The opening scene of the film Insidious establishes the setting of a young boy's dark bedroom at night through establishing shots. Close-ups of the boy's toys and lava lamp show his innocence and youth. The camera then pans through the dark and gloomy house, lit only by candlelight, introducing an unsettling atmosphere. For the first minute and 50 seconds, there are no edits between the long takes, maintaining suspense and tension without distraction. Non-diegetic mysterious music adds to the ominous tone and puts the audience on edge for what is to come.

1. Insidious – Mise-En-Scene
Film Opening Analysis
The first things we see within the clip are a bedroom with a young boy inside. He has
toys inside his bedroom which indicates his innocence. We then see a lava lamp
which is the only thing we see in the clip which has light to it. This also shows that
the child is young and that he is innocent. The first scenes are set in the dark so it is
clearly night time which gives the feel to the film and sets the tone. The next few
clips are only darkness with a ragged old lady standing at the end of the hall way. She
is lit up by a candle light which makes the atmosphere dark and gloomy.
There is limited cinematography used in the opening. For example, most of the clips
are establishing shots of the bedroom and hall way. This is to set the scene of the
house and make the audience aware of the location. The only close up shots are of
the lava lamp to show the child’s age and that he is young and vulnerable. The last
close up is of the old scary women at the end of the corridor. This is to make the
audience scared and to make them feel intimidated. It also gives them insight to the
rest of the film. The camera pans around the house from room to room. Almost like a
house tour in the dark.
Within the opening, for the first 1 minute 50 seconds there are no edits. The shots
are completely straight running with no cuts. The first cut is after we see the shadow
in the hallway. This could be to get the audience’s attention and to keep them
gripped to the film. They can relate to the film clip with an ongoing cut to keep
attentions drawn in. As the camera pans around the house there is no real reason to
have a scene cut within the scenes.
The music used is all non-diegetic. The music is loud and mysterious. Almost deathly
music which puts the audience on edge and also tells the audience that there is
suspense in the atmosphere. This will cause an intense feeling in the audience’s
minds. There are no diegetic sounds as the opening is set to set the audience’s
emotions for the rest of the film and let them know what they’re in for in the rest of
the film.