Paranormal Activity Trailer Analysis - Horror

The first shot in the trailer tells us about the first people who saw the film. Throughout the trailer we see the audience in the cinema who are terrified as they watch. This shows the audience of the trailer how scary it is by capturing the genuine reactions of a crowd of people. The only sound we can hear is a quiet low pitched hum, something that is common in horror films as it builds suspense. The whole trailer is mainly dialogue which tells us what the film is about. In one of the shots the non-diegetic music stops to build the suspense of the trailer, also, this particular point in the trailer - when we see the bed mysteriously moving while they are asleep - could show us what they can hear while they sleep, which is nothing signifying they are clueless to what is happening. After this, we hear a series of large bangs followed by dialogue showing the audience different points in the film, making them want to watch the film to find out what happens in them.

Intruders Trailer Analysis - Horror

The first few shots shows a happy family, however this is about to take a dramatic turn. We see one of the children in bed and the uplifting music ceases. We then hear a door creaking. Due to there being no diegetic sound we are able to hear exactly what she can hear, creating suspense. We then see different cuts of the two children supposedly seeing a monster and having nightmares. The dialogue shows that like a typical family, the parents try to reassure the children that there are no monsters. We then start to hear large bangs in the non-diegetic sound, possibly signifying a countdown, during this we are shown different shots involving the two differend children, one of which is showing a flickering light, which is a common horror convention as it shows that something is going to happen due to there being someone who is making the lights flicker. Then we are shown a relatively quiet seen to build suspense as they are building up to a big moment, after which we see fast paced cuts between the two children of silhouettes of the 'monster' which ends with shots of a police car one of the children speaking to someone in a light room, signifying safety, this shot is also filmed behind bars, adding to the safety of the place. We then see a plot twist in the form of more fast paced cuts with dialogue saying that there was no monster in the first place, proven by CCTV. A lot of horror film trailers have fast paced shots in them, similiarly to action films however they are creating a different picture in the audiences mind, in horror films, it shows the main theme of the movie coming to life, making it scary, however in action films the fast paced cuts show that there is fighting or other action. During the fast paced cuts in the trailer, we can hear non-diegetic sound gradually building up to a point at the end of the trailer where we see the title.

Ouija Trailer Analysis - Horror

The opening shot shows a dialogue between two people, showing that one of them is going to be at home on their own, also, we can see that it is night time, making it seem darker and spookier. we then see a close up of the character at home with a door swinging behind her, she then turns around as if she is scared at the movement. This is reinforced by the following shots where she is walking cautiously around the house while the music builds suspense. We then get a close up of her feet as she steps on an odd shaped item. This item obviously causes something to happen as after this scene we see a series of fast cuts with screaming, ending with a shot of her hanging from the top of the stairs, which cuts to the universal animation. This tells us the main plot of the story is centered around this house and what has happened there. In the next few shots we see her friends talking about wanting to connect with the person who died, so they go back to the house. We see an over the shoulder shot focusing on the 'Ouija' board, meaning this will have a significant part in the film. The non-diegetic music contains things that are common for horror films, for example a child laughing and a deep thumping, like a heart beat. It then goes silent as we see a birds eye view of the 5 people, and we hear a diegetic sound of a ghost like sound in the house somewhere. This is the only point in the trailer when there is no music to create suspense, however the suspense is still created through the silence. There are frequent bangs throughout the trailer in the non-diegetic sound, this could signify a clock, ticking as they run out of time, it could also signify a heartbeat, adding to the suspense of the trailer. A lot of the shots are fast paced and are only on the screen for a short time, showing the paniced nature of their situation. Later on in the trailer, we are shown a shot in a bathroom, while one of the characters is flossing her teeth, we then see an extreme close up of her eyes as her mouth suddenly gets stitched together. The very fast paced shots in this scene show her sudden terror as she realises. Lastly throughout the trailer in many of the shots there is a lot of flashing, this is something that happens often in horror films, usually when a light is flickering, adding to the suspense of the trailer.