1. Hide and Seek Trailer Analysis
The lighting throughout the trailer is fairly dull which sets the mysterious and sinister mood of the
film. The first half of the trailer contains slow music in the background as this half of the trailer is
setting the story. The tone then changes in the middle of the trailer with a big bang noise and all the
creepy and scary behaviours of the girl are shown. This shows how the movie is about more than
relationships and a troubled family. It has elements of horror, fear and suspense.
This film has a great emphasis on children and child-like behaviours which make the story scary as
children are associated with innocence, thus making them evil creates a frightening story. The title of
the film, ‘Hide and Seek’ contributes to the emphasis of child-like behaviours as hide and seek is a
very popular children’s game. Many parts of the trailer are connected to this title such as the
counting of numbers, which is echoed in the background and the reference to the word ‘game’,
which is used by Emily. Also, at the end of the trailer, Emily uses the typical phrase ‘Come out, come
out wherever you are’, which is used in the standard hide and seek game. However, in this context
this phrase does not seem innocent due to the narrative we have been told during the trailer about
the Emily’s strange behaviours.
Emily in this trailer is sometimes shown with a doll. This doll is a signifier, and signifies horror, as
dolls are used in many successful horror movies, such as Child’s Play to scare audiences. Also, the
writing written in blood on the bathroom tiles connote death and horror, as they are both
associated with blood. Also the knife that is used creates mystery, as we are unaware of what plans
are being held. The knife also signifies terror and death, as knives are associated with killings.
The trailer ends with lots of fast shots and music building to an explosion. Once the explosion occurs,
the film’s name ‘Hide and Seek’ takes the screen, informing the viewers about the title of the movie.
After this, Emily is shown again reflecting her major role in the film. This is followed by the release
date of the film to inform audiences when the film is available to view. The film’s name and release
date could have been purposely placed at the end of the trailer so that audiences would be able to
remember this important information.