The document provides an analysis of the movie trailer for the supernatural horror film "Sinister". It summarizes that the trailer establishes the film's genre through its narrative, characters, dialogue, and imagery that create an unsettling atmosphere and code of mystery. Technical elements like transitions, camera shots, music, and conventions are used to startle the audience and build suspense. The analysis concludes that the non-linear trailer successfully promotes the film and intrigues viewers to learn more about the dark secrets uncovered by a family in their new home.

2. Sinister was released in October 2012, it is a supernatural horror film about a
family moving into a new home.
• The poster for the film shows a young girl
brushing the wall with her hand, leaving
blood stains on the wall. It says “Once you
see him, anything can see you”, which
creates a fear of the unknown. It could
suggest that this child is vulnerable and
helpless and that she has been targeted by
this anonymous being which is depicted in
the blood smear. Coupled with this
personal language, the face in the blood
which seems to be staring at the audience
creates an uncomfortable feeling.
• It states that this film was produced by the
same person who made ‘Paranormal
Activity’ and ‘Insidious’. It is this film’s
unique selling point as both titles are
popular and successful movies in the
horror genre.
• The colour of the poster seems drained
and bleak, creating a dark and eerie
atmosphere.

3. Genre
The horror genre is identified through the diegetic sound, non diegetic sound, the
narrative, costume/make-up and props. For example the audience hear a news reporter
saying “Gruesomely murdered family” who used to live in the house shown in this
establishing wide shot below.
Another example which identifies the genre is the character called Bagul . His make-up
creates a clown-like face which is white with dark circles around his eyes. In the trailer the
audience are told that this character can “Consume the souls of human children”. This
dialogue combined with the image of Bagul injects fear into the audience because of the
power this being holds. Stereotypically, children are scared of clowns which increases
Bagul’s spine chilling nature. This character alone enhances the horror genre. He is
noticeably the antagonist in the film by his image.

4. Audience Research
“The subject matter of the trailer
established the genre”
I agree with this statement because throughout the trailer, the narrative of the
film was made clear to the audience. Even though there was a fear of the
unknown when the father discovers tapes, the audience see the fearful character
that is spoken about in the trailer many times which heightens the fear for the
audience. If Bagul is shown on camera, it makes the audience question what he is
going to do. It makes the audience question what will happen creating a code of
enigma.
“The dialogue said in the trailer strikes
fear into the audience”
The dialogue goes hand in hand with the narrative in this trailer. When the father says
“I’ve got a really good feeling about this”, the audience knows that something is bound
to go wrong. People empathise with the character because they know they are going
to watch the father and family fall into a horrible trap to break the positivity and
equilibrium.

5. Target Audience
As the film is about a family with young children, I believe
the film targets 25-30 year olds. This is because a lot of
people aim to start a family between these ages, and it could
reflect an audience’s personal life. For example: moving
house, having young children and developing their career .
This film is aimed at both male and females.
The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) classed
Sinister as a 15 and said it contains strong violence and
horror.

6. The trailer lasts for two minutes and thirty one seconds.
There were a lot of shots shown in the trailer and some were
too fast to count, but I counted around one hundred and
thirty five shots, it created a sense of disorder.
Code of Enigma
How are the family going to escape
this fearful being?
What happens to the children?
Why did the family have to
move house?
There are many questions that the
audience would like to ask when watching
the trailer. Such as: What happend to the
family who were murdered? Other
examples of questions the audience may
ask are in the box to the right.

7. Transitions
• Fade to black
• Digital Effects
• Cuts
• Jump to
black
The trailer in the beginning used fade to black
transitions to show a steady pace in the trailer. As
the equilibrium was broken there were conventional
jump cuts to increase the drama.
Digital effects were used to enhance the horror,
such as the flash of a camera creating a bright light
with a warm glow afterwards. There were constant
references to the video camera throughout and so
intertwined it into the transitions.
Towards the end of the trailer, there were jump to
black cuts to show only sudden movements on
screen, it created a powerful ending because of the
immediate darkness on screen. Examples are shown
above.

8. Camera Shots
This wide shot shows pictures of the crime scene
outside the family’s house. The body’s being laid
next to each other shows that this being, Bagul
targeted each member of the family, not just the
child. This image could represent an identity parade
because it looks like they have been lined up and
Bagul identified how to target each and every one of
them.
The medium wide shot is a very strong
image. The bright light on the video
camera shining could represent Bagul’s
power over the people who live in this
house. The father turns and shields his
face showing he is afraid of what he has
seen on the screen. The picture is slightly
distorted on the left side because of the
beam of light, it reflects the distortion the
father feels after seeing a terrifying
image.

9. The symbol of Bagul is shown throughout the
trailer. This close up shows it painted on a
wall next to a body. The colour seems drained
and the wall looks dilapidated. It could reflect
the walls of the house the family have moved
into: scarred and fragile.
This medium wide close up on the fathers face
is chilling because of Bagul’s face in the
background moving in the computer screen
showing he is watching him. The lighting in this
image keeps the fathers face in darkness so
that the audience focus on Bagul’s face. It
inserts fear into the audience as he is looking
straight into the camera, it makes them feel
targeted.
The close up on the film tape in the fire
reflects Bagul’s memories burning into
hell. It represents the actions he has
caused and shows the importance of the
film tape in the movie.

10. Titles
The titles are directed towards the
audience using personal language
such as ‘you’. They make the
audience fear the being of Bagul as
much as the family are on screen
even though he is seen to be a
fictional character.
It says ‘Nothing can save you’,
showing that there is no escape
from his spirit.
The font is ‘Sinister’ in itself as it
gives the appearance that each
letter is bleeding. Adding to this, the
background could represent stone
giving the impression they are grave
stones adding to haunting feel.
The trailer also includes a Facebook
page at the end, showing its
targeting it’s audience over
different media platforms.

11. Diegetic sound
The first dialogue the audience hears is “Gruesomely murders of a local family”,
showing the establishing shot of the house. This lets the audience know that
death is associated with this house and to fear it as soon as they see it. The
young girl says “I didn’t want to move here”, reflecting her feelings on the
house showing it isn’t her fault she gets targeted by Bagul.
The father says “The only link between these cases is this symbol”, there are
shots of the symbol throughout the trailer reminding the audience Bagul is
always watching. It is associated with fear and death. Also the audience hear
that pictures are “Gateways into his relm”, this strikes fear towards the
audience because they may feel if they look at the picture too he will come
after their child.
The young boy screaming is very disturbing because it shows that Bagul is
trying to take over him and he sounds like he is in immense pain. It is hard for
the audience to watch because it is uncomfortable. The father says “We have to
leave here now” showing he knows it has all gone too far but the audiences
questions whether they can escape.

12. Non-diegetic sound
The trailer opens with a powerful drum beat reflecting a heart beat, it makes the
audience engaged as soon as it starts because it grabs their attention. The use of
silence when it says “9 months later” shows that the new family who are moving
to the house don’t know what they have gotten themselves into, they are
unaware of the situation.
The non-diegetic music is quite soft and quiet during the beginning section of
the trailer, this continues until the attic is seen. There is silence and then a deep
sound, almost as if a man is singing which is intimidating.
The sound of the camera weaves in and out of the trailer but is heard
predominately in the last couple of shots. It suggests that the camera plays a
large role in the movie and it is eerie to see disturbing shots at the same time. It
could suggest that their story is also being filmed like other families were.
There were stereotypical drum beats throughout the trailer, with high pitched
sounds making the audience feel tense. The non-diegetic music crescendos
throughout the piece, ending with a loud manly scream which terrifies the
audience and makes them jump. It is effective as it shows the action in the film
gets more dark as it goes on.

13. Narrative & Plot
Sinister is a film about a crime writer
who moves house with his family. In this
new home he finds home movies of a
past family who lived there and he
uncovers dark secrets.
The trailer creates a sense of narrative
mostly though dialogue, props, titles
and mise-en-scene. An example of this is
the title saying “9 months later”,
showing the story travels through a
period of time.

14. Characters
The main characters shown in the trailer are: the family who previously lived in the
house, the new family and Bagul. The family who’s lives were taken away from them
seemed like a close unit in the home movies before Bagul became involved. Their
youngest daughter who is circled in the image above is very similar to the young girl in
the family who now live in the house. We see in the trailer that she gets targeted too.
The crime writer and his wife are very happy together and believe they are starting a
new chapter in their life, it is questionable whether there is a break down in their
relationship as Bagul enters their life.

15. Make Up
The young girl has blood on her forehead running down her face and she also has
marks on her nose and neck. It is a haunting image because the audience don’t
know where that blood has come from, it doesn’t seem to phase her. The young
boy bending out of the box has cloudy eyes, which are contact lenses. It reflects
that he is getting possessed by Bagul, and his positioning of his body is
uncomfortable to look at. The character of Bagul has a white face with dark black
circles around his eyes and a black mouth, it is scary to look at.

16. Mise-en-Scene
There are two establishing shots of the house, but there is a difference in lighting. In
the light it looks like a stereotypical American suburban family house, but in the dark
it is misty, eerie and mystical making the audience fear it more.
The props used are what the audience
expect to see in a horror film. The axe
and knife reflect there is a battle. The
axe is being dragged across the floor
suggesting that the child may be
carrying it because its too heavy for her
to lift.

17. Expectations Mood
The audience expect to see:
• Blood
• Death
• Struggle
• Children
• Symbolism
The mood of the film is very
dark. It is ‘Sinister’ for the
audience and they feel
targeted. It is jumpy,
psychological and eerie.

18. Conventions
Used
The title appearing at the end
of the trailer.
A montage of scenes.
The trailer builds to a
climax where it ends.
The main characters are
shown.
Dramatic non-diegetic music
to create an atmosphere.

19. The Film
Critic Reviews “ Sinister delivers a surprising
number of fresh, diabolical twists” –
rottentomatoes.com
- The film was directed by Scott Derrikson and it was released in 2012.
- It lasts 110 minutes, the trailer only last 2:31 and therefore the montage
shown had to sell the movie with only a glimpse of what goes on.

20. Trailer Overall
• The trailer is used as a promotional device and I believe it is
successful because when I was given audience feedback 100%
said they would like to see or have seen this movie.
• The trailer follows a non-linear structure and therefore creates a
sense of distortion for the audience, making them question what
will happen in the actual film.
• Personally, the trailer to me is engrossing and eye-catching
whilst building the suspense throughout. It is supported by a
strong plot line with a mixture of classic aspects of horror and
also innovative techniques, which overall together successfully
make the audience want to watch the film.