3. The trailer opens with an establishing shot of a Diner. The shot is
set at night time and it is raining. This instantly informs the
audience that it is a trailer for a horror film as it seems eerie and
creates a feel of unease. This is further reinforced by the fact that
one of the letters in the sign for the diner is flickering. This adds
to the tension and fear instantly created in among the audience
by this shot. We are then presented with a close up of a male
character. There is an effective use of lighting in this shot, where a
red tinted lighting from within the diner is reflected over his face.
This suggests to the audience that something bad is about to
happen to him. The location is a typical Slasher location as he is
alone and isolated. His isolation is further presented to the
audience through a pan of the deserted diner. This increases the
tension within the trailer as horror fans will know this a bad sign
that something bad is about to happen
4. The audience are then presented with the male character entering the kitchen. The tension is further
build up by the dead silence in the diner, except from the intensified creaking of the kitchen door. This is
a typical convention of horror films. There is a wide shot of the kitchen where there is a pan on fire. Any
Slasher horror fans will instantly relate this the to antagonist, Freddie Crougar, and his back-story. It
suggests to the audience that Freddie must be lurking and it is not long until the characters suffer like
he did. It also connotes hell. This suggests that all hell is about to be unleashed on the male character,
and that this is the beginning of constant hell for the other characters in the film. There is an effective
use of camera movement in this section of the trailer. A pan combined with a crab shot is used to show
the male character slowly investigating the kitchen. The use of the slow pan and a crab shot creates the
feel of someone watching him. This reinforces the tension and idea in the audience that Freddie is
lurking. This is effective in pulling the audience to the edge of their seats. The tension then reaches a
climax as the first Jump Scare is used where the audience first see Freddie. The Jump Scare is further
emphasised through the intensified diegetic sound of Freddie’s knife slashing his hand. This is a
common convention of Slasher horror films as by intensifying the sound of the knife, it emphasises the
fear and the gruesome death the victim is about to endure. The action then cuts back to the male
character in the diner as he appears to have been asleep. This comforts the audience as they think he
was just asleep and all is now fine. However, this relaxation is disturbed by a close up shot of the male
characters cut hand. This informs the audience that the nightmare has become real and this is only the
beginning
5. We are presented with the logo of Newline cinema. This informs the audience that the film
has been created by a well-known and successful institution. Also, as this is a form of
institutional information that the audience are presented with at the beginning of a film, it
informs the audience that the horror is only just beginning, and the worse is yet to come.
We are then shown a Wide shot of a school. This is a typical Slasher location as Slasher
antagonists always target teenagers. This also makes the film even scarier for the
audience, as the Slasher target audience is made up of teenagers who are still in school.
This allows for the audience o relate to the characters, adding to the terror created by the
film. At this point, a diegetic voice-over kicks in and is carried over onto multiple close up
shots of the main characters. This is an effective and reguarlarly used feature of horror
trailers as it builds the tension and gives the audience a better insight into the narrative of
the film. In this particular trailer, the voice-over is of a boy on the internet talking about his
nightmares. The voice over is carried over onto multiple close up shots of the main
characters as he says, ‘Is there anybody else this is happening to?’. This suggests to the
audience that these are the characters who are going to be tormented by Freddie, and
experiencing the same horror as the character speaking in the voice –over. Multiple slow
fades are used between each of these close ups. This is an effective editing tool that helps
to emphasise the horror that is to come. It also helps to inform the audience that the
darkness and evil from Freddie Crougar is coming for the characters in these close ups.
6. The voice over then changes to the Final Girl, Nancy; ‘Every time that I dream, there’s always
this’. This suggests to the audience that the person both the male character and the final girl
are talking about is the same antagonist they saw at the beginning of the trailer. This would
create fear and tension among the audience as they already know the suffering that he will
cause. This tension is further built up through the use of camera. The audience are presented
with a close up shot of Nancy’s feet in the snow, which then changes to a wide shot of it
snowing in her room. This will add to the fear and tension among the audience as they realise
she must be dreaming, which means Freddie is lurking. To add to the tension, soft and eerie
non-diegetic sound is combined with the voice-over. Both the non-diegetic music and the
diegetic voice-over is suddenly cut by a close up of Kris, and the diegetic dialogue of her
finishing the voiceover with the word ‘man’. The dramatic entrance of this dialogue reflects the
sudden emergence of Freddie Crougar himself. Kris’s distraught facial expression emphasises
the fear the characters, and the audience, have of Freddie. It would also make the audience feel
empathy for Kris and the other characters as they would know there’s only one way it will end.
There is a sudden Stab of non-diegetic sound when the shot switches to a close up of Freddie’s
hand scraping the wall, with a female character silhouetted in the distance. This emphasises the
fear and inevitable pain caused by Freddie’s presence. It also instantly informs the audience
that the hand belongs to the ‘man’ Kris and Nancy are referring to. This is the point where the
non-diegetic sound becomes more eerie and intense as the trailer takes a turn.
7. There is medium long shot of Freddie scratching another wall with each of his knives. This
is the first time in the trailer that the audience get to see Freddie properly, even though his
face is in shadow. The mise-en-scene in this shot is typical of Slasher horrors. The lighting is
very dark and dismal, with a slight spotlight coming in from the left of the frame, placing
Freddie in a silhouette. This reinforces the idea that pure darkness comes from within
Freddie. Also, the fact that we cannot see his face adds to the tension and unease felt by
the audience. His costume is typical of a Slasher antagonist. Although he doesn’t wear a
mask, his severe burns mean that his face is unlike a normal humans face, similar to a
terrifying mask. This allows him to be easily identifiable to the audience, but also allows
him to fit in with the conventional Slasher antagonist. His weapon, a mechanical hand with
knives instead of fingers, is clear iconography for the Slasher sub-genre. Slasher is
associated with weapons that cause pain, lots of blood and gore and make the victims
deaths as long and painful as possible. Freddie’s weapon would do exactly this. His
costume is also clear iconography for the Slasher sub-genre and Slasher fans would
instantly know that Freddie Crougar is from a Slasher film. This diegetic sound of Freddie’s
knife, again, is intensified to make the sound more effective and emphasise the horror the
weapon can cause. The audience are then presented with a high angle shot of Freddie
leaning over Kris as he torments her. The shot cuts back to a close up of Kris screaming in
the classroom. This is another effective use of Jump Scares as the audience would literally
jump out of their seats after being lured to the edge of them by Freddie tormenting Kris. A
fast-paced non-diegetic sound is then introduced. The fast pace of this NDS would reflect
the fast pace of the audience heart beat after the Jump scare. This is an effective tool of
drawing in the audience and making them feel like they are in the trailer.
8. The first strap features at 1.18; ‘From Producer Michael Bay’. This will draw in the audience
and make them want to watch the film as true Slasher fans would know Michael Bay’s
success at producing classic Slasher horror films. As this strap is presented, a non-diegetic
heart beat kicks in. this appears to be a very common convention of Slasher trailers. This
may be due to the fact that as Slasher trailers effectively use jump scares to terrify the
audience, a non-diegetic heartbeat reflects the heartbeat of the audience as the trailer
becomes more intense and terrifying. The editing speeds up at this point with numerous
quick shots including a close up of the street sign and the characters. This reflects the
change in the narrative and suggests to the audience that the horror is getting even
worse. The trailer follows a typical narrative structure, with this point of the trailer
focusing on the characters attempting to resolve the problem. There is a wide shot of
character in a factory. The use of basic lighting makes the character appear as a
silhouette, with fire bursting in the corners of the frame. This links to and reminds the
audience of Freddie’s backstory. It suggests that Freddie is going to keep on his reign of
terror until everyone suffers like he did. The characters appear to be trying to find a
solution, saying to each other ‘don’t fall asleep’ . This creates a symbiotic link between
the trailer and the poster, which features this as the tagline. It also builds the tension as
the audience would realise their solution is one that isn’t long-lasting as they cannot stay
awake forever. The characters tone builds up the tension and fear as the characters
appear desperate.
9. The non-diegetic sound then cuts out on a shot of Nancy getting in the
bath. This reflects the characters losing focus and giving in as the
audience see Nancy falling asleep. The silence during this shot builds up
the tension among the audience as they know something bad is about
to happen as she drifts off into sleep. This is followed by a stab of non-diegetic
sound as the audience see a low angle shot of Freddie’s hand
emerging from the water. This suggests to the audience that if the
characters have even one moment of weakness and vulnerability,
Freddie is there instantly to take advantage and dispose of them. This
shot is followed by another slow fade combined with the re-introduction
of an even faster heart beat. This reflects the fact that the audience are
being even more drawn in through the trailer and are even closer to the
edge of their seats. It also suggests to the audience that the horror is
about to climax. This is further emphasised by the speed of the editing,
which matches that of the NDS. The audience are presented with a fast
montage of different shots. This reflects the build up of torment and
suggests to the audience that the victims are on the edge.
10. A second strap is featured, presenting the audience with the release date of the film; April 30th. On this
specific strap, all sound is cut out. This may perhaps be to emphasise the importance of the
information. The audience are then presented with a close up of Jesse in a warehouse as he realises he
is dreaming. There is diegetic dialogue of Jesse saying ‘oh my god.’ Then Freddie replies ‘No. Just me.’
This links in with idea that Freddie has come from hell. This idea is further reinforced through the mise-en-
scene. The lighting in this shot is very dark and dismal, with hints of orange. There is also fire
featured around the setting in this shot. This further connotes hell and also reminds the audience of
Freddie’s backstory, as he was burnt alive in a warehouse. This suggests to the audience that Freddie is
bringing his victims back to where he suffered and to ensure they suffer even more. Another strap is
featured after this shot saying ‘Welcome’. Unlike the first one, non-diegetic sound is featured on this
strap to suggest to the audience that the following information will be far from welcoming. We see a
medium shot of Freddie from the perspective of Nancy before another strap saying ‘To your new
nightmare.’ The NDS is cut out again to put all the audiences focus on the sentence. The use of direct
address is effective in building up the tension and pulling the audience in. The audience are then
presented with a fast montage of action shots before the title of the film, with a voiceover of Freddie
laughing. A montage at the end of the trailer is an effective and common convention of trailers. It adds
to the tension created by the film and gives the audience an quick insight into the main action scenes.
Another convention the trailer uses is a Sting. We see Nancy in the hospital receiving an injection that
will ‘put her straight to sleep.’ this last stab of horror is effective in keeping the audience lured in until
the very last moment. The trailer ends with a final strap saying ‘Don’t fall asleep’. This is an effective
tool of ensuring the audience are terrified and the fear continues after only seeing the trailer so they
will want to watch the film to get the same adrenaline generated by the trailer.
