Analysis of a Horror/Thriller Trailer

Here are some screen grabs from the trailer of the film The Strangers. It clearly shows its genre through the stereotypical conventions used.

1. This camera angle shows a conversation between the two main characters. It is also the first clear shot we get of the famous actress Liv Tyer. The shot involves a one liner that creates a clear picture of the relationship between both characters.

2. Medium close-up shot of both characters shows a clear, shocked expression. This creates an atmosphere of which is clearly being portrayed as shocked/scared. This shot is a pivotal moment in which the trailer starts to show its genre.

3. Key points are conveyed through titles. The background is black, creating a dark feel and eerie tone. The text ‘inspired by true events’ is crucial to mention as this will make the rest of the trailer even more shocking than it would be if it were to be fictional.

4. Here we can see a shot of Liv Tyler peering through drawn curtains. This is a very stereotypical horror scene as she is most probably looking out of the window to see if anyone is outside. The artificial lighting on the left side of her face also proves that it is set at night time, a typical time for a horror to be set. The overall feel of the shot is tense.

5. This shot creates a very tense atmosphere due to the lighting. An audience are more likely to feel tense when dark lighting is used as it automatically acquires them with a fear of what may be within the darkness. It is also an obvious technique to build up to a ‘jumpy’ moment.

6. This extreme close-up shows a hand locking the door. This provides the audience with a fear that somebody is outside and it isn’t safe to have the doors unlocked.

 7. Long distance shot shows the mise-en-scene but it also typically shows a main character under threat from somebody/something. I have circled the masked character to make it clearer as the quality of the screen grab isn’t great. This shot again, makes the trailer tense and the fact that we can see the main character is so clearly under threat only makes the audience want to see more.

8. Typical shot of some sort of wooded area here. Again, this is very stereotypical for a horror/thriller genre. Not only do the trees create an eerie atmosphere, but the darkness does also.

9. Here we can see a medium shot of a character in serious trouble. This is a great shot that provides the audience with action, building up to a climax. This shot happens to be near the end of the trailer