INSIDIOUS (2010)
From the beginning we know we are in the horror genre as the font effects on the title are typical. The title slowly zooms in and the eerie, lighting connotes things going wrong, breaking down. We then fade up to a man in an arm chair and there is fear in the mans voice which suggests something isn't normal.slow zoom to the man's head is followed by a distorted suburban landscape, shot with a fish eye lens, which again connotes normality going wrong. The introduction of a mother and child gives us two potential victims (innocence which will be corrupted) and the normal happy family scenes work to suggest that all this happiness will be destroyed. The music is contrapuntal and hints at this. In the second stage of the trailer there are many zooms and tracks and point of view shots; this constantly moving camera is typical of the genre and the POV shots put the audience into the position of the characters, enhancing our identification with their terror. Shadows, weird angles (like the birds eye shot from the stairs) and the constantly moving, searching camera, which picks out frightening details like the rocking horse, all tell us we are in the territory of the classic supernatural horror film. The pace of editing speeds up steadily as our heart rate increases. The is a ticking sound in the trailer which suggests there is a countdown a builds suspense and increases panic as the speed of the ticking increases.
ANNABELLE -
The trailer starts with the conventional low-key lighting with a small house set in what seems like the middle of nowhere, instantly creating an eerie tone. Two potential victims are in the next shot which is followed by a panoramic shot of the street, and this wide shot is empty which creates a feeling of loneliness and isolation. The trailer uses silence and then a loud sound to increase heart rates of the audience, and a sudden movement of the potential victim makes the audience think for a second that it's the appearance of Annabelle. The lighting stays very low key and the music is contrapuntal which connotes scary things, or that they are not alone in their house. This is then evident that they are not alone when in the next shot there is a women in a white dress with a face that isn't visible appears holding a doll. This type of character is very conventional of a typical horror film. There is a whisper of 'I like your dolls' which makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, this also suggests that the household contains a lot of dolls which are considered to be scary by a lot of the audience. There is a quick sequence of short cut shots which create a feeling of panic and action. The production companies are listed in the middle of the trailer after this, and the production companies are well known for the right reasons, which will only attract the audience to want to watch the film more. The family move house after the haunted encounter and there is soothing music which makes it seem like everything is okay, until an evil doll (Annabelle) is unpacked which immediately restores the sense of fear and creates suspense. When the doll is placed on the shelf the camera focuses on it which allows the audience to realize the doll isn't an ordinary doll and that the new movers have made a mistake by bringing it with them. Typical doors slamming, children crying and old clocks ticking can be seen and heard.
THE CONJURING -
The first scene is of an old looking house in a rural setting, which is typical for trailers of the horror genre. The children seem happy but the dark surroundings can only suggest that something bad is waiting to happen. The trailer starts of with happy music and everyone acting positively. There is a scene of the long, old fashioned upstairs with a shadow of one of the potential victims which looks scary and there are shadows present which is very typical. The camera angles of the following shots become very unusual, some are point of view shots and others are handheld shots, which create a feeling of uncertainty and that things aren't completely calm. There is a noise coming from the wardrobe which is when the happy music stops. The characters are playing a game of hide and seek at this point in time meaning the person who is in the room at the time the noise was made probably isn't phased by the noise, which helps engage the audience of the trailer. The doors of the wardrobe then open by themselves, with no one inside the wardrobe. This creates a supernatural/paranormal feeling, the scene then changes to get the audience wanting to know more. The women is blind folded and walks towards the empty wardrobe and says 'I can hear you breathing' even though there is no one visible. This creates even more fear and raises the heart rate levels of the audience. The hiding child then makes herself visible from outside of the room which leaves the women confused as she heard something coming from the wardrobe. Contrapuntal music starts at this point suggesting that something doesn't quite add up. 'Based on a true story' is such a good thing to include in a horror trailer as it adds to the fear as what they the audience are seeing is actually realistic and feasible. A zoomed in shot of the old house looks very scary as it's in the middle of nowhere which is conventional. The door is open and there are also mirrors in the room which make the audience panic and wonder if anything is going to appear as scary laughing noises start to be heard.
