Horror Genre Analyisis

•       Sound:

•       Sound is very important within a Horror Films to help set the tone mood and atmosphere.

•       Non-diegetic music is used to reflect the narrative events such as the opening credits

•       Diegetic sound is used when the man at the start of the film is breathing really heavily and there is also banging sounds from when he is making his steel fingers this gives a scary feel to the scene which shows that it is a horror film.

•      Camera Angles:

•      A close-up shot is used when the camera is on the girl with a white background this shows she is scared also it is used to show the audience the character.

•      An establishing shot is used of the dark corridor this establishes where the narrative is going to take place.

•      A two shot is used of a man and a women kissing towards the end of the opening scene.

•      A tracking shot is used when he girl is running down the narrow corridor which helps build suspense 

•      Characters:

•      The main characters are introduced in the opening scene when the girl is introduced in the dark corridor also the main villain is also introduced right at the start but you do not see his face until near the end of the opening scene.The audience recognises that they are the main characters through the use of the dialogue/camera shots/events that they are involved in.

•      Narrative Events:

•      The opening scene features narrative events through the whole of the opening scene explain her thought though the scene.

•      Enigma codes:

•      Enigma codes are used to tease the audience and engage them in the narrative so they carry on watching the film. Certain enigmas are included in the opening such as puzzles about how she met him or knew about him or how she fell in love with him,questions are left unanswered about how they will get together or will they get together

•      Symbolic codes are shown in the mise-en-scene:

•      In the opening the audience would identify symbols in the genre such as the dark settings and quick shots to build up suspense these could make the audience feel/think that there is going to be scary parts within the film. 

•      Props/ costumes:

•      The audience can see that the main villain is making steel fingers which he will obviously use as a weapon of some sort this shows that there may be murders in the film which is typical of the genre because its scenes where murders occur are usually scary and that is the aim of a horror film, to scare you 

•      Clichés:

•      Noticeable clichés are used in the opening scene such as when she suddenly wakes up from having a bad dream, This engages the audience as they recognise these features and can predict what is going to happen in the narrative.

Drag Me To Hell

Released:	29th May 2009
Genre:	Horror, Thriller
Price:	D
Estimated box office:	£1,500,000
Director:	Sam Raimi
Film cast:	Flor De Maria Chahua, Justin Long, Alison Lohman, Jessica Lucas
Certificate:	15
Distributor:	Lionsgate Films
The Story:	An unsuspecting young woman (Lohman) becomes the recipient of a supernatural curse cast upon her by an older Eastern European woman who was defied and humiliated by others. •       Sound: •       Sound is very important within a horror film to help set the tone mood and atmosphere. •       Non-diegetic music is used to reflect the narrative events such as when the floor opens opens up. •       Diegetic sound is used in the dialogue between the characters when the boy is scared and he is telling his family what he saw. it reveals he is scared which  this shows that the genre is Horror •      Camera Angles: •      A close-up shot is used to show the boy wrapped up in a blanket looking very scared •      An establishing shot is used of the setting of the huge house this establishes where the narrative is going to take place. •      A two shot is used of the characters talking to each other to show their relationship being close as they start hugging •      A tracking shot follows the boy running out of the room into the landing where he looks down this reveals to the audience he is scared because of his facial expressions and he is running like he would for his life this engages the audience  because they will want to watch on to see what happens •      Characters: •      The main characters are introduced in the opening scene when they all gather round in front of the big house.  The audience recognises that they are the main characters through the use of the dialogue/camera shots/events that they are involved in. •      Narrative Events: •      The opening scene features certain narrative events such as screaming, shouting and talking these conform to the genre as other openings such as a nightmare on elm street feature similar events. •      Enigma codes: •      Enigma codes are used to tease the audience and engage them in the narrative so they carry on watching the film. Certain enigmas are included in the opening such as puzzles about how the boy will get out questions are left unanswered about why the floor opened up •      The audience want to know what will happen to the character who got dragged into hell •      Symbolic codes are shown in the mise-en-scene: •      In the opening the audience would identify symbols such as scared characters these could make the audience feel scared as well and on the edge of the seat. •      Props/ costumes: •      The audience can see that the characters are wearing old cloths this shows that it could be set in the past. •      Props are featured such as cars and blankets •      Clichés: •      Noticeable clichés are used in the opening scene such as someone disappears and they have to find him. This engages the audience as they recognise these features and can predict what is going to happen in the narrative.