Horror film trailers aim to evoke emotions of fright and terror in viewers. They do this through scenes depicting nightmares, fears, and graphic violence, employing special effects. The trailers also use unsettling voiceovers, jumpy editing, unusual camera angles, creepy sounds, and ominous text to create an atmosphere of danger and put the viewer in the position of the victim.

1. Creativity Investigation
What is creativity?
- The use of imagination or original ideas especially in the
production of artistic work.

2. What ‘creative’ features are used in
horror film trailers?
- It is typical of horror films (and effectively, their trailers) to feature stories that depict, address or
explore people’s nightmares, hidden fears, phobias and psychotic and neurotic tendencies.
- The trailer should evoke emotions such as fright, terror, panic or shock through scenes of morbidity,
murder, disease outbreak, or supernatural events.
- Special effects are used to create horrifying graphic scenes that give a preview of what the film entails.
- A jumpy, rough cut montage gives a sense of fear to the trailer, as though the killer is getting closer,
until at the end they appear – the height of the trailer is seeing an attack.
- Voice over’s of deep, yet soft voices are used to create a sense of danger, and heighten the tension
within the trailer to make the audience feel fear.
- Unusual camera angles distort the frame and make the viewer feel uneasy.
- Overlaying typography, usually including scary words for example ‘we are watching you’ to personally
address the reader and make them feel as though they are in the victims position.
- The addition of creepy sounds in the trailer further the sense of fear and danger, such as a loud bang,
the noise of a falling object, a chopping sound, gun fire, creaking doors or the groan of the undead.