2. Recently, I watched a psychological horror
to gain insight into the codes and
conventions in thriller films. As well as
this, the film incorporated a significant
style of the Victorian Gothic era. I found
that the Mise en Scene was the main aspect
of the film that portrayed the creepy, dark
period of the 1800's.
The South Korean director Park Chan-
Wook made this eye-catching English
debut, whilst remaking and taking
inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock's 1943
thriller 'Shadow of a Doubt'.
3. The costume and make up was kept plain and
neat, especially for the main character, a disturbed
young girl whose father had just suddenly died
without a cause.
The girls hair make up is very basic, with hollow
cheekbones, and plain straight hair, she contrasts
against make up with plan on using. However the
style of costume looks as if it is from an older time
period. A buttoned up cardigan and collared blouse
represents the main characters isolation and
privacy.
4.
5. Despite being set in modern
day, I felt ‘Stoker’ brought an
intense dark atmospheric
environment to screen through
the use of particular settings they
used for filming.
6.
7. There was a large sense of attention to detail in
‘Stoker’ with the setting and location. For
example in Evelyn Stoker’s (Nicole Kidman’s)
room, the wall were painted a gothic, maroon
red on every wall, which ultimately symbolises
the dark, melancholic emotions of the mother.
In contrast, the scenes that included the ‘good’
characters, (e.g the kitchen and the
grandma), the walls were painted white and
cream, to reflect the innocence and kind
nature.
8. Personally, I think that this aspect of Mise en Scene was the
most effective and carefully designated to create the most
intense, psychological gothic.
Classical piano and strings fill the score, while the sounds of the
Stoker house are startlingly clear. The sound of India cracking
an egg, for example, will surprise many viewers. She is very
attentive and alert with the world around her, and the sound
design helps create this illusion flawlessly.
9. The symbolism is vital in
‘Stoker’, as it makes you look at
the film that much closer to
reveal some of the films secrets
and hidden metaphor.
One of the biggest devises of
symbolism in the film is the
spider. India has a spider
crawling up her in one of the
scenes, which implies that she
is both predator and prey,
trapped in the mystery of her
father’s death.
10. In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed
watching this film, not only in relation to
my media product but also personally.
Every image and symbol portrayed was
clearly executed to represent the distorted
underlying emotions of the family, as well
as creating the atmosphere of the gothic,
Victorian era. This films style will
definitely impact and inspire the ideas of
our final media product.
