It is dark and quiet in the shot and slow montage is being used. This very quickly changes when a character shoots himself, the movement was extremely fast and the gun shot was very loud, this part was very jumpy and shocked audiences. There is another part where something similar happens, a character is walking down the street and it is virtually silent, about 5 seconds later, a dog barks. Although it isn't anything conventionally frightening, it wakes you up and makes sure you are 100% watching the film. 
• Handheld camera - this was used constantly throughout the film as it was set as a "real-life" documentary. It was effective because of this and added to the realism of the storyline and made the events more believable. 
• Unhappy ending - it was an unhappy ending because the surviving characters who we believed were safe and unharmed all died in a car crash. The fact that we had sympathy and hope for the characters added to the sadness as we genuinely wanted them to get away from all of the negative things and demons but this ending proved it was too late for them. 

Which aspects of the film I'd include in my own trailer:

 I'd include brief moments of handheld camera, I don't want to do a documentary type film so I don't think that it'd work if there were lots of handheld camera, but to me it reinforces that what we're watching could actually happen to us. An element I'd definitely like to include is the use of collision cutting, I think this is vital to making audiences jump which with the storyline my trailer is going for, is going to be needed. Also, the use of low key lighting in the beginning scene inspired me to do something similar in one of the scenes in my horror trailer. Close-up's are extremely important to portray emotion and make audience members feel uncomfortable, this is a factor of The Devil Inside that I'd like to incorporate into my own trailer.

Which aspects of the film I'd avoid in my own trailer:

The ending spoiled the whole film in my eyes. I felt it was quite a pathetic way to end a film and to me, it looked like the director got lazy when it came to the ending. I was expecting a more exciting, momentous ending and was extremely disappointed with the one I received. This is not how I'd want the audience of my horror trailer to feel so after seeing this, I will put a lot of effort into making sure the ending/jump scare is as successful as it can be. The ending is also slightly an open ending, as there are some surviving characters that we don't know what happened to, I personally like finalisation when it comes to films so was also disappointed with this element, and won't be using one in my own horror trailer.

Context

This film was released in 2012 along with Woman in Black and Paranormal Activity 4. All films cover the paranormal theme and those of ghosts/demons and possessions. This shows there is a public demand for this type of film and explains as to why The Devil Inside was made and reached number one in the US box office and grossed around $144m. This was an extreme success as like Paranormal Activity, it was a low budget, low quality film.

The Others: Movie Review

Media: Horror film review

The others, which was produced in 2001 and directed by Alejandro Amanenabar is a horror/thriller which is about a family of a mother and two young children who are living in a house during the 1940’s at the time of World War Two. The children suspect and have encounters with what they think are a family of ghosts. The mother is constantly waiting for the return of her husband who is fighting in the war. Throughout the film, there are foreshadowing moments which suggests the family’s life isn’t that of a usual, happy family and in the end it is revealed that the ghosts in the house are actually the living ones and the family whose lives we’ve been following are actually the supernatural spirits. The children died of an outcome of the mother suffocating them with a pillow; however the mother believed that she and her children were given a second chance at life from God. However, this was not the case, after the suffocation, the mother shot herself with a rifle. This is foreshown throughout the film by the mother’s first encounter with a rifle; she becomes uneasy and from then on uses it as her weapon whenever she suspects danger. The film contains both historical and institutional context; it is set at the time of the war which is obvious from the costume and the storyline. Another major contextual theme is that of religion. There are constant references throughout the film on how religious the family are which is another reason why the mother refuses to believe that her and her children are dead and in contact with what could be spirits: because the dead and the alive never meet until the end of eternity.

 

 

The scene where the mother first goes on a search for an intruder includes a lot of effective techniques which result in audiences feeling tense and frightened. As the mother approaches the room, the camera is moving slowly and also gives a point of view shot to the door. When she enters the room, it is light. Usually, this would be settling to an audience but because the mother is convinced her children are allergic to the light, the whole film is shot in low-key, dark lighting. The audience have become used to the dark and feel safer in that environment. When she enters the light, it becomes immediately unsettling and tense. This scene includes parallel music as it reflects the suspense that the camera is showing. As the mother starts the search in the room, the director has used quick montage to add to the tension and horror of what may be found. The scene made me personally feel uneasy and on the edge of my seat because I felt in the world of the characters and was scared of what may come out of this search. However, I think that the scene was beautifully shot and was successful in creating suspense.

 

Another scene which I found impressive was the one towards the end when the alive “intruders” were trying to contact the dead family who the audience began to know and connect with. The alive people were sat around the table with someone who was sketching what was being said by the dead, as the mother approached, she was unhappy about being in contact with the alive and being found out about her brutal killings. At this point, the camera shows you the scene from both the alive and the dead families perspective. This is the first time in the film that us as an audience see the family as ghosts. This piece of cinema is the one moment in the film which I found mesmerising. The camera was tracking the table where they were sat, one moment showing the dead family along with the alive, the next only the alive family were shown. This shocked me as I was so used to the family and was convinced they were alive throughout the whole film, so this piece of cinematography I believe was more than successful in its aim to show the audience the real perception of the family.

 

Whilst watching the film, I noticed that it used several of the horror genre conventions. One which was used successfully was the use of creepy location. The house that it was set in was extremely large and grey looking giving it a connotation of coldness. Each room in the house was the opposite of homely and gave the audience scary vibes. The house was next to a forest and had a lot of land outside of it with gravestones. All of these features added to the creepiness of the location and was stereotypical of the horror genre. However, it all adds up to an overall feel of terror and unhappiness. An editing technique used throughout the film to make the audience jump and feel on edge was collision cutting. It was used really successfully in the scene where the mother is looking for the intruder in the junk room. The scene starts off silent with the only noise being her uneasy breathing, and as the scene gets tenser there is a sudden screech of violin music that is parallel to the action in the film. This alone is a feature which I believe makes a scene a lot more successful in creating a scared and jumpy audience. A theme which ran through the film was that of loneliness. The mother especially showed the audience how lonely was by the constant mourning of her husband, it was obvious she was incapable of coping without his presence and this began to make me personally feel the emotions she was feeling. I empathised with her character even though she wasn’t dealing with it in a correct way. The whole contextual idea of the war adds to this loneliness theme as war itself has connotations of coldness, unhappiness and loneliness for the soldiers and the families left behind. The mother also hints of her loneliness when she says angrily about the servants leaving her.  The ending of this film was not an open ending, however I wouldn’t say it was an unhappy ending either. Without looking deeply into it, it may seem an unhappy ending. However, I believe that the family themselves are now free from any regret or loneliness they may have been feeling, that they are now content with their lives and their house. To me, it seems they have got through each obstacle and are now finally content. Another thing which suggests the ending was happy is that the constant fog that was present throughout the film was finally gone and the rooms were now light. This shows the audience that the light is now normality again for the family and for us, and darkness was only their usual reality because of the misery their lives were in.
 

When it comes to my own trailer, I would like to include several aspects of this film in it. The psychological side of horror which is shown in The Others is definitely the path in which I want my trailer to go down, to me, the psychological horrors are the ones  which I find more interesting, believable and entertaining. The unexpected twist at the end of this movie is something I would like my horror trailer to hint at. I don’t want to reveal the twist in my trailer otherwise it would be giving everything away but to make the audience believe there could be a twist will draw them in further and make them more interested. A technical aspect which I would like my trailer to contain is the effective use of collision cutting and camera angles. I believe when this is done right, this shapes a trailer and gives it added quality needed to be successful. However, there are some aspects of the film which I would avoid in my own trailer. The theme of religion is one that does not appeal to me personally as I believe it could be unrealistic and boring to some audiences, also I don’t personally enjoy the link of religion and horror within a movie as it can be disturbing to some potential audiences. Another aspect I would avoid in my own trailer is the idea of darkness being normality and positive. I think that this was done effectively in The Others but in my opinion, it leaves the cultural dominant ideology and representation of horror films’ stereotypes too far that some viewers may not understand it and find it strange.
 

The most enjoyable moment of the film was the scene at the end where the alive family encountered with the dead, I believe this cinematography was so successful and dominant in terms of the whole film that it is something which I would love to recreate in my own horror trailer.