Solo Trailer Analysis

Name of Film: Annabelle                                                           Year Released: 2014


Genre of Trailer: Horror                                                             Mark after viewing: 6

A husband buys his pregnant wife and new doll to add the the collection they a creating for the arrival of their baby, however the newest doll seems to be connected to the spiritual world.

Parts of the trailer that I thought were good were the use of creepy dolls near the beginning that subtly start to frighten you and I think that the storyline itself is scary. I also think that there is a great use of collision cutting and fast montages of flashes of action and I also think the creepy parallel music helps to make the audience feel scared.

However there are a few things that I don't like about this trailer, the first one being that it has a bit of a slow start because it isn't until almost half way through the trailer something remotely shocking happens. I also didn't like the design of the inter-titles and I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a jump scare at the end of the trailer.

Solo Trailer Analysis

Name of Film: Paranormal Activity 4                                         Year Released: 2012


Genre of Trailer: Horror                                                              Mark after viewing: 8/10

 This trailer shows what to appears to be an orphan child move in with his neighbours which strangely triggers their house to become haunted.

Good points and parts of the trailer which I liked were the use of different kinds of cameras such as the CCTV footage and handheld camera as I think this made the storyline feel more authentic and realistic. I also thought it was clever to include a jump scare near the start of the trailer as this grabs the spectator's attention straight away and keeps you alert for the rest of the trailer, and I really liked the special fx used in this trailer, my favourite one being when the girl levitates off of her bed.

However one bad point that I found in this trailer is that personally I think that the plot is weak and doesn't have enough depth, this could just be down to the fact that not enough of the storyline was shown in the trailer to interest the audience.

Solo Trailer Analysis

Name of Film: Insidious: Chapter 2                                              Year Released:2013

Genre of Trailer: Horror                                                                Mark after viewing: 8/10

The trailer shows the haunted Lambert family seeking to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.

Good points and parts of the trailer that I enjoyed were that establishes the storyline at the beginning of the trailer so that the audience have a sense of what is going on and are immediately put into the world of the film. I also liked the creepy soundtrack used to bring back nostalgic childhood memories and the use of slow to quick montage and collision cutting to create suspense.  There were parts of the trailer that made me jump and made me felt scared which meant it was doing its job correctly. 

However there are just a couple of aspects of the trailer that I would change/didn't like personally, which are; the slow beginning, although it established the plot I felt like it could have been shortened as many people know part of the story from the first film. I also didn't like the pacing within the middle of the trailer as I felt it went in a slow- to -quick -to- slow pattern. 

Existing Trailer Analysis

Name of film: 30 Days of Night                                                      Year Released: 2007

Genre of Trailer: Horror                                                                   Mark after viewing: 7/10

This trailer shows an Alaskan town which is plunged into darkness for a month, and is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires.

Positive aspects within this trailer which I enjoyed were that it was fast paced and started with a jump scare focusing the audience’s attention straight away. I also liked the look of the ‘grubby’ filter throughout the trailer as I think it reflects the content of the film. I enjoyed the clever use of collision cutting and that the trailer finishes with lots of explosions as it is a good way to end it and I thought that it was clever that the vampires aren’t shown that much to add mystery and intrigue the audience to go and watch the film.

However some aspects of the trailer that I didn’t like so much, was that there was perhaps too many clips and the trailer was quite long, and also I would use less fade transitions.

Existing Trailer Analysis

Name of film: Evil Dead                                                                   Year Released: 2013

Genre of Trailer: Horror                                                                   Mark after viewing: 9/10

The trailer shows a young woman suffering from cabin fever and going insane and also running through the woods surrounding the cabin which is a typical horror setting. It then shows a quick montage of the gory things in which the demon girl does.

Positive comments I have to make about trailer are that it is definitely scary as there is genuine horrific parts such as the graphic tongue cut and also the eyes of the girls are quite scary but this is to be expected in a red band trailer. I also liked the sound effects, and the way the music fits the inter-titles very dramatically and tells the audience the story in a less boring fashion. I enjoyed the use of collision cutting throughout and the quick flashes of action.

However a couple of aspects of the trailer that I thought were unsuccessful or could be improved on was that the trailer revealed too much of the plot and also the use of un-realistic puke.

Existing Trailer Analysis

Name of film: Cloverfield                                        Year Released: 2008

Genre of Trailer: Horror                                          Mark after viewing: 9/10

The trailer starts at a party which is interrupted by strange explosions going on outside, the whole of the party rushes outside to see what is going on when they see the head of the statue of liberty tumbling down the street, with lots of explosions still going on.

Things that I found positive within this trailer were the use of handheld camera as it made the trailer more jumpy, the trailer doesn’t reveal much of the plot and leaves the spectator wanting to know what’s next. I also liked the use of collision cutting as the trailer transforms from a jolly party atmosphere to ‘jerky’ shots of explosion. I think that an interesting scene was chosen for this ‘scene trailer’ and it is also ideal for its target audience of 18-25 year olds.

However a couple aspects which I thought were possibly unsuccessful were; including a whole scene from the film as that could be  could be risky, and also some people may be put off because handheld camera is used.

REAR WINDOW (1954)

    Director: Alfred Hitchcock         Genre: Thriller/Horror

Brief Plot Outline: A wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed a murder.

Two scenes that impressed me during this film were first of all the scene where Lisa (a blonde female) slid the note written by Jefferson under the possible murderer’s door as she is challenging character stereotypes, this is also very brave of her considering the historical context of the film. I was also impressed with the scene featuring the re-occurring detective, as I was expecting something exciting to happen or some new information to be revealed, but he just acted as a suspense mechanism to add to the suspense of the film keeping the audience on the edge of their seat.

Watching this film has helped me understand this genre of film making (thriller/horror) because it included the majority of the popular genre conventions, which are used in horror today. This is surprising as Read Window was made in 1954 before horror as a genre really boomed, also this film was made 6 years before Psycho which helped start the rise of horror films.

Some of the conventions which included in this film are close-ups these are used when Lisa creeps up on Scotty to surprise him so you can see her facial expressions clearly but this could also link to Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory as the close-ups could have been used to focus on her beauty. Restricted narration is used in the scenes where the murder takes place, no body horror and very little violence is on screen as Hitchcock was still working under the Hays’ Code. Low-key lighting a lot, particularly during the scenes when Scotty is spying on his neighbors with binoculars as he doesn’t want to be spotted, this also gives the scenes a creepier feel. All of these conventions are still popular in horrors today especially the psychological kind.

Aspects from this film which I would like to include when making my own trailer would be the stylish mise-en-scene as even though the film is considered a horror it was still visually stimulating. I would also like to create carefully crafted suspense that keeps the spectator at the edge of their seat, perhaps something similar to the scene when Lisa and Stella go over to find some evidence at the murderer’s apartment. I would also like to include the theme of voyeurism as this was an important aspect that run through ‘Rear Window’ (1954) as personally I found it enjoyable and makes you feel more immersed in the film, for example in the scene when get POV shot from Jefferson looking through the windows of the ballet dancer, the newly-wed couple and also the piano player.

However I would perhaps avoid including as much romance as this film within my horror trailer, even though I think the relationship between Lisa and Jefferson add tension in some of the scenes where Lisa took risks and Jefferson would be unable to do anything as he was in a wheelchair.

The best aspect for me, was the ending of the film and finding out that the neighbour was a killer all along, as throughout the film it could have gone either way; for example the detective dismissing any of Jefferson’s observations. An enjoyable part was seeing Lisa and Stella taking action in investigating and taking risks, being female heroes.

Rear Window (1954) shows the influence of its auteur – Alfred Hitchcock. Firstly by building suspense, and this film proves why Hitchcock was nicknamed the “Master of Suspense”. In a scene such as the one when Lisa delivers the note written by Jefferson to the suspected killer’s apartment there is very little dialogue in the scene, this probably because Hitchcock loved silent cinema and Soviet montage (such as Battleship Potemkin) which are films from the 1920’s. We are also watching from a voyeuristic perspective which is a key theme that runs through Rear Window and also aspects of voyeurism have played a part in other famous Hitchcock films such as Psycho (1960). This is because in reality Alfred Hitchcock was a voyeur obsessed by blonde women, so it is no coincidence that the leading female Lisa (played by Grace Kelly) is in fact blonde as many other female protagonists in his films were.

Class Research: Favourite Type of Horror

Here is a pie chart of the data collected when asking my class what they're favorite sub genre of horror is. Personally my favorite sub-genre  is psychological so i am placed within the biggest 6th of the pie chart. 

Class Poster Idea