Horror Trailer Research and Analysis

One thing I have observed from researching existing horror trailers is that the music and shots work together to build both tension and suspense within the audience. This is seen in both the Scream 4 trailer and the Babadook trailer as crescendos are paired with images of the antagonist to build fear towards them and to make them appear more deadly by adding dramatic and loud music. Another aspect I have noticed is the way the two paranormal trailers, The Babadook and The Conjuring have a longer period of equilibrium than that of the slasher trailer. This is to build a sense of normality among the audience and so that when the disequilibrium starts they see how it contrasts with the normal life of the protagonists. A final element of the trailers I have noticed is the use of facial close ups to convey and the fear and terror that the character/s are facing.

Film theory trailer analysis - Prom Night

Prom Night trailer in light of film theories

The trailer for Prom Night (2008) follows the main protagonist, Donna, preparing for her senior prom, attending it and then running from a crazed killer that has an undisclosed obsession with her. The trailer shows signs of all the film theories, including Todorov’s and Propp’s.

The most noticeable film theory is Todorov’s narrative theory that states that all horror films follow a similar theory, therefore making all horror films predictable. This theory is split into four different sections. Three of which are shown in the Prom Night. The equilibrium is shown in the very beginning of the trailer by the locations in very light settings with pastel colours. The equilibrium is also shown by the completion of everyday tasks by the characters, such as going to a hair salon and laughing with friends. This then transitions to the moment of disequilibrium, introduced by the sudden turning off of the lights, and reinforced by the ambiguous killing of a secondary character, with a close up shot of the murder weapon. This then continues to the period of disequilibrium by showing the quick cut shots of the killer stalking and killing the prom attendees. This is then met by the showing of the female protagonist trying to escape the killer and for the police to find the killer. The period of disequilibrium has been edited with extremely fast shots as to create tension and to make the film appear fast paced.

Another theory shown in the trailer is Strauss’s theory of binary opposites. There are many binary opposites presented in the trailer through themes. The most prominent is good and evil. This is portrayed through characters like innocent victim versus the dark serial killer. With these two characters the theme of beauty and violence is also shown as the protagonist is very attractive which contrasts with the close up shot of the murder weapon and the nature of the film altogether. There is also a prominent binary opposition of freedom and confinement. There is constant talk at the beginning of the trailer of leaving school and being set free, where in reality they are confined to the hotel where their prom is being held because the serial killer has locked all of the exits. There is also a very visual binary opposition of light and dark. This is shown in two different ways throughout the trailer. The first is the lighting, which often shows a large, light room, with a section of darkness in it, suggesting that the killer is lurking there. The other way the binary opposite of light and dark is visualized is by the characters costumes. The innocent protagonist is wearing a “champagne” dress which is a very light colour whilst the killer is always shown wearing black, also showing the contrast the motives of the two main protagonists.

Propp’s character theory states that in tales there are thirty-one separate story lines that keep repeating themselves with the same characters. Not many of these character types can be seen for the Prom Night trailer but there are three that stand out. The first being ‘the hero/victim’ who is the main source of rage for the killer and is the conventional blonde American teenager. The second being ‘the villain’, from watching this trailer it is obvious to see that the villain is the murder. However the camera never reveals the killers face, which adds to the mystery of who he or she is. The other, more ambiguous, character shown in the trailer is ‘the helper’ who appears to be the lieutenant chasing the killer down, his helper status is revealed by his monologue running through the majority of the trailer.

The final film theory is Bathes enigma code. This theory suggests that a text portrays an element of mystery to entice the audience. This theory is built up through the trailer by the fact that the camera never shows the killer’s face. This adds a certain ambiguity and mystery to the killer. Another way the enigma code is portrayed is in the final scene of the trailer. This scene is a close up of the protagonist hiding under the bed, the camera then shows a close up of the killer’s feet as he walks past the bed, we then see the camera go to a close up of the protagonists face while she is putting a hand over her mouth, to mask her breathing. This shot-reverse-shot sequence creates the question among the audience “Will the killer find her?” The sudden cut, leading to black at the end of the shot also leaves the audience hanging in suspense.

Feminist Anaysis of Urban Legend

Feminist Analysis of Urban Legend

The film Urban Legend (1998) follows a group of students in a New England university who are terrorized by a killer whose victims come to their end in the form of urban legends. Although the film has common feminine paradigms it does also show some aspects that are not always seen in the slasher horror sub-genre.

In the opening scene of the film we see the ‘first victim’ show pepper spray in a close up shot when she fears for her safety. This shows the preparedness of the female character as she has a way to defend herself against the attacks. This is rare to see in a slasher horror as the opening females are seen to be defenceless and an ‘easy’ kill the murder.
This sense of self defence is also shown in a mid-body shot of the female protagonist punching a male in the face. This action shows that female characters in the slasher sub-genre are becoming stronger in the sense that they are not easy victims, showing the evolution of the female character in the overall horror genre.

In this film the audience is also subjected to two stereotypical female tropes. The first one that the audience sees is the typical, busty female. This character can be applied to Laura Mulvey’s ‘Male Gaze’ theory. This theory states that women are objectified in films because heterosexual men are in control of the camera. We are exposed to the sexual nature of this female through the use of a mid-body shot whilst the character is shown to be flirting with the male protagonist. This character is also sexualised by the fact she is wearing a low tank top, therefore leaving very little to the imagination of the viewer.
On the other hand we also see a female character that is the stereotypical goth, dressed in black and seen as being severely anti-social and is not missed when she is killed. The presentation of these two girls could represent the divide in society as it seems that, we, as females are either confident or intimidated by the confidence of other girls. We also see this social divide in a wide shot in which we see the busty girls sitting next to the protagonist who is wearing much more conservative clothing, once again showing the two types of girls in our society. This also suggests that the character with the low cut top is more promiscuous compared to the covered up, more virginal character.

Like in many other horror films the theme of relationship occurs when a character questions whether another likes them or not. This is apparent in Urban Legend through the character of Brenda who is shown to pine after a male character who does seem to notice her interest in him. We see this exchange through a simple shot-reverse-shot sequence between the two characters. This sense of an almost unrequited love is extremely derogatory towards the female character as it shows that her only interest and worry is to find a boyfriend to depend him, making the female gender seem very dependent on males.

One female horror trope that has been cast out in Urban Legend is the appearance of the female protagonist. In many horror films, including the Scream franchise and Prom Night, the main female, or supporting character, has blonde hair. This promotes the stereotype that blonde girls lack intelligence and is usually emphasised by their early death in the film. However Urban Legend contradicts this idea by having the leading female being a red head, suggesting that this ‘final girl’ is intellectually superior to female characters in other films in the slasher sub-genre.

However even the apparent intellectuals of the film are still subjected to the common tropes of females in horror films. An example of this is when the protagonist is shown to be very emotional, but her hair is perfectly framing her face. This shows that, in horror films, women cannot be pretty and emotional and must always look to some degree attractive. The protagonist is then seen to have a vain nature as she fixes her hair in a brief moment of solitude, showing how girls are only seen to be worrying about the appearance, which is a male interpretation of how woman act.

Like in many horror films the female characters are used as sexual objects by the males. A prime example of this in Urban Legend is shown by a male character making a sexual advance on the female protagonist whilst she is clearly upset. Firstly, this scene shows how only women are the subject of emotional trauma at a frightening time, showing how easily women are over taken by their emotions and how it incapacitates them. Secondly, it shows the predatory nature of males in horror films as they believe that being overcome by emotions make woman more susceptible to sex. This idea of frailty is also shown when the protagonist asks the classic question “What if there really is a killer?” This is shot in a close up shot to show the fear in the females face. However this shot once again shows the idea that the woman is the only one affected by the events that are unfolding.

There are two main paradigm shifts seen in Urban Legend. The first is the fact that there is a female authority figure that has an impact on the plot. The character known as Reese is the only campus police officer and is also acts as the funny African American character in the film. On this level she is an independent woman as she has not officer to look up to, however she is ruled by the white, male authority figures of the university.
The more prominent paradigm in the film is its outcome. This is one of the very few slasher films where the killer turns out to be female. This is a huge paradigm shift as it shows women as being as capable of murder as men. This also shows how women are also susceptible to deranged mental states and are not always crying or screaming for help.

To conclude, the film Urban Legend shows many sides of feminism, most of them are negative and are derogatory towards women. However there are also some positive aspects, such as the appearance of the leading female that breaks the conventions that are commonly shown in the slasher horror sub-genre, therefore showing the evolution of the genre from the first films like Halloween and Friday the 13^th. 

Halloween Trailer Analysis

How does the Halloween trailer adhere to the codes and conventions of the slasher horror sub-genre?

The trailer for the film Halloween presents many paradigms to the audience through the use of iconography, structure and theme. Many of the conventions seen in the trailer are shown through the use of the character, props, settings and music used. Through these mediums the audience is exposed to the typical paradigms seen in many slasher horror films.

One area of iconography is the props used. Props are extremely important in horror films as they can add to the reality of the setting and, more often than not provide the protagonist with a weapon of defence. Perhaps maybe the biggest convention that the Halloween trailer shows in terms of prop usage is the butchers knife which the killer has chosen as his weapon of choice. This particular weapon conveys a sense of savagery due to the size and purple of which the weapon is normally used. We see this very early on in the trailer through the use of a mid-body shot. However this shot cuts off the bottom of the weapon which allows the audience to exaggerate the actual size of the object. This sense of the exaggerated weapon is also seen in other slasher films such as Friday the 13th  in which the killer uses and machete, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, where the killer uses a chainsaw. The killers using weapons such as these add to the horror and gore of the movie. Maybe the most important prop in the horror genre, excluding the murder weapon, is the mask the killer chooses to hide his true face. The first time the audience clearly sees the mask in the trailer is through the use of a wide shot in which the killer's face appears next to the protagonists. The colour of the mask, which is white, contrasts against the black surroundings and therefore allows it to look more frightening to the audience. Many other films in the horror genre chose to give their killers masks such as My Bloody Valentine, whose killer wears a gas/breathing mask and I still Know What You Did Last Summer, which chooses to give it's killer a yellow slicker instead of a mask.

Another area of iconography is setting. Although the settings in horror films are relatively similar they still create both an intense and suspenseful feeling within the audience. The presence of a large house in darkness is a very common paradigm seen in many slasher horror films. In the Halloween trailer this is scene in a tracking shot following the main character. The house is surrounded by darkness and is covered in shadows. This gives the illusion to the audience that the killer is lurking within them. This common setting gives the audience the idea that the killer is always watching their victim, this could also be viewer as voyeurism.

Also seen in many slasher films is the idealistic American house in the suburbs. This is seen in the opening shot of the trailer, using a wide camera angle. The fact that the makers decided to add a perfect looking house in a slasher is that so it gives the idea that evil can happen in even the most normal place. This trope can be applied to films such as A Nightmare On Elm Street as that also takes place in a quite American suburb.

Music is another area of iconography and is maybe one of the most important aspects to think about when creating any horror film as this it is what can leave the audience with a great sense of fear. Once again the opening shot of the trailer provides a common trope seen in many slasher horror films. The opening shot shows the audience an apparently idealistic house but is accompanied by very shrill, non-diegetic, music. This is used to create suspense but also to warn the audience that something bad is about to happen. This idea of music being used to warn the audience is also seen later in the trailer through the use of a full body shot of the killer about to attack his victim whilst deep, sharp, segmented music lets the audience know that the killer is about to strike. This is also seen in other slasher films as the killer has their own soundtrack to make the audience aware of their presence, which could be seen as a motif.
The use of creaky doors are also very common and is accompanied by a wide shot of the killer in the door in question. The creaky sound of a door opening is used widely in horror films as it makes the audience weary of what is coming through the door, adding to the suspense.

The final area of iconography is character. Like in the majority of other horror films the main character is female. This is determined in the Halloween trailer as the majority of shots, mostly tracking, show the same woman. However, Halloween differs from the paradigm of character as protagonist, Laurie, has blonde hair which is quite rare for the female protagonist of a horror film as protagonists in other slasher horrors like Scream and Urban Legend have female protagonists with dark hair. So by Halloween having a light haired protagonist it is trying to defeat the stigma that blonde girls are less intelligent than darker haired girls as Laurie does outsmart the killer multiple times. However she is still classically portrayed as being extremely hysterical and as being portrayed as weak when she breaks down in tears after finding that her friends have been murdered.
Another character trope seen in the majority of horror genre is that the killer moves at a relatively slow pace. The audience sees this through the use of a shot reverse shot in which the protagonist looks over her shoulder to see the killer. This is where we see him walking at an almost leisurely pace across the pavement. Although this does set up quite a slow pace for the film compared to the fast moving 'Ghost face' in Scream, it does at least give the victim a chance to escape,which therefore allows the audience to identify and get behind the character and wish them to escape and survive.

The Halloween trailer also shows that it follows codes and conventions through the use of structure. All horror films are split into sections such as of equilibrium and moment of disequilibrium. There is a strong sense of the equilibrium towards the start of the trailer. There is a tracking shot of three characters, including the main protagonist, talking and laughing together in the sunshine. This shows the characters before the moment of disequilibrium.

Halloween also adheres to the trope of dramatic irony at some point in the film. The dramatic irony occurs when next victim is unknowingly facing the killer. This is shown in the trailer through the use of a short reverse shot sequence, showing the reveal of the killer, looking back to the calm, unknowing character, and back to the advancing killer. The use of this dramatic irony increases the suspense of the scene as the audience does not know when the killer is going to strike. This trait is similar to that of Scream as a character is also, unsuspectingly, face to face with the killer. However the difference between these two films in this area is that whilst one character comes to realise their mistake, the other does not.

A structural convention that is present in the majority of, if not all, slasher films is the re-telling of the killers past and therefore the origin of their motives. However Halloween somewhat differs from the conventional way in which this is shared, which is through a monologue by the killer towards the climactic scene of the film, but the trailer actually shows us what happens. The audience is shown this through a long tracking shot, which is being shown through the eyes of the killer as it is happening. This gives the audience a more visual, and therefore more detailed, telling of the killer's past. However Halloween is not the only film to show the origin of the killer in a visual way as Urban Legend also shows this visually.

One of the main themes in the Halloween trailer is isolation. This is shown through the many tracking shots that are following the protagonist as she is running away from the killer. This sense of isolation may also be due to the fact that the majority of the film is set at night which already suggests a lack of human presence. However the audience is shown a greater sense of isolation through mid-body shots of the protagonist knocking on neighbouring doors begging for help. The fact that there is no answer and also that nobody turns their lights on to see what is causing all the noise adds to the idea that the protagonist is alone in their own nightmare. This sense of isolation is present in many slasher horror films to give the audience the idea that no one can help the protagonist in their struggle.

One way that the trailer for Halloween follows the structuralist theory of Focault and Lacan is by showing the presence of the evident 'final girl'. This is evident in the trailer as the majority of the shots in the trailer feature the blonde female protagonist running from the persistent killer. This is also shown by mid shots showing the dead bodies of other characters, emphasising to the audience how the protagonist is the lone survivor of this massacre. Another area that can be applied to the structuralist theory is the spiralling shot that shows the protagonist falling down s flight of stairs. This is immediately followed by a low angled wide shot of the killer at the top of the stairs. This is a trope seen in most slasher horror films as it makes the audience ask the question of, will she get away from the killer? This therefore makes the audience feel a sense of anxiety for the victim, but as this is seen in the majority of slasher films, structuralist theory dictates that she will just about escape from the grip of the killer.

The Halloween trailer conforms to slasher horror codes and conventions by supporting certain paradigms including props, setting, music and character. In a way the trailer shows us the ingredients needed for a slasher horror film, in the way of character, a slow walking serial killer wearing a mask, setting, a quite American suburb,and props, in the way of an exaggerated murder weapon. The trailer for Halloween also shows evidence of Focault and Lacan's structuralist theory as it shows scenes that we as viewers expect to see in the slasher horror sub-genre.