Titling
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The titling itself in these sequences seems to take more of a backseat, while the viewer pays attention to the sounds and
images that are present around them. This makes sense as, even with a creepy font, the titles of a picture will never be as
frightening as seeing zombies ripping someone to shreds, like in ‘Dawn of the Dead’ on the right.
In ‘Dawn of the Dead’, on the right, the effect for bringing the titles on and off screen are actually quite creative, with each
word be swept away in a manner very reminiscent of blood. This effect, coupled with the red text, clearly represents the
themes of blood and gore that are so important to the fear factor in zombie movies such as this. Having the titles themselves
feel somewhat part of the action in this way helps to not take the audience out of the action every time a new set of titles are
shown. It provides a satisfying continuation of the gore shown in the clips shown in-between the titles of zombies doing what
zombies do. The font itself is actually quite understated and doesn’t draw any particular attention to itself, thereby allowing
the viewer the shock of seeing it fly off the screen as blood.
Similarly understated are the titles used in ‘The Exorcist’, on the left, which, while not using any flashy effects or particularly
frightening font choice, are quite effective in that they compliment the sounds behind them by not drawing too much
attention away from them. the font itself is similar to the type of font you see on the front of bibles, which hints at the
religious undertones of the film, and in the choice of making it red, the director has clearly chosen to link his titles to the
colour of blood, and the several connotations about death and sacrifice that come along with it. Mixing together themes of
both religion and death through the titling shows the viewer exactly what to expect from this film merely by seeing its titling,
we can infer that this film will likely deal with the religious understanding and dealings with supernatural and unearthly
occurrences, such as ‘exorcisms’.
Characterisation
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Horror movies usually have characters that don’t seem to stray to far from genre stereotypes, with there usually being a
curious and naïve protagonist or group of protagonists, usually young and seemingly innocent who are pitted against a
psychopathic and altogether unsettling enemy that will make their lives a misery. In the films below ‘Saw II’ and ‘The
Nightmare on Elm Street’, these stereotypical characters are used well in order to make us want to help the protagonists and
fear the antagonists.
In ‘Saw II’ on the left, we are introduced straight away to the antagonist ‘Jigsaw’. As this is a sequel, most viewers will already
know who this person is, but the clip still makes an effort to get us to fear him once again. He is an interesting villain, as
although his voice and mask (and methods of killing people) create the sense that we should probably fear what he is capable
of, his dialogue suggests a far more complex motivation for his actions, creating a satisfying mystery that will likely make
audience members want to stay and watch through the gore in order to find out more about this persona. Jigsaw is also given
more fear factor through the unconventional nature of his victim. Where most horror films will victimise a young girl or group
of teenagers in order to show the innocence of the protagonist against a rather more unsavoury individual in the antagonist,
‘Saw II’ instead elects to have its first victim be an older male, who we assume looks strong enough that he would be able to
take care of himself. This subversion of horror conventions gives the antagonist far more power, and therefore we fear him
more. If he can kill this guy, who can’t he kill?
‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ on the right takes similar actions to reveal more about the psyche of its villain, but unlike ‘Saw II’, it
has a rather conventional victim in the young, naïve girl who we are compelled to want to protect, making it even more
uncomfortable for the audience when you realise you can’t do anything. The sadistic laugh, as well as the heavy breathing
and very methodical way he creates his weapon at the start of this sequence creates a persona that, although he is never
properly seen, we as an audience know that he is to be feared, just as the protagonist fears him.
Sound
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Sound is incredibly important to the horror genre, as often a sound or peace of music can get a far greater emotional
response from a viewer than any amount of blood and guts. The right sound can create a very deep sense of fear, even if
nothing really is happening behind it, as the fear of the unknown is often the greatest fear of all.
In ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ on the left for example, merely the sound of the laughter and breathing of the antagonist is
enough to realise this character is one to be feared, even though we never see him. The sounds he makes are enough for us
to decide whether this person is on the side of good or evil, but this clip goes one further, with several other sound effects
that push the scene into new levels of fear factor. The high pitch scratches are very harsh on the ears, making the viewer even
more uncomfortable, and at the start of the scene, the methodical sounds of tools being used to sharpen blades and hammer
in nails can lead your mind to wonder what else those tools might be used for other than making things. This clip also uses
synthesised sound effects to great effect to portray the other-worldly nature of the villain and his supernatural origins, but is
also not one to shy away from taking advantage of the power of silence to add terrifying levels of suspense to a scene.
In ‘The Exorcist’ on the right, sound is used quite differently. With no characters being introduced, the music is instead used
to present the overall themes of the film, which from the music alone we can infer will no doubt deal with the religious ideas
and practices that deal with supernatural phenomena, such as the titular ‘Exorcism’. A very harsh screeching noise is heard,
which is very uncomfortable for the viewer, and quite disorienting. This sound then introduces an Islamic prayer , which
highlights the film’s likely religious undertones. This, to a western audience would likely seem quite alien, and is not
something a lot of people hear in their daily lives, again creating a sense of mystery and other-worldliness to the clip. The
combination of these two sounds, however, is most effective in showing that this film will clearly be dealing with some of the
more scary elements that can be found in religion, such as the ideas about possession and demons, and therefore shows the
viewer almost exactly what they can expect to be dealing with in the rest of the film.
Mise-en-scene
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Mise-en-scene in horror can be effective in creating a terrifying environment where an antagonist can play through their
sadistic fantasies, or can be used just as effectively in creating a seemingly normal real world environment that is the last
place you’d expect any strange and supernatural occurrences to take place. Lighting is also incredibly useful in creating a
mystery in an environment, therefore bringing in a fear of the unknown, and effective lighting use is paramount to the
scariness of a scene.
In ‘The Ring’, on the left, the location used is a very normal looking house, with nothing seeming particularly out of place or
out of the ordinary, which actually works towards making the odd and eerie events that take place in the house even more
frightening. The fact that the girl is unsafe, even in her seemingly normal home, is a frightening thought, creating a sense
that if she isn’t safe here, where is she safe? Lighting is used effectively, wit most of the scene taking place in darkness, with
only the motivated light from the television set to light the room, creating a real sense of importance to the television
remaining on, despite the girls efforts to turn it off.
In ‘Saw II’, on the right, mise-en-scene is used very differently, with a location specifically created to look frightening, and put
the victim in a particularly weak position. The room where the victim is situated is almost completely devoid of any props,
with only the few pieces of medical equipment present. It is dark, dank and seems to be a particularly nasty place to find
yourself. The victim himself wears no costume, only the torture device, and this nakedness puts him immediately in a
position of weakness in comparison with the antagonist. Lighting is also used effectively, with the green tinge to the lighting
creating an effect reminiscent of a hospital theatre, the connotations of which are clear to see in the impromptu operation
that takes place on the victim as he is sleeping.