analysis of supernatural horror trailers

2. ‘AS ABOVE, SO BELOW’ 2014
Mise en Scene
 Cave; dark, cold, gloomy
 Young actors; relatable and conventional
 Blood; ideologies of horror and gore
 Fire; danger, increases the tension in atmosphere
 Skulls, bones and human remains; symbolise death and fear
 Enclosed and narrow spaces; claustrophobia and tension builds
 Torchlight; minimal gloomy lighting
Sound
 Crackling of video camera; documentary, real life, vulnerability
 Actors from both British and American backgrounds; mass
audience
 Mono-tonal piano tune, increases pitch when tension builds
 Character plays piano, followed by stereotypical orchestral
groan (seen in all horrors); symbolic that something bad is
going to happen
 Authentic camera shot sound (crackling flashing light bulb);
historical theme of film
 Heart beat; escapism (uses and gratifications)
 Screams; ideology, scared, heightens drama and tension

3. Cinematography
• Hand held camera; like a documentary;
perception of reality throughout whole trailer,
making audience feel vulnerable
• ECU; show emotions and gives greater
understanding of the characters, escapism
• Extreme close up of characters (camera falling
covered in blood); intensifies the danger,
audience can see how characters are feeling (see
their emotions)- they begin to feel how they feel;
they’re scared so your become scared
• Hand held camera running through cave;
blurred and unfocused; realism, sense of
escapism (uses and gratification theory)
Editing
• Fast pace cutaways
• Screen fades to black, whilst sound continues to
increase; suspense building
• Jump cuts; so not all key parts of movie are
revealed at once, incise viewer to want to watch
all of it
• Textual information
• Fuzzing screen as though the video camera is
running out of charge
• Unconventional, lot of long footage shown; to
heighten tension and allow audience to become
fully involved

4. ‘PARANORMAL ACTIVITY’ 2009
Mise en scene
 Includes audience’s reactions to the film- what it is like to experience
due to real reactions; adds to tension
 Male and female couple; conventional setting of a supernatural horror,
conventional disturbance
 Make-up to create bite marks and bruises on female protagonist, sense
of violence and gore (ideology of horror)
 Low key lighting; spooky atmosphere and adds to tension
 Earthy and dull toned costumes and setting, to further add to the
tense atmosphere
Editing
 Documentary style- realism, sense of escapism (uses and grats)
heighten fear, feel part of the film
 Night vision effect when supernatural activities happen in the dark;
heightens the fear of the unknown
 Time phrase of the footage; realism, fear and understanding of when
the spirit haunts
 ‘one of the scariest movies of all time’- review of the film, want to view
it due to the highly rated reviews
 Fuzzing/crackling film clip, tape is being disturbed
 Black and white stock footage of woman becoming possessed;
foreseeing and parallel to the narrative of the story
 Jump cuts to moments of fear to allow audience to fully experience and
escape into the genre of the film
 Fast pace editing, to add to the tension and heighten anxiety

5. Cinematography
 Hand held cameras used throughout the whole
trailer, to make the film more realistic, and adds to
the fast pace and fear of it
 Variation of quick panning and tracking shots to
establish the setting, and the various supernatural
activity happening all around the protagonists
 Close ups to emphasise the facial expressions of
fear of characters; reflect onto audience
Sound
 Screams from both audience members; realisation
of how scary it is, as well as screams from the
characters heightening the tension and fear
 Deep basses and orchestral music accompanying
trailer to add to the fear and tension being create
and built up
 Door slams, creaking and footsteps; stereotypical
ideologies of horror, heightening the fear of the
audience, making them ‘jump’ as seen by the
audience members in the footage

6. ‘THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT’ 2009
Mise en scene
 Rosary beads hanging from car mirror- biblical reference stereotypical
ideology of a spirit/demon
 White house spaced apart from others; vulnerable, innocent, weak
 Male protagonist; pale make-up to show process of deterioration (mind
games taking over)
 Victorian style rooms and spirits; historical reference ideology of
supernatural; ghost from the past returns
 Protagonists room is dull and gloomy; low key lighting, juxtaposed to other
rooms in house
 Victorian style bedroom with white doves on wall; symbolise peace and joy,
contrast to storyline
 Rotten food in fridge; spirit is present- something bad/rotten is to happen
 Protagonist wears shades of blue throughout; ideology of baby boy- young,
vulnerable and innocent
 Writing on the body; gore and horror
 Wrapping of shower curtain; appeals to fear and sense of claustrophobia
Editing
 ‘based on true story’- sense of realism, appeals to the fear and terror of the
story on audience
 Fast pace editing as trailer continues; anticipation to watch
 Black and white stock footage of Victorian characters; historical reference
 Fade to black; heightens anticipation and fear of unknown

7. Cinematography
 Tracking shot of home; establishes the isolation
 Slow pan behind trees of children; voyeurism
 Over shoulder shot of protagonist watching TV,
turned off leaving reflection of stranger (spirit)-
heighten fear
 Mid shot of belongings under floor board being
brought up to real world; releasing the spirit
 Long shot of protagonist asleep (vulnerable) and
shadow of spirit leaning over; mystery and fear
Sound
 Voice over at start; enigma questions created- ‘why
do bad things happen to good people’
 High tone keys of piano playing, onto image of
piano key held down by invisible spirit (fear)
 Low drumming to signify change of day to night
 Distorted screams alerting and frightening
audiences
 Build up to climax on piano to high pitch screech;
unnerving and uncomfortable
 Gasping of breath