The Grudge Poster Analysis

The first thing the viewer would notice when looking at this film poster would be the eye in the middle of the image. They eye on its own is quite haunting due to the fact there is no clear line between the pupil and the coloured part. This is quite inhuman and it makes the viewer womnder what may be wrong with the girl and why her eye is like this. Here eye is also very wide and brightened by the light effects in the image. This draws the viewers attention and intrigues them, making them want to see the film. The girls eye is open very wide, giving the impression she is quite deranged, frightening or frightened herself, all of which will confuse the audience about the girl and make them want to see the film.

The fact that the girls face is mostly obscured by her hair is very important also as it makes the audience wonder what is behind the hair. The hair is also important as the audience would imagine a scary figure with hair draped across her face, not being able to see her totally, and the fact that you cant fully see her face makes the character more frightening. The girls face in the image is completely grey also which adds to her mystery. It also makes her appear ghostly, or as if she was dead.

The red title in the image, “THE GRUDGE” is very impactful due to the fact it stands out so well as its on a black background. Also the title is directly next to the characters eye makes it stand out as people will automatically look at after looking at the eye. The redness in the image is important as it connotes blood and anger which enhances the idea that the film of the the horror genre. The title itself is also quite intriguing as the audience will automatically be thinking about what this “grudge” may be. This links with the tag line “It never forgives. It never forgets” which is associated with holding a grudge with someone.                        

Overall the poster is very effective when advertising the film as it as it raises many questions in the audiences mind and it makes them want to find out the answers. There is a clear sense that the film is of the horror genre due to the amount of darkness in the poster and most importantly the main character in the image is very haunting and makes the audience intrigued to see the film.

The Shining poster analysis

The first thing you notice when looking at the poster is the crazed face of the character on the left of the poster. His face seems to be brightened and bold red which draws the viewers attention towards him, suggesting he is a pivotal character in the film. He looks very angry and quite demented which connotes fear and worry for the character on the right of the poster.

The female character in the poster would be the next thing to catch the viewers attention and the fact she looks very distressed and frightened by the character on the left would enhance the idea of fear into the viewers mind. The girl is holding a knife which is only just visible in the image suggesting she is in great danger from the main character, however she is very incapable of defending herself from the main character.

 Only after paying close attention to the image will the viewer be able to notice the man has used an axe to break into the room in which the woman is hiding, adding to the idea of fear. The fact that the man is wielding a large axe and the woman only has a respectively small weapon would fortify the idea that he is the domineering figure in the battle. 

The door that has been smashed seems to the like a divide in emotions with the two characters, with the woman being very frightened, and the man being very aggressive angry. The door also represents the security of the woman, which the male character breaches with anger. This is a common theme in a lot of horror films, with the male being the more powerful character with the woman usually in danger and needing saving.

Finally the text at the top of the image “The tide of terror that swept America IS HERE” gives the impression that the film is incredibly scary and is very popular. This would encourage the audience to see the film.

The title of the film is situated at the bottom of the poster, because when someone looks at a piece of publishing they normally read from top to bottom, so by having the name of the film at the bottom, people are more likely to remember the name of the film, therefore more likely to watch it at the cinema.

Kieran Browne

Saw 2 film analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nac1avJp3UE - Here is alink to the movie trailer for Saw 2.

The saw films are a series of films which often revolve around a group of people in a horrific situation which the eventually have to escape from. Saw 2 is no different. Produced in 2005 by Gregg Hoffman would suggest it would fall into the category of a ‘gore’ horror film, and that suggestion would be correct.
The film begins with a man who has his head in a vice, distressed and scared, eventually he is killed in a frankly, horrific manner. This sets the tone for the film overall and leaves nothing to the viewers imagination, it doesn’t ease the viewer into the violence, its instant.
As the film progresses, a story line is formed where a police officer’s son is captured by the Jigsaw and he has to try and survive in this house he is trapped in, along with some other victims. It eventually turns out, the police officer framed all the people in the house with the boy and got them sent to prison for something they didn’t necessarily do, increasing the danger in the situation the boy has found himself in.
  Throughout the film the gore continues, with the victims being killed in unbelievable ways, such as being burned alive in a large furnace, attacked with a club containing nails, bleeding to death through severed wrists, and being shot in the head with a mechanical gun. All of which, very graphic and clear for the viewer to see. The film not only scares the audience by using different horror techniques such as quick cutting, aggression, possible death and the thought of captivity, but it also disgusts the audience, scaring them with the gore, making them not want to watch, but at the same time they cant resist. This is a classic technique that horror film producers use, as it is a human instinct, the lust for blood, the producers play on this and in a way, force the audience to watch even though what they are watching is quite repulsive.
  In terms of the structure of the film, there are many aspects of Todorovs theory in which he said there was a set structure for all films, an equilibrium, then an event happens, in this case, when the boy is captured and is trapped in the house, then there is a period of recognition, which also occurs in this film, then there is usually an attempt to fix the problem, in this case, when they are trying to escape the house, and the final stage of Todorovs theory, a new equilibrium. This stage of the theory is one that doesn’t completely agree with the film. The reason being, after the twist which turns out to be that the boy is actually safe and in a cupboard, the father has actually been captured while trying to save his son, therefore there is definitely no equilibrium to end the film. This has been done on purpose by the film producer, to leave the audience feeling uncomfortable about the film when they leave the cinema. It also gives them a chance to continue the series of films as it is currently on a cliffhanger, so it leaves the audience wanting more.

  The film fits in with the time period in which it was made, due to the fact that when it was made, there was a gore craze at the time for gore films, other gore films at the time include ‘Let the right one in’ and ‘The Grudge’. I don think the film made any progress in the genre, however. The film was a sequal, therefore had a previous story before it, which is actually quite similar to this one, showing there wasn’t much progression in terms of the kind of story lines in the films. The main difference between the films is that there is a different group of people trying to escape the jigsaw. The main progression was the manner in which the people are killed. The violence in the Saw films is predominantly much stronger than that in other horror films such as ‘Let the right one in’. So in that sense, the Saw films did make progress.
The characters in the film are very important as they form the structure of the group in the house. Vladamir Propp said that there would always be a hero, someone that was usually the main character, in this case, the police officers son. They would always have a helper, who would aid the hero, in this film it turns out to be the girl, however she turns out to be a false hero as although she helps the boy escape, she is actually working for the jigsaw and ends up capturing the police officer herself. There would also be a villain in the film, who would actively want to block the hero’s intentions, here, it is the large muscular male who tries to kill the young boy after he finds out who his father is. These characters appear in the majority of films and stories and are crucial to the story. I think the audience would side with the young boy and the girl helping him, to begin with, as the young boy is there through no fault of his own and as the audience has been introduced to his father, you feel connected to the character. You also side with the young girl as she is helping the boy, this soon changes however when the audience discovers her evil intentions.
  In conclusion, the film is a classic gore horror movie of its time, containing brutal and disgusting violence, designed to repulse the audience. The film contains a strong story line however which compels the audience from beginning to end. The characters in the film are well representative of Propp’s theory, with slight differentiations and twists, leaving the audience interested and shocked by the fillm. The twist at the end of the film is very clever and allows the film to be left on a cliff hanger, opening up the possibility of another film and it leaves the audience wanting to see more gore. The main reason for the success of the series of films, the natural lust for blood.

Kieran Browne

This is my Sinister, 2012, trailer analysis.

Historical stages in films from kieranbrowne

This is my PowerPoint Presentation about the historical stages and  development of horror films.

‘The Possession’ Movie Trailer 2012 analysis

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gBeG31fX40  Here is a link to the Possession horror trailer.

The trailer begins with slow cuts, with faded edits which infers peacefulness to begin with. When the family are moving to the new house, there is a calm atmosphere, however as the trailer goes on there becomes more of an intense feeling, especially after the girl discovers the possessed box. The music sounds quite peaceful to begin with but it is still quite menacing as it seems to be in the backround, like some sort of monster. Only when the box is open and the girl begins to be possessed does the music begin to become quite imposing and God-like. The music seems quite holy due to the link with the devil and the possession so the music compliments the trailer well.  Due to the volume of it and the way it’s so high in the mix.

The theme of God is ever-present for example when the characters are in the large while room, it seems very peaceful and holy. Another thing that makes the trailer scary is that its situated around a young girl as it makes her seem venerable and that she cannot defend herself. Also how there is such an emphasis that the box cannot be opened makes the trailer scary also.
However the most effective part of the trailer is when the music goes silent and someone looks down the girls throat and all of a sudden some fingers come out of the girld throat. This is a shock tactic which is often used in horror films and the name of the film followed afterwards so it leaves the viewer with the film name in their head. This is a classic horror technique used by many film makers and its often used in horror trailers to be impactful and to leave an impression on the viewer. 

Kieran Browne

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Poster Analysis

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Poster Analysis

 

There is instantly a feeling that the poster is about a horror film due to the dark colours at the bottom of the poster and the intimidating image of the males face at the top of the poster. The man seems to have a large cut above his eye brow which infers violence and gore will feature in the film. Another reason the poster seems scary is that you cant quite see the mans eyes and the far side of his face. This means the viewer is unable see the characters emotions which is quite unnerving. The vertical lines in the image also add to the horror effect due to the fact that it that it looks like an old film reel. This is important as it strengthens the idea that the poster is about a film and it obscures the character in the poster even more.

The text in the poster adds to the horror effect due to the fact its in capitals and old style font. This makes the poster more impactful and scary as the text is clearly visible due to the colour contrast from black to yellow. It also connotes the imagery of an old haunted town where the people are vunerable and in danger. The fact that “CHAINSAW” is the largest word in the poster is important as it clearly tells the poster viewer what will be included in the film. A chainsaw is a very aggressive and dangerous therefore the viewer will be frightened by the though of a chainsaw wielding, sinister character.

The poster is very impactful and raises many questions in the viewers mind and although the thought of a chainsaw massacre is generally off putting and gross, people would want to watch the movie due to the fact they would be intrigued by the poster, and the sense of mystery which it connotes.  

Kieran Browne