Horror Trailers

Leah Fisher

The Woman In Black

Shot 1 Shot 2

4 seconds- The trailer begins with the introduction of production companies for the film. Ambient sound of a train can be heard but not seen at this point. The colours red and black connote death.

20 seconds- This wide shot shows the horse and carriage in the background with a religious cross in the foreground which connotes death. This symbol is shown throughout the trailer. Nondiegetic music of a harp is being played.

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Shot 4

26 seconds- A high angle shot of inside the house gives the idea that something bigger is about to come. The actor here seems inferior. The dark gloominess of the house gives the impression it has been empty for years. This shot also gives the impression that someone is watching him from at the top of the stairs.

46 seconds- This point of the trailer is where the tension builds and the equilibrium is disrupted (Todorovs theory of disequilibrium) There is a montage of different events at fast paced editing which also builds tension. The shot of the black crow connotes death.

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Shot 6

54 seconds- The long/wide shot of the three girls in their bedroom represents innocence. However, the way that they are standing at the window tells the audience that something isnt quite right. Their old clothing shows that this is a flashback and something may have happened to them.

58 seconds- The high angle shot shows outside at night during a thunderstorm, a typical setting used in a horror film. This is because it reinforces fear in the audience. The symbol of the cross is shown again here which tells the audience it is an important icon. The dark figure also adds mystery.

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Shot 8

1.09- This is the climax of the trailer where the crescendo and fast paced music builds tension. This shot of a muddy person screaming is cleverly placed here to make the audience jump and become scared.

1.30- After the action has fallen, the trailer reinforces the name of the film. The way that the title is written should coincide with the film poster as the writing would be somewhat of an image to the film which makes it easier to identify.

The Conjuring
Shot 1 Shot 2

5 seconds- The trailer opens with the production companies that were used to make the film. After they have been introduced, the trailer goes straight into a documentary style footage. The use of equipment in this shot suggests there is something paranormal happening

29 seconds- The trailer cuts from footage to text where her it says Based on the true story of the Warrens which makes the audience feel more frightened for whats to come as it actually happened in real life. This is done to build tension.

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Shot 4

42 seconds- This establishing shot is when the house is introduced. We see it in the background of some trees and what we assume is the garden. It appears to be a night and the house looks old and secluded. This creates a tense and scary atmosphere. Nondiegetic music is played in the background.

51 seconds- In this high angle shot, everything becomes silent which builds tension, until all of a sudden a loud bang is heard and photos begin falling off the wall by themselves. This is purely done to make the audience jump and is the beginning of the climax of the trailer.

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Shot 6

1.08- In this shot, an image of a woman dangling from a tree is shown. The sound of a crescendo is also played which creates a very disturbing shot in order to make the scene more frightening as the audience dont realise it will happen. The costume looks quite old which gives the feeling that the murder happened years ago.

1.47- We have reached the climax of the trailer at this point and lots of different scenes used to frighten the audience are placed to create a truly frightening trailer. In this long shot of the house, we see police cars and a flock of crows, which suggests that something horrible has happened as crows connote death.

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Shot 8

2.08- After the action has fallen, the trailer reinforces the name of the film. The way that the title is written should coincide with the film poster as the writing would be somewhat of an image to the film which makes it easier to identify.

2.22- This close up shot here shows a bloody face of a woman used with prosthetic make up. This is a final attempt to make the audience truly frightened and is a common convention used in horror trailers.

House at the end of the Street

Shot 1 Shot 2

24 seconds- The trailer opens with the main female actor walking down a deserted road late at night, when a car drives past and stops next to her. This wide shot show her getting into the car with the sound of thunder in the background. This immediately builds tension.

38 seconds- This establishing shot is when the house first gets introduced. It looks quite old and abandoned and as if no one lives there. This a common convention used in horror films that are based around houses.

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Shot 4

49 seconds- This close up shot of a teenage girl is shown when the name Carrie- Anne Edwards is mentioned during a previous conversation. We find out that she killed both her parents. The audience can then realise that the girl in the shot must be her. This increases tension. Screaming is heard which is common sound convention in horror trailers.

1.33- A close up/ match on action shot of a door handle being turned and opened is shown here. The fact that the audience cant see who is turning the handle creates fear and enigma. Music gradually begins to get faster and creates a tense atmosphere.

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Shot 6

1.35- A close up shot of a knife is used as it creates fear in the audience as they are a common murder weapon used in horror trailers. Therefore, the audience begins to feel as though someone is possibly going to die.

1.45- This close up shot allows the audience to see the characters facial reaction to something she has seen that the audience hasnt yet. However, A blurred figure behind her shoulder is seen which makes the audience jump.

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Shot 8

2.13- For a few seconds, the screen is left blank and is silent apart from the sound of the female characters voice. This immediately creates a feeling of unknown and makes the audience anticipate something to happen that will really scare them.

2.19- The end of the trailer presents the name of the movie to reinforce the title. It should coincide with the poster as it helps audiences identify with it easier. The idea that the beginning letters of words are highlighted to reveal the word HATES is an artistic technique as it is extremely negative and is appropriate to the horror genre.