The film opening of Insidious establishes the horror genre through its eerie music, slow edits, and focus on an empty house filled with ghostly shadows. Key conventions like establishing titles in a chilling red font and highlighting important props like a grandfather clock build mystery and unease. Throughout, unanswered questions like who the ghostly woman is and what threatens the seemingly happy family in a photo maintain a sense of enigma.

1. Insidious Film Opening Analysis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1e1feo4DUk

2. Conventions of film openings
In film opening we expect to see:
• The genre being made clear
• Key characters established
• Music
• Intro / some text/ narration
• Titles – key personnel/film name/ film production
company
• The film location
• Enigma

3. Conventions in Insidious film opening:
• Genre made clear by the music and the slow
edits in the film opening.
• Music is eerie helping emphasise the genre
• Titles – film production company, actors, film
name etc.
• The film location is a empty house being a
convention of the horror genre.
• A lot of enigma

4. Insidious (2010)
Insidious is a film, from the makers of Saw and Paranormal
Activity, about a family who have recently moved into there
idyllic new home. When tragedy strikes their young son they
begin to experience things that no one can explain. Before long,
their lives are turned upside down and when forced to seek help
they discover the truth that it isn’t the house that is haunted it is
something a lot worse.
Director: James Wan
Writer: Leigh Whannell
Main actors: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins
Genre: Horror
bbfc rating: 15

5. At the start of the opening we see a young child in bed,
sleeping. We then get led through the house and see a shadow
in the window, and then we get close to the shadow which turns
out to be a ghostly woman. We then see the title of the film and
go on to another location. At the other location we get show all
the different rooms in the house. In most of the shots we see a
ghostly happening or a shadow of some sort.
Summary of the film opening

6. Mise-en-Scene
Props-The grandfather clock is featured quite a
lot in the opening of Insidious showing it is
important. The clock fits the conventions of a
horror film
Lighting- Throughout the opening the lighting is low key suggesting it
is mysterious, also in some shots there is only a certain part of the
room highlighted and the rest is black, showing the importance of
the certain place also suggesting something is hidden. This links to
the conventions of the genre horror
Actors- We only see a picture of the main characters in a family
photo. In the photo they look to be a happy family, smiling and all
in pale clothing suggesting their innocence. However the adult
male in the photo isn’t smiling and has a very stern look on his
face, suggesting he isn’t as innocent as first thought. He is holding
his family quite close showing he is protective.
Setting- The location of the opening is the family
home of the main characters, the audience sees
all the different rooms, because it is in black and
white it is fairly spooky and uncomfortable. In the
rooms we can see that the family has just moved
in as there is cardboard boxes.

7. EditingThe editing is quite slow, giving the audience a chance to take it
all in and a sense of enigma.
After every shot there is a fade out from one shot and another
fade into the next making it look mysterious, also when we go
into the next shot it is unfocused suggesting confusion within
the house.
The film opening is in black and white apart from the beginning
giving a sense of unease. The connotations of black is evil and
mystery and the connotations of white are purity, goodness and
innocence giving the idea that in this film there will be a clash
of good and evil.
The titles are in red, red in this format connotes danger/blood/
gore.
There is a long shot on the grandfather clock down a corridor,
we can only make out the clock. There is then a jump cut
bringing us closer to the clock with a flickering glow around it
suggesting it is significant but why? Links to the conventions of
the genre.

8. CameraWe see an establishing shot at the new
location to set the scene, and to tell the
audience where they are.
There is an aerial shot looking down the
staircase and a shadow at the bottom,
also being a point of view shot showing
something is watching and giving a sense
of enigma.
The slight dutch tilt on the clock gives a
sense of confusion and unease.

9. Sound
In the opening there is non-diegetic music, at the beginning the
music is a sort of ringing in your ear echoing sound. When we first
see the shadow we hear high pitch violin being played fast.(1m28)
There isn’t a sound bridge to emphasise shock of seeing the
shadow.
When we get close the woman’s face it goes quiet and then the
title shows up with the high pitch music again(1m47) to make the
audience jump, again no sound bridge.
After the title the rest of the opening has a eerie, mysterious feel
to the music, to give a sense of unease.

10. Titles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1e1feo4DUk
The titles of the film production company, main actors, director etc. is in a chilling red
font.
Below is an example of how the titles are edited.
First we just get
shown the titles in a
harsh, unfriendly font,
linking to the genre
The words then fade
upwards and the
writing becomes
lighter
The words then go
into a pale blue and
clouds out, making it
seem more ghostly
The writing left
then fades out
letter by letter
All of this links to the conventions of a horror film. It gives the
audience a sense that it is a ghostly, creepy film

11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i
0uiAOk76I
The title of the film is in a red font, and the ends of the letters look
demon/ devil like. In the film opening we see that the title is flickering
and looks as if there is fire underneath it, we can also see the shadow
of the letters behind it. Linking to hell, devils, evil etc.

12. Enigma
Why is the house empty?
Why don’t we meet any of the characters?
Where are the family in the photo?
Why is the grandfather clock so important?
What is going to happen to the family?
Who is the old women at the start?
Why are there ghostly shadows?