Analysis of horror trailer

This film trailer shows conventions of the horror genre in many ways. At the beginning of the trailer you can already see conventions of the horror genre by the use of the technical code. Music starts to play its a ambient sound to set the atmosphere. Its quite a depressing, sad sound. Its quite high pitched as well so it sounds mysterious. Then you hear a voice of a women, she sounds quite nervous and she talks about how she is going to an orphanage. The ambient high pitched music plays on till 30 seconds in the trailer. The music then goes quite lower and serious faster and creeper. Its kind of sounds like a warning, especially to the audience. Then at 40 seconds into the trailer Esther (the orphan) gets bullied and the music then goes much louder and darker, this shows conventions of horror by creating a scary atmosphere. It then gets much louder and sharper conveying actions that are happening in the trailer. The music connects to different parts of the trailer and it gives it more of an impact on the major parts.


Also other conventions of the trailer that tell us that it is a horror movie is the setting of the film. At the beginning of the film it tells you that you are at an orphanage. Many horror films settings are at medical institutions or places with a 'past'. These type of places are suppose to create a scary atmosphere and this defiantly tells me that the genre of the film is horror. Also the last part of the trailer shows that the main characters live in a house, in the country. This also helps convey its a horror genre as its an isolated area in the countryside. Looks like a big house, so many different parts to it like different levels. For places with secrets to inhabit there. Its also i place where you can relate to, where you maybe would live or a place familiar to you. Where you wouldn't expect anything bad to happen. Also the weather throughout the film is in winter, icy roads, snow and dark nights connote danger and horror.




Throughout the trailer the use of camera work is very important and it helps convey to the audience that it the film is a horror. The use of the camera is very expressive, using weird low angles to show the killer look threatening and its also connotes invasion to personal space, makes you feel victimized and scared. In the trailer these are shown at, 0:52, 1:18 and 1:35. The use of ECUs on victims are shown in the trailer. When one of the other children are being victimized by the killer this is shown at 2:12 and also when the mother is driving there is also a CU at 2:15.


The colours used in the tralier show darkness, evil. There is lots of dark colours like blacks but also the weather in the trailer shows this colour of darkness as well. The lighting in the trailer at the beginning is very natural creating a normal atmosphere. Although during the trailer it does change, when the killer is angry the lighting goes very dark and almost it looks black. This is at 0:49. At 1:30 in the trailer the lighting goes very expressive and bright. Makes it look very non-naturalistic. This connotes mystery and that it keeps you suspended throughout as you can quite see who it is as the lighting is bright. You want to find out what happens, which connotes to the horror genre the edge of mystery that keeps you hooked but also anxious. At 1:34 in the trailer the lighting then goes very dark. Still keeping it natural as its during the night, but it still creates the air of darkness and keeps the audience scared. Again at 1:59 the lighting is still used expressively and dark. This doesn't look at natural now, and it connotes the feeling of horror and hell. As you watch the trailer you can notice a selection of objects that could be used at weapons. At 1:51 there is a fire that the killer has started which connotes danger. At 2:08 there is a clip where you can see a victim with what it looks like a needle or some other long sharp object in her mouth. This connotes the horror genre of the movie, to show weapons and this also creates the feeling of torture. The iconography of childhood is a major part of this film/trailer. The innocence at the beginning of a child makes the film feel mysterious and makes the innocence look fake. At the last couple of seconds of the trailer the child whom is the killer sings a sweet innocent song which some viewers might find this disturbing and frightening which connotes the conventions of the horror genre.


The narrative structure is clear in the the trailer. Its how the binary oppositions abound how the innocence of the little girl can make her evil and her singing nursery rhymes and the way she is dressed looks like she is a doll connotes evil and acts on the fact that it 'messes with your mind' this comes across as disturbing towards the audience. This is why it works very well with horror by underlying the mythic structures.


The character types that you can see in the trailer remind you and tell you that it could be a horror. The innocent girl and happy family tell you that its too perfect to be real. The use of children is quite popular within horror today, this plays on the differences of people.


The theme for this film is the hidden evil inside.